In a report recently released by the Coast Guard, the Midwest was singled out as having the highest boating participation rate and highest percentage of people who fished from a boat. The study focused on overall boating participation, boat ownership, the types of boats used and the amount of time that boats are used for different regions of the country during 2011.
The survey stated that the overall household boating participation rate was highest in the Midwest, at 34.6 percent. The Midwest also had the highest percentage of households with at least one person who fished from a boat, at 17.4 percent.
The Northeast had the highest percentage of households with one or more people who canoed or kayaked in 2011, at 14.7 percent. Canoeing and kayaking were especially popular in Maine, where 31.8 percent of households had at least one member who had kayaked or canoed, and New Hampshire, which had 31 percent.
California (3 million) and Florida (2.5 million) had the highest numbers of households participating in boating, and Alaska (53.2 percent) and Minnesota (50.7 percent) had the highest overall percentage of boating households.
More than a third, or 12 million, of all boating households in the United States were in the South.
