How Much Does an RV Park Make? Revenue Breakdown for Investors

"How much does an RV park make?" is the first question every investor asks — and the answer most people give is useless. "It depends" doesn't help you underwrite a deal.

So here are real numbers. We'll break down revenue by park size, site type, occupancy, and ancillary income — then show you what actually drops to the bottom line after expenses. These aren't hypotheticals. They're based on data from thousands of parks in our database and publicly available financials from park sales.

The Quick Answer

A typical 50-site RV park with a mix of nightly, weekly, and monthly tenants generates $300,000–$600,000 in gross revenue per year. After operating expenses, you're looking at $120,000–$300,000 in net operating income (NOI).

But "typical" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. A 20-site park on a rural highway might gross $80,000. A 200-site resort with a pool, clubhouse, and lake access might gross $3 million. The range is enormous — which is exactly why you need to understand the components.

Revenue Per Site: The Core Math

Everything starts with revenue per site. This is the single most important number in RV park economics. Here's what sites typically generate based on rental type:

Site Type	Nightly Rate	Monthly Equivalent	Annual Revenue/Site
Nightly/Transient (full hookup)	$45–$85	N/A	$8,000–$18,000*
Weekly	$35–$55/night equiv.	$800–$1,400	$7,000–$14,000*
Monthly	$18–$30/night equiv.	$550–$900	$6,600–$10,800
Seasonal (6-month)	$15–$25/night equiv.	$450–$750	$2,700–$4,500
Annual/Permanent	$10–$18/night equiv.	$300–$550	$3,600–$6,600

*Nightly and weekly rates assume 50–70% occupancy, which is typical for parks that aren't in premium tourist corridors.

The takeaway: nightly sites generate 2–3x the revenue of monthly sites, but they require more management, higher turnover costs, and marketing spend. Monthly and annual tenants are boring — and boring is profitable.

Average Annual Revenue Per RV Site by State (Real Data)

So what is the average annual revenue per RV site in the US? Using rate data from 4,698 parks in our database — not surveys, not estimates from brokers — the national average comes to roughly $9,700 per site per year at 55% occupancy. That's based on an average nightly rate of $48.72 and an average monthly rate of $804.

But averages lie. Here's how it breaks down by the states with the most data:

State	Parks Analyzed	Avg Nightly Rate	Avg Annual Rev/Site*
Washington	253	$85.53	$17,170
California	109	$53.84	$10,809
Tennessee	68	$51.90	$10,419
Wisconsin	69	$50.75	$10,187
Florida	3,965	$48.98	$9,833
Michigan	283	$45.90	$9,215
Idaho	102	$43.53	$8,739
Oregon	180	$43.49	$8,730
Arizona	209	$42.70	$8,573
Texas	377	$41.16	$8,262

*Assumes 55% average occupancy. Actual revenue varies by park type, season length, and tenant mix. Based on rate data from 4,698 parks tracked by RV Park World.

Washington stands out at nearly double the national floor — driven by high-demand corridors near Seattle and the San Juan Islands. Florida has the most data points by far (3,965 parks) and lands right at the national average. States like Oklahoma and New Mexico sit in the $6,500–$7,200 range, reflecting lower demand and shorter peak seasons.

Revenue by Park Size

Here's what parks typically gross based on the number of sites, assuming a blended mix of site types and moderate occupancy:

Park Size	Gross Revenue Range	Typical NOI	NOI Margin
10–25 sites	$60,000–$200,000	$30,000–$100,000	45–55%
25–50 sites	$150,000–$450,000	$75,000–$225,000	45–55%
50–100 sites	$300,000–$800,000	$150,000–$400,000	45–55%
100–200 sites	$600,000–$2,000,000	$270,000–$1,000,000	40–55%
200+ sites (resort)	$1,500,000–$5,000,000+	$600,000–$2,500,000	35–50%

Notice the margins compress slightly as parks get larger. Bigger parks need more staff, more insurance, more infrastructure maintenance. But the absolute dollars are obviously much higher, and you get operational efficiencies you can't achieve at 20 sites.

Ancillary Revenue: The Profit Multiplier

Smart park operators don't just rent dirt. Ancillary revenue typically adds 15–30% on top of site rental income. Here's where it comes from:

• Laundry facilities: $5,000–$20,000/year. Low maintenance, nearly pure profit. Install card-operated machines.
• Propane sales: $10,000–$50,000/year for parks in cold-weather areas. Mark up is typically 40–60%.
• Camp store/convenience: $15,000–$80,000/year gross. Margins are 30–50% on snacks, firewood, ice, and supplies.
• RV storage: $50–$150/month per space. If you have unused land, this is free money. $500–$1,800/space/year.
• Boat/kayak/golf cart rentals: $5,000–$30,000/year depending on location.
• Wi-Fi premium tiers: Offer basic free, charge $5–$10/day for high-speed. Increasingly expected but still monetizable.
• Event space/pavilion rental: $500–$2,000 per event, weekends only. Low effort if the space exists.
• Dump station fees (for non-guests): $10–$25 per use. Adds up near highway parks.

The best operators layer 3–5 of these streams. A 75-site park grossing $500K from sites might add another $75K–$125K from ancillary revenue — and most of it flows straight to the bottom line because the fixed costs are already covered.

Operating Expenses: What Eats Your Revenue

The typical RV park runs at a 40–55% expense ratio, meaning 40–55 cents of every dollar goes to operating costs. Here's where it goes:

Expense Category	% of Gross Revenue	Notes
Payroll & Management	15–25%	Largest expense. Owner-operators save 10–15% here.
Utilities (water, sewer, electric)	8–15%	Parks that submeter and bill back keep this under 5%.
Insurance	3–6%	Flood zones and coastal parks pay more.
Property Taxes	3–8%	Varies wildly by state. Texas is high; Florida moderate.
Repairs & Maintenance	5–10%	Older parks with aging infrastructure skew higher.
Marketing & Reservations	2–5%	Good Sam, Campspot, Hipcamp listings + Google Ads.
Software & Admin	1–3%	PMS systems, accounting, booking platforms.
Miscellaneous	2–4%	Legal, pest control, landscaping, supplies.

The biggest lever is payroll. An owner-operated 30-site park might run at 35% expenses. The same park with a hired manager jumps to 50%. This is why smaller parks can be incredibly profitable for hands-on investors — you're essentially buying yourself a well-paying job plus equity appreciation.

Real-World Example: 60-Site Park in North Carolina

Let's walk through a realistic example:

• Site mix: 20 nightly (full hookup), 15 weekly, 25 monthly
• Nightly rate: $55/night, 55% occupancy = $220,825/year
• Weekly rate: $275/week, 65% occupancy = $139,425/year
• Monthly rate: $650/month, 90% occupancy = $175,500/year
• Gross site revenue: $535,750
• Ancillary (laundry, store, propane): $72,000
• Total gross revenue: $607,750
• Operating expenses (48%): $291,720
• Net Operating Income: $316,030

At a 9% cap rate, this park is worth roughly $3.5 million. At a 10% cap, about $3.16 million.

If you bought it with seller financing at $3.2M (10% down, 6% interest, 20-year amortization), your annual debt service would be about $247,000 — leaving $69,000 in pre-tax cash flow on a $320,000 investment. That's a 21.5% cash-on-cash return.

Now you see why investors love this asset class.

What Separates a $100K Park From a $1M Park

Revenue alone doesn't tell the story. Here's what drives the difference between parks that barely break even and parks that print money:

1. Location near demand drivers. Parks near national parks, lakes, beaches, or major highways command premium rates. A park 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon charges 3x what a park in rural Kansas charges.
2. Site mix optimization. The highest-revenue parks actively manage their mix — keeping some nightly sites for peak season premium rates while filling the base with monthly tenants for stable income.
3. Utility bill-back. Submetering water and electric and billing tenants directly can swing NOI by 8–12%. This is one of the fastest value-add plays in the industry.
4. Amenity-driven rate increases. Adding a pool, playground, or dog park can justify $5–$15/night rate increases across the entire park. On 100 sites at 60% occupancy, a $10 increase = $219,000 more revenue per year.
5. Online booking and marketing. Parks that rely solely on drive-by traffic leave money on the table. A proper website with online booking, Google Business profile, and listing syndication can increase occupancy 15–25%.

Seasonal vs. Year-Round: How Geography Affects Revenue

Geography doesn't just affect rates — it determines your operating season:

Region	Operating Season	Revenue Impact
Florida, Texas, Arizona	12 months	Full-year income. Snowbird season (Nov–Mar) is peak.
Southeast (GA, SC, NC, TN)	10–12 months	Mild winters keep monthly tenants. Nightly drops Nov–Feb.
Midwest (OH, MI, WI, MN)	6–8 months	Revenue compressed into May–Oct. Monthly income drops to near zero in winter.
Northeast (NY, PA, ME, NH)	5–7 months	Short but intense season. Premium rates June–Sept offset shorter window.
Pacific NW (OR, WA)	7–9 months	Rain more than cold is the issue. Covered sites extend the season.
Mountain West (CO, UT, MT)	5–8 months	Altitude-dependent. Parks near ski resorts can go year-round.

A 50-site park in Michigan grossing $400K in a 7-month season needs to charge significantly more per night than a 50-site park in Florida that spreads revenue across 12 months. But Michigan parks also typically trade at higher cap rates (10–13% vs. 8–10% in Florida), so the purchase price adjusts for it.

The Bottom Line: What You Can Actually Expect

Here's the honest truth about RV park income:

• Small owner-operated park (20–40 sites): $60,000–$180,000 NOI. Enough to replace a salary if you're hands-on.
• Mid-size park (50–100 sites): $150,000–$400,000 NOI. Real wealth-building territory. Can support a manager and still cash flow.
• Large park/resort (100+ sites): $300,000–$2,000,000+ NOI. Institutional-quality returns. Multiple revenue streams.

The beauty of RV parks as an investment is the simplicity of the business model: rent land, provide hookups, collect checks. There's no inventory, minimal tenant improvement costs, and demand is growing as the RV lifestyle continues to boom. The RVIA projects 72 million Americans will go RV camping in 2026 — and they all need somewhere to park.

The investors who win in this space aren't the ones with the most capital. They're the ones with the best deal flow — who find parks before they hit the market and negotiate directly with owners who are ready to sell.