The next time you find yourself frustrated and stuck behind a slow-moving RV on the highway, remember that in some places, people find themselves in this situation much more often. Recent research from RV Trader examined the most popular cities and states for new RV buyers, and the top names on the list probably won’t come as a surprise to those who live and drive there. Texas, California, and Florida were the top three states for new RVs. The recreational vehicle class includes Class A, Class B and Class C campers together with caravans and truck campers.
Most popular states for new RV buyers:
- Texas
- California
- Florida
- Washington
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- North Carolina
- Arizona
- Colorado
In some cities in those states, there is much more interest in new RVs.
Most popular cities for new camper buyers:
- Los Angeles, CA
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- Seattle-Tacoma, WA
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Denver, CO
- Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT
- Detroit, MI
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
RV Trader’s data also revealed that parts of the RV world are attracting younger buyers. Travel trailers and camping trailers are the most popular with millennials, and a quick scroll through social media videos seems to confirm that finding, with people shouting about living off the grid and overlanding in seemingly every other post.
Travel trailers are smaller than some other types of RVs. Class A vehicles are among the largest and most luxurious, followed by Class C. Class Bs are some of the smallest RVs and are significantly less popular on the internet than the more robust Class A models. Smaller units such as pop-up campers and park models are the least searched for.
The survey also found that 80 percent of RV buyers have experience with the vehicles. Forest River RV brands were the most searched for in the industry, followed by Winnebago. Airflow saw a significant increase in search traffic, with 24.5 percent year-over-year growth since 2023.