A new study on the economic impact of the RV industry shows Indiana has the most economic activity related to RVs, followed California, Texas, Oregon and Ohio.
This story by Rasmus Jorgensen originally appeared in The Elkhart Truth.
According to the RVs Move America Economic Impact Study, which was released on Sunday, the industry’s overall economic impact on the U.S. economy was $114 billion in 2018.
About $32 billion of that impact is Indiana, and $16 billion was in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Elkhart County.
Nationally, manufacturing accounts for approximately 60 percent of the industry’s economic impact, while campgrounds account for 22 percent, and sales and service are 18 percent.
However, in the 2nd District, manufacturing and suppliers are behind 99 percent, or $15.8 billion, of the industry’s economic impact.
The study also shows that the industry generated $2.9 billion in wages and $3.1 billion in taxes in the 2nd District in 2018. Across the nation, the industry created $32.2 billion in wages and $12.2 billion in taxes.
Nationally, 482,389 RVs were manufactured. About 80 percent of those, 385,307, were made in Indiana’s 2nd District.