The data from the HIPCAMP Happy Campers Survey (Survey of 2,000 Americans) shows, 36% of Americans prefer tent camping over other options. Furthermore, tent camping is nearly 2x as popular as their second favorite option—staying in a cabin (19%). RV camping (12%), glamping (7%), and under the stars without a tent (6%) round out the top 5.
Additionally, 51% of Americans need access to toilets in order to go camping. Toilets are the most important camping amenity, followed by a fire (44%), showers (41%), potable water (31%), and pet-friendly (27%).
Now, let’s rank each state by their love for camping:
(Measured by the percentage of state residents who go camping monthly)
#1: Hawaii (49%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/hawaii]
#2: Delaware (48%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/delaware]
#3: Idaho (47%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/idaho]
#4: Montana (45%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/montana]
#5: Nebraska (44%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/nebraska]
#6: Kansas (43%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/kansas]
#7: Arizona (42%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/arizona]
#8: Washington (41%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/washington]
#9: North Dakota (40%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/north-dakota]
#10: Wyoming (40%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/wyoming]
#11: Minnesota (37%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/minnesota]
#12: Arkansas (37%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/arkansas]
#13: Missouri (36%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/missouri]
#14: West Virginia (35%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/west-virginia]
#15: Mississippi (33%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/mississippi]
#16: New Mexico (31%)
[www.hipcamp.com/discover/new-mexico]
#17: Wisconsin (31%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/wisconsin]
#18: Virginia (31%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/virginia]
#19: Tennessee (30%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/tennessee]
#20: Indiana (29%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/indiana]
#21. Florida (29%)[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/florida]
#22. Georgia (29%)[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/georgia]
#23. Rhode Island (29%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/rhode-island]
#24. Michigan (28%)[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/michigan]
#25. Pennsylvania (28%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/pennsylvania]
#26. Iowa (28%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/iowa]
#27. Utah (28%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/utah]
#28. Colorado (26%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/colorado]
#29. Alaska (25%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/alaska]
#30. Connecticut (25%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/connecticut]
#31. New Hampshire (25%)[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/new-hampshire]
#32. Oklahoma (24%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/oklahoma]
#33. New York (24%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/new-york]
#34. Ohio (24%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/ohio]
#35. Massachusetts (23%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/massachusetts]
#36. California (23%)[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/california]
#37. Maine (23%)[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/maine]
#38. Oregon (22%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/oregon]
#39. Illinois (22%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/illinois]
#40. New Jersey (22%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/new-jersey]
#41. Louisiana (21%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/louisiana]
#42. South Dakota (20%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover]
#43. Alabama (20%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/alabama]
#44. North Carolina (18%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/north-carolina]
#45. Texas (18%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/texas]
#46. Kentucky (16%) [https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/kentucky]
#47. South Carolina (13%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/south-carolina]
#48. Maryland (8%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/maryland]
#49. Nevada (5%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/nevada]
#50. Vermont (5%)
[https://www.hipcamp.com/discover/vermont]
More from HIPCAMP’s State of Camping Survey, or, better yet, not so happy camper survey results:
74% OF Americans camp only once or less per year…
Why is this?
Americans ranked not knowing where to go (24%), not planning far enough ahead (23%) and the cost of campsites (19%) as prohibitive factors.
Even more important, 55% OF Americans recorded having too much trouble getting a campsite.
19% of campers wish there were more available land to camp on, and 15% say they would go camping more if it were easier to secure a campsite.
Now, this could be a cultural factor, but 1 IN 5 Americans reported being frustrated by having to plan in advance to go camping: 21% say that the most aggravating part of camping is having to plan months ahead to get a site, while 16% say there aren’t enough campsite options.
This all boils down to America’s top five campiong frustrations:
#1: Sharing camping space with other people (31%)
#2: Having to plan months ahead to get a site (21%)
#3: There aren’t enough options (16%)
#4: It’s hard to find a campsite that’s not already booked (12%)
#5: There’s no website to find all available campsites (11%)
Of course, HIPCAMP continues to design solutions for making camping an enjoyable experience for all.
