The RV Index
Does a Slump in Recreational Vehicle Sales Mean That a Recession is On the Way? History Says This Could be the Most Important — and Relatable — Economic Indicator of All!
RVs — or recreational vehicles. Yes, they are the behemoths of the highway. Yes, they are perhaps your Dad’s or your Grandpa’s last crazy fling. Yes, they are the staple of college football tailgating here in the South. But are RVs today also a leading economic indicator?
Believe it or not, whether you have thought much about RVs recently, and admittedly, if you live in the big city the closest you may get to a recreational vehicle may be watching Albert Brooks’ classic “Lost in America,” RVs are big, big business today!
In fact, according to the RV Industry Association, the recreational vehicle industry generates in excess of $20 billion in new unit sales annually. Even more impressive, the total economic impact of the RV “industry” — including not just sales of new recreational vehicles, but all the manufacturing, sales, and service jobs associated with it, is $114 billion annually, according to the 2019 RVs Move America Report from the…
