In our last segment of campground news, we checked out the profit indicators from the recent survey from A.R.V.C. for the 2022 trends and insights report. Let’s take a look at another piece of that survey and dive a little deeper.

This one relates to how long your park has been in operation. So again, they asked about 300 campground owners this question. The median, which is the middle of this survey, was 40 years. Now, that is some really great longevity for the industry. Many businesses, I think in average, have about a five to 10-year span of life. Now, there are obviously a lot of businesses that far exceed that, but there are also a lot of businesses that don’t make it out of their first year.

So campground is a pretty good risk and a pretty good bet based on these numbers and the survey. Now they talk about the median being 40 years. Let us take a look; we hear many things about growth and a lot of new parks. And I expect these numbers will tip going forward, but only 6% are less than five years old right now. So that is a fairly small number, especially when you look at what is in the pipeline coming forward.

On the opposite end of that trend, 50 plus years is 36%. So over a third of all campgrounds that responded to this survey have been open for over 50 years. Now those are legacy properties, probably passing along through families, and we’re seeing a lot more trend towards the corporate side, but most of the older campgrounds will not be corporate. They’re going to be more of the structure of a family-owned business that’s transferring hands from family owners passing that down.

Even the 20 plus years, 77%. So high numbers there and, if we dive just a little deeper 70 years, man, I’ll give you a round of applause for those folks in the 70 plus category. That’s great. That’s probably multiple generations of family in a campground. So campgrounds typically are long-term, long-lasting businesses. So if you’re in the building phase, these are some great statistics to take a look at.

They show that you will not shut off the lights, mow the grass, and be done when you are gone. This campground you are building will probably go on for years and years into the future. The other great thing about our industry is that families enjoy these campgrounds and being there, having these great times, and building great memories. And again, that is something our society needs. So I applaud you each for your contribution to helping make the U.S a better place.

If you have questions about this survey, I encourage you to download the whole report on the A.R.V.C. website. You will need to be a member to download this, but if you are not already a member of A.R.V.C., I ask that you highly consider that. Also, start with your state associations; if your state participates, you will get a membership to A.R.V.C. national.

I’m Donna Bordeaux with CampgroundAccounting.com News.

I am Donna Bordeaux from CampgroundAccounting.com. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure you check out our blog and our website from the link below. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when we post. To contact me, email me at donna@campgroundaccounting.com.

Donna Bordeaux, CPA with Campground Accounting

What happens when you send two CPAs out into the relaxing outdoors to camp? You get CampgroundAccounting.com.  Donna and Chad have over 50 years of combined experience as entrepreneurial CPAs.  They’ve owned businesses and helped business owners exceed their wildest dreams. They camp and travel across the country every chance they get, so it’s just a natural fit that they focus their CPA skills on helping campground owners throughout the USA grow their businesses and minimize the impact of taxes.  They understand the key performance indicators and specialized issues that face RV park owners every day. </i

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