Contents
- Recreational boating expenditure statistics: 2024 retail spending and boat sales
- Recreational boating expenditure statistics: annual costs reported by Ohio boat-owning households
- Recreational boating expenditure statistics: typical trip costs reported by Ohio boaters
- Recreational boating expenditure statistics: Georgia saltwater fishing trip expenditures
- recreational boating expenditure: BEA boating and fishing value added
- Sources
Recreational boating expenditure statistics: 2024 retail spending and boat sales
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) reported that U.S. recreational marine retail expenditures totaled $55.6 billion in 2024, down 2.6% from 2023. This is a broad industry spending measure, not a household budget estimate. NMMA’s definition includes new and pre-owned boats, outboard engines, trailers, aftermarket accessories, and boat-use expenses such as fuel, financing, insurance, docking, and maintenance. The total therefore brings purchase activity and ongoing use costs together. Source: NMMA, 2024 Industry Sales by Category and State
Two components of that total were unchanged from 2023: boat-use spending was $12.1 billion, and aftermarket accessory spending was $12.4 billion. These are category totals within the national recreational marine retail measure. The release describes them as flat year over year; it does not provide a category-specific rate of change beyond that description. Source: NMMA, 2024 Industry Sales by Category and State
| U.S. recreational marine indicator | 2024 figure | Comparison or unit |
|---|---|---|
| Total retail expenditures | $55.6 billion | Down 2.6% from 2023 |
| Boat-use spending | $12.1 billion | Flat with 2023 |
| Aftermarket accessories | $12.4 billion | Flat with 2023 |
| New boat sales | 238,117 | Units |
| New outboard boat sales | 141,590 | Units |
NMMA also counted 238,117 new boat sales in 2024, including 141,590 new outboard boats. These are unit counts, not dollar expenditures, and should be read alongside rather than added to the spending figures. The release identifies outboard boats as the leading new-boat category, but the figures here do not establish the dollar value of those sales. Source: NMMA, 2024 Industry Sales by Category and State
Recreational boating expenditure statistics: annual costs reported by Ohio boat-owning households
Ohio’s recreational boating economic impact survey reports household averages for the period October 1, 2021–September 30, 2022. The report says 9,729 households responded. Its annual expense averages include zero values for respondents who did not make a purchase or incur a listed cost. As a result, the amounts below describe average annual spending across surveyed Ohio boating households; they are not per-boat prices or nationwide estimates. Source: Ohio Recreational Boating and Marine Trades 2022 Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction Report
| Ohio household expense category | Average annual cost |
|---|---|
| Boat purchase | $2,024.48 |
| Boat-loan payments | $349.13 |
| Boating insurance | $206.22 |
| Mooring/docking fee | $236.81 |
| Engine maintenance and repair | $251.33 |
| Boat storage | $271.82 |
| Engine purchase | $223.58 |
| Electronics | $173.93 |
| Winterization | $129.29 |
The listed categories span acquisition, financing, protection, storage, upkeep, and equipment. Boat purchase has the largest reported average among these selected items, at $2,024.48. The other figures range from $129.29 for winterization to $349.13 for boat-loan payments. Because non-spending responses are included as zeroes in the annual averages, these amounts should not be interpreted as what a household that bought an item typically paid for that item. Source: Ohio Recreational Boating and Marine Trades 2022 Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction Report
The distinctions between categories matter when using these figures as a budget reference. A boat purchase or engine purchase is different from a recurring cost such as insurance, storage, or loan payments. The survey’s average combines households with different boating and spending circumstances, and its period is a 12-month survey year rather than a calendar year. It provides useful evidence about reported household costs in Ohio during that period, but not a current quote or a universal cost schedule. Source: Ohio Recreational Boating and Marine Trades 2022 Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction Report
Recreational boating expenditure statistics: typical trip costs reported by Ohio boaters
The same Ohio report presents a separate “Cost Per Trip” measure. For the October 2021–September 2022 survey, respondents reported average typical-trip costs of $106.68 for boat fuel, $64.55 for lodging, and $61.48 for restaurant meals. Additional trip costs averaged $45.74 for groceries and convenience stores and $49.23 for transportation to or from the boat site. These are per-trip averages, unlike the annual household averages in the preceding section. Source: Ohio Recreational Boating and Marine Trades 2022 Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction Report
| Ohio typical-trip expense | Average cost per trip |
|---|---|
| Boat fuel | $106.68 |
| Lodging (hotels, motels, campgrounds, etc.) | $64.55 |
| Restaurant meals | $61.48 |
| Transportation to/from boat site | $49.23 |
| Grocery, convenience stores | $45.74 |
Fuel was the largest of these five reported trip categories. The table covers selected costs rather than a complete trip budget: it does not establish a combined total for every expense a boater might incur. Lodging and meals also indicate that the reported “typical trip” measure can include spending beyond the boat itself. The source’s figures are specific to Ohio survey respondents and the stated survey year. Source: Ohio Recreational Boating and Marine Trades 2022 Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction Report
Recreational boating expenditure statistics: Georgia saltwater fishing trip expenditures
Georgia’s saltwater recreational fishing report provides a narrower view: the figures concern saltwater anglers and fishing trips, rather than all recreational boaters. For Georgia residents, Table 12 reports mean 2022 trip-level expenditures of $50.88 for boat fuel, $127.98 for lodging, $77.20 for restaurant spending, and $67.33 for tackle. The table describes 12-month trip-level expenditures, and the boat-fuel item has 86 observations. The population and trip context differ from Ohio’s household boating survey, so these averages should not be treated as a direct state-to-state comparison. Source: Economic Impact of Saltwater Recreational Fishing in Georgia, Table 12
For nonresident Georgia saltwater anglers, Table 13 reports day-trip-level means per angler day: $69.19 for boat fuel, $362.05 for lodging, $161.43 for restaurants, and $67.65 for campgrounds. Each listed item has 83 observations. The table’s mean can sit alongside a zero median for some expenses: boat fuel, lodging, and campgrounds each show a $0 median, while restaurant spending has a $40 median. Those reported distribution measures indicate that a mean alone does not describe the middle observation. Source: Economic Impact of Saltwater Recreational Fishing in Georgia, Table 13
| Nonresident Georgia saltwater angler expense | Mean per angler day | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Boat fuel | $69.19 | $0 |
| Lodging | $362.05 | $0 |
| Restaurant | $161.43 | $40 |
| Campgrounds | $67.65 | $0 |
The nonresident lodging mean is notably accompanied by a $0 median, and its reported range runs from $0 to $4,500, with a standard deviation of $840.13. The other selected nonresident ranges are $0–$2,600 for boat fuel, $0–$1,500 for restaurant spending, and $0–$3,600 for campgrounds. Their standard deviations are respectively $292.66, $246.20, and $400.00. These figures describe observed variation in the survey table; they do not explain why respondents’ spending differed. Source: Economic Impact of Saltwater Recreational Fishing in Georgia, Table 13
recreational boating expenditure: BEA boating and fishing value added
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reports value added, a measure of contribution to gross domestic product, rather than direct household or retail expenditure. In its 2024 U.S. outdoor recreation satellite account, the combined “Boating and fishing” activity recorded $38,379 million in current dollars and $28,510 million in chained (2017) dollars. The first is a current-dollar measure; the second is adjusted to express real value in chained 2017 dollars. They are distinct measures and should not be added together. Source: BEA, Outdoor Recreation Economic Statistics, U.S. and States, 2024, Tables 1 and 2
BEA’s activity rows also report other boating at $27,354 million in current dollars and sailing at $1,790 million in current dollars. Sailing’s real value added was $1,293 million in chained (2017) dollars. For smaller water activities, canoeing recorded $129 million current and $96 million real, while kayaking recorded $360 million current and $288 million real. All amounts refer to calendar 2024 and are expressed in millions of the stated dollar basis. Source: BEA, Outdoor Recreation Economic Statistics, U.S. and States, 2024, Tables 1 and 2
| BEA activity, 2024 | Current-dollar value added (millions) | Real value added (millions of chained 2017 dollars) |
|---|---|---|
| Boating and fishing | $38,379 | $28,510 |
| Other boating | $27,354 | — |
| Sailing | $1,790 | $1,293 |
| Canoeing | $129 | $96 |
| Kayaking | $360 | $288 |
| Other conventional water activities | $4,973 | $3,479 |
“Other conventional water activities” is a mixed category, not a boating-only measure. BEA’s definition includes boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting. Its 2024 value added was $4,973 million in current dollars and $3,479 million in chained (2017) dollars. The figures provide a broader economic context for water recreation, but they cannot be read as direct spending on recreational boating. Source: BEA, Outdoor Recreation Economic Statistics, U.S. and States, 2024, Tables 1 and 2, footnote 3
Sources
- NMMA Releases 2024 Industry Sales by Category and State Report: Total Spending Remains Healthy in 2024 at $55.6B
- Outdoor Recreation Economic Statistics, U.S. and States, 2024: New Statistics for 2024; Updates for 2020–2023
- Ohio Recreational Boating and Marine Trades 2022 Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction Report
- Economic Impact of Saltwater Recreational Fishing in Georgia