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Camping in North America - statistics & facts

From to the Grand Canyon to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, North America is known for its vast national parks and wilderness, making the region a prime spot for camping. These awe inspiring locations were put to good use by campers in 2021 when approximately 25.9 million North American households went on more than three annual camping trips. For the most part, camping involves leaving developed areas to spend (at least) a night outdoors to experience nature. That being said, there are a range of different ways people can camp. Some campers are looking to challenge themselves and test their survival skills, taking the bare minimum along. Meanwhile, others would rather stay in more comfortable accommodation, like recreational vehicles (RVs), bringing along items like camping furniture and their own source of power. Either way, the camping industry proves to be a lucrative one with the revenue of the North American camping industry reaching approximately 21.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a figure that is forecast to grow over the upcoming five years.

Which North Americans like camping the most?

When looking at a regional breakdown of campers in North America, the Western and Southern regions of the United States had the highest share of campers in 2021, at 72 percent respectively. Between 2019 and 2021, the share of campers in the United States saw year-over-year growth, in contrast, the share of campers in Canada saw a year-over-year decline during this period. Focusing again on the overall region, in 2021 the income group with the highest share of campers was those earning more than 100 thousand U.S. dollars annually. This looks to be a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as prior to 2020 the most common income of campers in North America was between 25 and just under 50 thousand U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, when looking at camper ages, the generation with the highest share of campers in North America in 2021 was Millennials at 40 percent, although Gen X has also taken the top spot in past years.

Most popular types of camping in North America

With the incredible options available to them, it is perhaps no surprise the most popular camping destinations among North Americans were state or national parks in 2021, with 35 percent of respondents stating these were their favorite locations to go camping. The most visited national park in the U.S. in that year was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, meanwhile, the most visited national park in Canada was Banff National Park. When it comes to the distance North American campers are willing to travel to reach their ideal location, some are willing to travel further than others. Most campers typically traveled less than 50 miles, however, 16 percent noted that they would travel over 200 miles to reach their preferred camping spot. As previously mentioned, there are a variety of ways to camp. However, it would appear that one particular type of camping trumped the rest, as in 2021 the most popular type of camping accommodation in North America were tents, with 66 percent of respondents identifying them as their ideal lodging. Comparatively, only 15 percent of respondents said that RVs were their preferred accommodation type.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Mar 24, 2023

Key insights

Revenue of the camping industry in North America
21.89bn USD
Most popular North American camping destination
State or national park campgrounds
Number of North American households that went camping more than three times a year
25.9m
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