RV rental hotspots and deserts: Alaska has nearly 10 times the national rate of rental companies
We mapped the 1,197 RV rental companies in our directory against Census population. Alaska, Montana and Utah have the most companies per resident; Anchorage, Las Vegas and Phoenix have the most in one city. 7.2% of Americans live more than 50 miles from a rental company we list, and 1.6% more than 100 miles.
By the RV Rental Atlas research desk · Published October 25, 2026
Key findings
- Alaska leads by a wide margin with 3.41 RV rental companies per 100,000 residents, nearly 10 times the national rate of 0.36. Montana (1.85), Utah (1.29), Nevada and Wyoming (1.03 each) follow.
- The thinnest coverage is in the Northeast and Plains: Kansas and Nebraska (0.10), Connecticut, New York and West Virginia (0.11). We list no companies in Rhode Island or DC.
- Anchorage has the most rental companies of any city in our directory (22), followed by Las Vegas and Phoenix (21 each) and Salt Lake City (12).
- 7.2% of Americans live more than 50 miles from a listed rental company, and 1.6% more than 100 miles. 987 of 3,144 counties are more than 50 miles away.
- The largest desert by population is El Paso County, Texas: 869,880 residents, 168 miles in a straight line from the nearest rental company we list.
Rental companies per resident, by state
Raw counts favour big states: California has 189 rental companies in our directory and Texas 98. Per resident, the picture flips. The leaders are road-trip destinations, Alaska, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming, where fleets serve visitors heading for the parks as well as local residents.
The cities with the most rental companies
| Anchorage | AK | 22 |
| Las Vegas | NV | 21 |
| Phoenix | AZ | 21 |
| Salt Lake City | UT | 12 |
| Miami | FL | 11 |
| San Diego | CA | 9 |
| Tampa | FL | 9 |
| Denver | CO | 9 |
| Los Angeles | CA | 8 |
| Portland | OR | 8 |
| Austin | TX | 8 |
| Sacramento | CA | 7 |
| Orlando | FL | 7 |
| Henderson | NV | 6 |
| Houston | TX | 6 |
| Honolulu | HI | 5 |
| Oklahoma City | OK | 5 |
| Tucson | AZ | 5 |
| Durham | NC | 5 |
| Bozeman | MT | 4 |
Counts are companies listed on RV Rental Atlas in October 2026 with that city in their address. Download this table (CSV)
The top of the list reads like a map of gateway cities. Anchorage serves Alaska's summer road-trip season, Las Vegas and Phoenix the desert Southwest, and Salt Lake City and Denver the Rockies. If you are flying in, these are the cities where you can compare the most companies. Picking up in one city and dropping off in another is a one-way RV rental.
Where the deserts are
We measured the straight-line distance from the centre of every US county to the nearest rental company in our directory and weighted it by population. Most Americans are close: 92.8% live in a county within 50 miles of one. The gaps are in the Plains, the interior West, southern New Mexico and west Texas, central Mississippi and northern Maine.
| Doña Ana County | NM | 187.2 | 225,210 |
| Elko County | NV | 172.9 | 54,293 |
| El Paso County | TX | 168.4 | 869,880 |
| Otero County | NM | 159.1 | 68,835 |
| Buffalo County | NE | 158.1 | 50,697 |
| Chaves County | NM | 145.6 | 63,561 |
| Madison County | MS | 141.8 | 112,511 |
| Nye County | NV | 138.1 | 55,720 |
| Rankin County | MS | 135.2 | 160,417 |
| Aroostook County | ME | 132.4 | 67,351 |
Counties with 50,000 or more residents, ranked by straight-line distance from the county centre to the nearest company in our directory. Download this table (CSV)
In the lower 48, the farthest counties are in eastern Montana, where Richland County sits 263 miles from the nearest listed company, followed by other parts of Montana, Nevada, Kansas, North Dakota and Nebraska. These are lightly populated places. The populous gaps are El Paso and Las Cruces (Doña Ana County) and the suburbs of Jackson, Mississippi (Madison and Rankin counties).
State by state
| Alaska | 25 | 3.4 | Not comparable |
| Montana | 21 | 1.9 | 37.4 |
| Utah | 44 | 1.3 | 12.1 |
| Nevada | 33 | 1.0 | 24.6 |
| Wyoming | 6 | 1.0 | 76.6 |
| Hawaii | 14 | 1.0 | 15.3 |
| Maine | 13 | 0.9 | 27.7 |
| Arizona | 54 | 0.7 | 26.1 |
| South Dakota | 6 | 0.7 | 42.3 |
| New Hampshire | 9 | 0.6 | 15.8 |
| Colorado | 37 | 0.6 | 21.2 |
| Idaho | 12 | 0.6 | 30.8 |
| California | 189 | 0.5 | 12.3 |
| Florida | 108 | 0.5 | 11.8 |
| Oregon | 20 | 0.5 | 27.5 |
| Vermont | 3 | 0.5 | 24.3 |
| Wisconsin | 27 | 0.5 | 20.0 |
| Michigan | 45 | 0.5 | 15.1 |
| Minnesota | 23 | 0.4 | 21.5 |
| Arkansas | 12 | 0.4 | 24.1 |
| Oklahoma | 15 | 0.4 | 22.5 |
| Washington | 27 | 0.3 | 20.1 |
| Texas | 98 | 0.3 | 19.3 |
| Alabama | 15 | 0.3 | 22.9 |
| Georgia | 32 | 0.3 | 16.5 |
| Indiana | 19 | 0.3 | 22.3 |
| Iowa | 9 | 0.3 | 28.9 |
| Louisiana | 13 | 0.3 | 30.2 |
| Tennessee | 20 | 0.3 | 20.3 |
| Missouri | 17 | 0.3 | 21.6 |
| North Carolina | 29 | 0.3 | 15.8 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 0.3 | 67.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 34 | 0.3 | 11.9 |
| Illinois | 28 | 0.2 | 12.0 |
| Ohio | 26 | 0.2 | 17.6 |
| South Carolina | 12 | 0.2 | 20.7 |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 0.2 | 9.3 |
| Delaware | 2 | 0.2 | 22.0 |
| New Mexico | 4 | 0.2 | 65.7 |
| Maryland | 11 | 0.2 | 14.9 |
| Virginia | 14 | 0.2 | 17.9 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 0.1 | 68.3 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 0.1 | 29.5 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 0.1 | 13.3 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 0.1 | 22.8 |
| New York | 22 | 0.1 | 14.3 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 0.1 | 42.6 |
| Kansas | 3 | 0.1 | 37.6 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 0.1 | 52.1 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 0.0 | 8.4 |
| Rhode Island | 0 | 0.0 | 23.1 |
Average miles is the population-weighted straight-line distance from each county centre to the nearest listed company. Alaska's figure is not comparable because many of its communities have no road link to the rest of the state. Download this table (CSV)
What it means for you
- In a desert, ask for delivery. Many companies will tow a trailer or drive a motorhome to your campsite, which removes the long drive to pick it up. Browse RV rental delivery.
- Fly into a hotspot. If you live far from a company, flying to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver or Salt Lake City, where there is more choice, can beat a long pickup drive on mileage. Our RV Rental Fine Print Index puts the median overage charge at $0.45 a mile.
- Plan a one-way trip from a hub. Picking up in a gateway city and returning elsewhere avoids backtracking; see one-way RV rental.
- Book early where supply is thin. In states with few companies, the rigs that exist go quickly in peak months. Check when to rent an RV for the busy season.
- Compare companies on your state page from the states index.
The infographic
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How we did this
- We counted the 1,197 approved RV rental companies with a mapped location in the RV Rental Atlas directory in October 2026, by the state in their address, and divided by state population from the US Census Bureau.
- City counts use the city written in each company's address, so a metro area split across several city names is counted separately.
- For distance, we took the centre point of each of 3,144 US counties and found the straight-line distance to the nearest listed company, then weighted counties by Census population to get the share of residents more than 50 and 100 miles away.
- Coverage is our directory. Companies we have not listed, peer-to-peer rentals and dealers that rent occasionally are not counted, so the deserts are gaps in our listings, not proof that no rental exists. Straight-line distance understates driving distance.
Sources
- RV rental companies listed on RV Rental Atlas, October 2026, accessed October 25, 2026
- US Census Bureau population estimates and county gazetteer, accessed October 24, 2026
- RV Rental Atlas analysis, October 2026
Cite this: RV Rental Atlas, "RV rental hotspots and deserts: Alaska has nearly 10 times the national rate of rental companies," October 25, 2026, https://rvrentalatlas.com/rental-rv-hotspots-and-deserts/
Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.
Questions people ask
Which state has the most RV rental companies per person?
Alaska, with 3.41 rental companies per 100,000 residents in our directory, nearly 10 times the national rate of 0.36. Montana (1.85), Utah (1.29), Nevada and Wyoming (1.03 each) come next. All are road-trip destinations where fleets also serve visitors.
Which city has the most RV rental companies?
Anchorage, with 22 companies in our directory, followed by Las Vegas and Phoenix with 21 each, Salt Lake City with 12 and Miami with 11. Henderson adds six more to the Las Vegas area, which makes it the largest cluster if you count the metro.
How many Americans live far from an RV rental company?
About 7.2% of the population lives in a county more than 50 miles in a straight line from a rental company we list, and 1.6% more than 100 miles. The largest populous gap is El Paso County, Texas, 168 miles from the nearest listed company.
What can I do if there is no RV rental company near me?
Ask companies within a few hours about delivery, since many will bring a trailer or motorhome to a campsite. Or fly into a hub such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver or Salt Lake City and do a round trip or a one-way trip from there.