While the number of public use airports in the United States has fallen since 1990, the number of private use airports has increased in recent years. In 2020, there were 5,217 public airports in the U.S., a decrease from the 5,589 public airports operating in 1990. Conversely, the number of private airports increased over this period from 11,901 to 14,702.
Public use versus private use airports
The distinction between public and private use airports refers to usage, not ownership. A public use airport is defined by the FAA as ‘an airport available for use by the general public without a requirement for prior approval of the airport owner or operator’, whereas prior approval is required for private use airports. Included here under the term airport are also heliports, seaplane bases, and facilities for other aerial hobbies.
Includes civil and joint-use civil-military airports, heliports, STOL (short takeoff and landing) ports, and seaplane bases in the United States and its territories. Sole-use military airports are not included.
* 2015 data was not available.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $468 / Year
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (May 6, 2021). Number of public and private airports in the United States from 1990 to 2020* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/183496/number-of-airports-in-the-united-states-since-1990/
Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "Number of public and private airports in the United States from 1990 to 2020*." Chart. May 6, 2021. Statista. Accessed June 25, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183496/number-of-airports-in-the-united-states-since-1990/
Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2021). Number of public and private airports in the United States from 1990 to 2020*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 25, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183496/number-of-airports-in-the-united-states-since-1990/
Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "Number of Public and Private Airports in The United States from 1990 to 2020*." Statista, Statista Inc., 6 May 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/183496/number-of-airports-in-the-united-states-since-1990/
Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Number of public and private airports in the United States from 1990 to 2020* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/183496/number-of-airports-in-the-united-states-since-1990/ (last visited June 25, 2022)