Minnesota leads nation in most boats per capita

DULUTH — If you think you've noticed many boats on Minnesota's lakes and rivers recently, you're right.

California, Florida and Michigan may have more boats total, thanks to larger overall populations, but Minnesota continues to lead the nation for the number of boats registered per person. And it’s not even close.

According to boatsafe.com , using data from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Census Bureau, the top 10 recreational boating states, based on registered watercraft per 100,000 people, are:

1. Minnesota: 14,505
2. South Carolina: 11,161
3. Wisconsin: 10,444
4. North Dakota: 8,809
5. Maine: 8,397
6. Michigan: 8,066
7. New Hampshire: 7,077
8. Alaska: 6,887
9. Montana: 6,822
10. Louisiana: 6,790

Based on total number of boats registered, the top recreational boating states are:

1. California: 1.05 million
2. Michigan: 1 million
3. Florida: 922,597
4. Minnesota: 834,974
5. Wisconsin: 650,280
6. Texas: 624,390
7. New York: 529,732
8. Ohio: 413,276
9. Illinois: 398,431
10. South Carolina: 383,971