What do online learning, recycling and back pain have in common? There's probably a joke in there somewhere, but the serious answer is that each of those sectors contributes more than $100 billion to the U.S. economy. And the latest member to join the $100 billion club is the RV industry.
Indeed, when the latest RVs Move America Economic Impact Study was released this week at the annual meeting of the RV Industry Association (RVIA), it revealed that the industry has an overall economic impact on the U.S. economy of $114 billion.
The study shows in dramatic fashion that RVs are not just the familiar highway scene of an American summer. Instead, they're the heart of an industry that has become an American juggernaut, a business that has tripled in size since the Great Recession of 2009.
The question then becomes: What is it in 2019 that might put such a successful industry — one that supports nearly 600,000 jobs, contributes more than $32 billion in wages, and pays more than $12 billion in federal, state and local taxes — at risk?
The answer can be found in the 1950s.
An outdated Eisenhower-era federal campground infrastructure, with crumbling roads and bridges, deferred maintenance needs and limited camping availability, is jeopardizing not only the RV industry but the entire outdoor recreation industry.
Deferred maintenance costs are stacking up at key federal land agencies, like the National Park Service (NPS). According to the most recent NPS Asset Inventory Summary, there is $78 million in campground infrastructure deferred-maintenance needs, as well as more than $6.5 billion in deferred maintenance directly affecting roads, bridges and water systems on NPS lands.
Since we're talking numbers, the $114 billion total annual RV industry economic impact includes $25.6 billion contributed by RV campgrounds and related travel. The 25 million Americans who go RVing each year contribute not just to the economy but specifically to the outdoor recreation economy which, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis, represents 2.2% of the gross domestic product.