America’s Boating Trends: Top-Selling States Meet the Nation’s Best-Kept Secrets
Recently, three reports have painted an interesting picture of boating in America. One tracks where boaters are spending their money, another tracks where they’re increasingly searching to escape the crowds, and a third names the specific towns that boaters and editors alike consider the best places to actually live the lifestyle. Put side by side, they tell a story about a sport that’s both growing in some traditional strongholds and expanding into quieter, lesser-known waters, with a handful of towns proving you don’t have to choose between the two.
The Big Money: NMMA’s Top 10 Boating States
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) released its 2025 recreational boating sales data on August 5, 2026, ranking states by retail sales of new powerboats, marine engines, trailers, and accessories. Florida held onto the No. 1 spot with $5.75 billion in sales, and the top 10 states combined generated roughly $17.1 billion.
“No matter where you live, boating offers countless ways to enjoy the outdoors, connect with family and friends, and make lasting memories on the water,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO of NMMA. “From coastlines and rivers to inland lakes, these states are the top boating spots in the U.S. where millions of Americans embrace life on the water.”
Top 10 Boating States by 2025 Sales:
- Florida: $5.75 billion
- Texas: $2.33 billion
- Michigan: $1.47 billion
- North Carolina: $1.30 billion
- New York: $1.13 billion
- Minnesota: $1.13 billion
- Wisconsin: $1.03 billion
- California: $998.7 million
- Georgia: $982.5 million
- Alabama: $966.5 million
The Hidden Gems: Top Under-the-Radar Destinations
Travel + Leisure reported on a very different kind of ranking, based not on sales dollars but on where boaters point their bows for tranquil water, wildlife, and fewer neighbors on the dock. The article was prompted by a 533 percent spike in searches for “boat destinations” over the past year, according to marine specialist John Burnham.
Washington’s San Juan Islands took the No. 1 spot, thanks to daily orca sightings, exceptional water clarity, and secluded anchorages. Rounding out the list: Fontana Lake, North Carolina; Thousand Islands, New York; Apostle Islands, Wisconsin; Moosehead Lake, Maine; Isle Royale National Park, Minnesota; Chesapeake Bay, Maryland; and Lake Powell, Utah.
That No. 1 ranking won’t surprise anyone at Best4Boats. Publisher Arnie Hammerman is a frequent visitor to the San Juan Islands and recently wrapped up a boat test in the islands, so we’ve seen firsthand why this magnificent cruising area keeps landing on best-of lists.
The Local Verdict: BoatUS’s Top Boating Towns
A third report focuses on towns rather than states or specific waterways. In the September/October issue of BoatU.S. Magazine, associate editor Kelsey Bonham Bailey and contributing editor Mike Longman name their “Top Boating Towns,” selected for water access, the availability of marinas and marine services, and the variety of boating lifestyles on offer, along with qualitative factors the editorial team weighed based on decades of boating expertise.
“Although measurable variables such as water access and cost of living were significant factors, it was the intangibles that really made these particular towns stand out,” said Bonham Bailey. “Natural beauty, a strong boating culture, a rich maritime legacy, accessible on-water activities for the whole family: those are what make a true boating town.”
The 2026 list:
- Traverse City, Michigan
- East Greenwich, Rhode Island
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Osage Beach, Missouri
- Stuart, Florida
- Portland, Maine
- Mooresville, North Carolina
- Anacortes, Washington
- Minnetonka, Minnesota
- Annapolis, Maryland
Anacortes earned its second consecutive appearance on the list, having also been recognized in 2021, while Traverse City, Annapolis, and Portland are repeat picks that previously appeared in 2013.
Where the Three Lists Overlap, and Where They Don’t
Line the three reports up, and a pattern emerges: several states show up in more than one report, and in a few cases all three, suggesting that strong boat sales, standout hidden destinations, and genuinely great boating towns and cruising/fishing areas often go hand in hand. Michigan, North Carolina, and Minnesota each place in NMMA’s top 10 for sales, land a town on BoatUS’s list (Traverse City, Mooresville, and Minnetonka, respectively), and are also home to one of Travel + Leisure’s hidden gems (Fontana Lake and Isle Royale for North Carolina and Minnesota).
Maryland and Maine tell a similar story on a smaller scale. Annapolis, MD pairs directly with Travel + Leisure‘s Chesapeake Bay pick, and Portland, ME echoes the state’s Moosehead Lake selection, reinforcing that neither state needs to top the sales charts to be considered a genuinely great place to boat.
But the most notable name is still the one that doesn’t overlap on sales at all. Washington state, home to the No. 1 hidden destination in the country, doesn’t crack NMMA’s top 10 sales states, and BoatUS’s pick of Anacortes only strengthens that point rather than contradicting it: Anacortes is the boating gateway to the San Juan Islands, with more than 15 marinas and easy access to the islands themselves. Two independent reports now single out that stretch of water for its boating culture even though it isn’t driving enough in-state sales volume to rank at the top. We may be impartial, but several members of the best4boat team love visiting the Anacortes area. Their downtown area is charming and a great place to visit, even for non-boaters, and Cap Sante and other local marinas are perennial favorites for boaters heading to the islands.
Meanwhile, Florida and Texas, the two biggest boat markets in the country by a wide margin, barely register on the other two lists. Florida managed one town, Stuart, on the BoatUS list, but neither state appears among the hidden gems, likely because they’re already so well known (and well trafficked) that they don’t qualify as “hidden.” And two of BoatUS’s picks, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and Osage Beach, Missouri, don’t appear on either of the other lists at all: proof that a great boating town doesn’t need to be a sales leader or a hidden secret to earn a spot on the map.
When discussing the sales data with our publisher, Arnie Hammerman, he suggested that the highest sales were in states with extensive networks of canals, rivers, and lakes that match or exceed the volume of recreational boating in areas like Washington state. Some states have year-round warm weather or massive freshwater systems, which drove up sales volume. States with high volumes of smaller boat sales may also tip the scales economically in some cases.
The Takeaway
Together, the three reports suggest boating in America is thriving on more than one track at once. Established markets like Florida and Texas continue to dominate sales, a newer wave of searchers is chasing quieter, less-crowded water in states like Washington, Maine, and Minnesota, and a handful of towns, from Anacortes to Annapolis to Traverse City, are proving they can offer the full boating lifestyle regardless of where they land on a sales chart or a hidden-gems search trend. For boaters planning their next trip, the message is clear: the biggest boating markets, the best-kept boating secrets, and the best boating towns aren’t always the same places, but every so often, they line up.
Sources:
- National Marine Manufacturers Association, “Where America Boats: The Nation’s Top Boating States,” PR Newswire, August 5, 2026
- Travel + Leisure, “This Archipelago Was Named the No. 1 Hidden Boating Destination in the U.S.,” Stacey Leasca, August 6, 2026
- BoatU.S. Magazine, “Top Boating Towns,” Kelsey Bonham Bailey and Mike Longman, September/October 2026 issue.
