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Statistics

General Information about Boating in Ohio

• The average Ohio boat owner was identified as a male, approximately 54 years old with 29 years of boating experience. Boat ownership by women increased from 2.6% in 2001 to 6% in 2011.
• The average length of boats in Ohio is 18-1/2 feet and the average age is 16 years.
• Boating-related fatalities on Ohio waterways declined from 184 during 1993-2002 to 128 during 2003-2012, or -30%. (September 2012)
• Nearly 80% of respondents in a 2010 survey said they feel "safe" or "very safe" on Ohio's waterways.
• Approximately 99% of Ohio’s estimated 11.5 million residents live within 36 miles of a waterway that can accommodate a powerboat, and 3.1 million live within 10 miles of either Lake Erie or the Ohio River.

Economic Impact

• More than $5.6 million is paid annually in boat registration and titling fees. Boaters paid $14.8 million in state marine fuel taxes during 2012. (Ohio Dept. of Taxation, September 2012)
• Tourism is a $40 billion per year industry -- Ohio’s 3rd largest -- and one that supports the full-time equivalent of approximately 443,000 Ohio jobs that generate nearly $10 billion in direct earnings. (Ohio Travel & Tourism, September 2012)
• Tourism generated $2.7 billion in taxes for Ohio in 2011 - $1.6 billion in state taxes and $1.1 billion in local taxes. (Ohio Travel & Tourism)

Registered Boats

• Ohio ranked among the top 10 states nationally in 2011 with a record 426,674 registered recreational watercraft.
• The number of Ohio-registered canoes and kayaks has more than doubled from 46,514 in 2001 to over 97,693 in 2011 – an increase of 110%. The number of boats (mostly canoes and kayaks) included in commercial livery registrations increased from 5,282 in 2001 to 6,436 in 2011.
• A total of 43,108 jet-propelled personal watercraft were registered in 2011, or 10.1% of all Ohio-registered watercraft. These craft are commonly referred to as a group, or type of craft, by some of their commercial trademark brand names such as Jet Ski or Waverunner.

Great Lakes Facts

• Among the 4.3 million registered watercraft in the 8-state Great Lakes region, an estimated 911,000 boats are operated primarily on the 5 Great Lakes and their incumbent waterways such as Sandusky Bay, Maumee Bay and Lake St. Clair, according to a 2007 Great Lakes Commission study.
• Types of boats most frequently used on the Great Lakes include fiberglass runabouts measuring 16 to 24 feet long, aluminum powerboats less than 16 feet long and aluminum fishing boats 16 to 24 feet long. (GLC study)
• 312 miles of Lake Erie Shoreline in Ohio stretching from Conneaut to Toledo.
• More than $10.7 billion is spent by Lake Erie region visitors, sustaining 100,000+ tourism-related jobs and generating $430 million in state taxes and $320 million in local taxes. (Ohio Travel & Tourism)
• The 8 counties bordering Lake Erie (Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa and Lucas) generate nearly 30% of Ohio's total tourism dollars.
• Great Lakes boat owners each spend an average of $3,600 per year on their boats, which includes $1,400 on boat-related expenses such as dock fees, repairs and insurance. The remaining $2,200 is spent on boating trip-related expenses such as food, lodging and onshore entertainment. Average spending per boating day on trips varies from $76 to $275 daily. Most boating trip costs are for marine fuel (22%), restaurants (17%) and groceries (14%).

Ohio Boat Access Facts

• Ohio contains a total of 128,500 linear miles of rivers, streams, creeks, ditches and other like flowing waters. This also includes 451 miles, or nearly half the entire 981-mile length of the Ohio River, plus the 112-mile long Muskingum River that features the nation’s only hand-operated navigational wooden lock system.
• Ohio currently is home to 14 state-designated scenic rivers and 9 state-designated water trails. (September 2012)
• Ohio’s portion of Lake Erie encompasses 2.25 million surface acres of water, which equals approximately 51% of the lake’s entire surface area. The combined surface acreage of all inland lakes and ponds totals approximately 850,000 acres, which includes a total of 56,175 surface acres of water in Ohio’s state park system.
• Ohio has 39 certified Clean Marinas along Lake Erie with an additional 31 marinas pledged to attain their certification. (September 2012)
• Since 1999, $38.8 million in grant funding has been provided by Division of Watercraft Cooperative Boating Facility grants for public boat launches and facilities.