States with the most boat owners
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States with the most boat owners
Yachtsman moors his motor boat at jetty.
The strong bond between humans and water has been portrayed in literature, music, and paintings for centuries. Owning a boat and living close to water is the ultimate life goal of many.
The United States has unparalleled bodies of water that allow inhabitants of each of the 50 states to have, if they wish, a close connection with oceans, lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, or rivers. From Niagara Falls to the picture-perfect beaches of Hawaii, and from the majesty of the Great Lakes to the melody-inspiring banks of the Mississippi River, Americans enjoy a privileged geography when it comes to their proximity to iconic bodies of water.
GetMyBoat ranked states by their concentrations of registered boats per 100 residents, using data from a 2018 RTI International survey. The survey, which was funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, is the most recent and most comprehensive look at recreational boat ownership in the country.
On average nationwide, there are only 11 registered boats per 100 residents. But in some states, there are many more. It may come as a surprise that Florida, California, and Hawaii are nowhere near the top 10 of the ranking. States on the East Coast, and some in the South and Midwest, rank higher. But the Sunshine State is second only to Michigan in terms of how many boats its residents have registered.
Read on to find out where boating and boat ownership are most common.
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#51. Hawaii
Honokohau Marina and Small Boat Harbor.
– Concentration of boats: 2.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 36,000 (rank: #51)
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#50. Nevada
Luxury boat is docked at the Thunderbird Lodge in Incline Village.
– Concentration of boats: 2.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 93,000 (rank: #46)
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#49. Texas
Corpus Christi skyline on the bay in the day.
– Concentration of boats: 3.1 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 922,000 (rank: #8)
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#48. California
Boats docked at Oceanside Harbor.
– Concentration of boats: 3.3 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.3 million (rank: #4)
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#47. New Mexico
Navajo Lake Marina in the Southwestern New Mexico Desert.
– Concentration of boats: 3.3 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 70,000 (rank: #49)
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#46. Arizona
House boats and pleasure boats moored in Lake Powell.
– Concentration of boats: 3.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 260,000 (rank: #35)
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#45. New Jersey
Aerial of boats in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
– Concentration of boats: 3.6 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 334,000 (rank: #31)
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#44. Illinois
Chicago skyline with boats on the water.
– Concentration of boats: 4.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 566,000 (rank: #15)
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#43. Ohio
Cedar Point boats at dock.
– Concentration of boats: 4.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 573,000 (rank: #14)
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#42. Utah
Lake Powell in Utah with houseboats and canyons.
– Concentration of boats: 5.0 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 169,000 (rank: #41)
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#41. Kansas
Fishing boat launching at Kaw Point ramp with a cityscape of Kansas City.
– Concentration of boats: 5.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 172,000 (rank: #40)
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#40. Massachusetts
New Bedford Harbor with boats on the water.
– Concentration of boats: 6.3 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 442,000 (rank: #24)
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#39. Pennsylvania
Boats docked along the Monongahela River on a sunny day.
– Concentration of boats: 6.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 842,000 (rank: #9)
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#38. New York
Boats docked at a marina next to the Dunkirk City Pier.
– Concentration of boats: 6.7 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.3 million (rank: #3)
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#37. Tennessee
Autumn on the Tennessee River with boats docked and the Henley Street Bridge.
– Concentration of boats: 6.8 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 476,000 (rank: #22)
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#36. Virginia
Norfolk downtown cityscape over the Elizabeth River.
– Concentration of boats: 6.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 595,000 (rank: #12)
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#35. Georgia
Boats and yachts docked and sailing in the marina on Lake Lanier.
– Concentration of boats: 7.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 783,000 (rank: #11)
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#34. Washington
Seattle downtown waterfront buildings.
– Concentration of boats: 7.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 560,000 (rank: #18)
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#33. Kentucky
Sailboat marina on the bank of the Ohio River.
– Concentration of boats: 7.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 327,000 (rank: #33)
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#32. Mississippi
A harbor in the Gulf of Mexico.
– Concentration of boats: 7.4 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 217,000 (rank: #38)
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#31. North Carolina
Aerial view of condos and a marina with boats in Morehead City.
– Concentration of boats: 7.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 799,000 (rank: #10)
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#30. Indiana
Boats docked at Millennium Plaza.
– Concentration of boats: 7.7 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 523,000 (rank: #19)
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#29. Florida
Biscayne Bay water by residential homes with private boat docks.
– Concentration of boats: 7.7 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.7 million (rank: #2)
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#28. Maryland
Harbor Area of Annapolis on a cloudy spring day with sail boats.
– Concentration of boats: 8.0 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 491,000 (rank: #21)
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#27. Oklahoma
People on a boat on Lake Thunderbird.
– Concentration of boats: 8.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 330,000 (rank: #32)
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#26. Alabama
Boats sitting in a marina.
– Concentration of boats: 8.3 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 419,000 (rank: #26)
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#25. Colorado
Boat owner only sign on a Marina Dock.
– Concentration of boats: 8.7 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 507,000 (rank: #20)
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#24. Missouri
Poolside view of boats docked at lakeside condo on a sunny day at Lake of the Ozarks.
– Concentration of boats: 9.1 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 561,000 (rank: #17)
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#23. Wyoming
Boats on a lake at sunset in Colter Bay with Grand Teton Mountains.
– Concentration of boats: 9.3 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 54,000 (rank: #50)
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#22. Connecticut
Boats docked in Greenwich Harbor.
– Concentration of boats: 9.3 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 339,000 (rank: #30)
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#21. Louisiana
Marina with anchored boats.
– Concentration of boats: 9.7 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 446,000 (rank: #23)
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#20. South Dakota
Aerial top picture of a dock basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
– Concentration of boats: 9.8 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 89,000 (rank: #47)
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#19. Rhode Island
Harbor of Newport Rhode Island with Trinity Church.
– Concentration of boats: 10.6 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 116,000 (rank: #45)
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#18. Iowa
Aerial view of Lake Okoboji.
– Concentration of boats: 10.6 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 340,000 (rank: #29)
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#17. North Dakota
Berth with motorboat.
– Concentration of boats: 10.8 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 84,000 (rank: #48)
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#16. Arkansas
Mooring rope and bollard on water and yachts in background.
– Concentration of boats: 11.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 342,000 (rank: #28)
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#15. Idaho
View from the Tubbs Hill hiking trail of the Sanders Beach lakefront community of homes.
– Concentration of boats: 12.8 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 249,000 (rank: #36)
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#14. Delaware
View of waterfront homes with boat docks.
– Concentration of boats: 13.4 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 136,000 (rank: #42)
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#13. Oregon
Depoe Bay Harbor on the Oregon Coast with boats tied up.
– Concentration of boats: 13.6 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 577,000 (rank: #13)
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#12. West Virginia
Bee Run Recreational Area and its marina in Braxton County.
– Concentration of boats: 14.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 264,000 (rank: #34)
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#11. Michigan
Aerial view of Traverse City marina in Michigan.
– Concentration of boats: 17.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.7 million (rank: #1)
Claudine Van Massenhove // Shutterstock
#10. Alaska
Small boat piers and docking slots on greenish Resurrection Bay water.
– Concentration of boats: 17.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 131,000 (rank: #43)
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#9. Minnesota
Boats in a marina in Minnesota.
– Concentration of boats: 17.9 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.0 million (rank: #7)
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#8. Montana
The marina at Gate of the Mountains.
– Concentration of boats: 18.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 204,000 (rank: #39)
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#7. Vermont
People gather to watch boats along the water at the Burlington Marina.
– Concentration of boats: 18.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 118,000 (rank: #44)
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#6. Wisconsin
Boats docked at Fish Creek in Door County.
– Concentration of boats: 18.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.1 million (rank: #6)
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#5. South Carolina
Harbor Town and boats docked on the water in Hilton Head Island.
– Concentration of boats: 20.7 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 1.1 million (rank: #5)
Adam Melnyk // Shutterstock
#4. Nebraska
A wakeboard boat at a wooden dock in the Muskokas.
– Concentration of boats: 28.8 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 566,000 (rank: #15)
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#3. New Hampshire
Yachts docked at Marina in fall in Back Bay.
– Concentration of boats: 29.0 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 405,000 (rank: #27)
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#2. Maine
Fishing boats docked in Perkins Cove.
– Concentration of boats: 31.5 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 436,000 (rank: #25)
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#1. Washington D.C.
Boats docked at a jutting pier at the Southwest Waterfront.
– Concentration of boats: 36.2 registered boats per 100 residents
– Number of boats: 243,000 (rank: #37)
Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.
This story originally appeared on GetMyBoat and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
