Boat Ramp Statistics
There are 34,388 boat ramps and public boat launches mapped across all 50 US states on BoatLaunchMap, spanning 11,417 cities and 3,055 counties. 19,277 (56%) are free public ramps. The average Google rating across all rated ramps is 4.5/5.
Live Data Coverage
BoatLaunchMap is the only US boat ramp directory that surfaces real-time water conditions per location. Live readings update every 30 minutes and carry stale-data gates so a decommissioned gauge never publishes outdated info.
Data Sources by Agency
Every ramp record is attributed back to the publishing agency. The breakdown below shows how many ramps come from each authoritative source. Federal sources are USACE, USFS, NPS, BLM, BOR, and USFWS via recreation.gov.
| Rank | Agency | Level | Ramps | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OpenStreetMap contributors (OpenStreetMap) | community | 21,958 | 63.9% |
| 2 | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) | state | 2,376 | 6.9% |
| 3 | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) | state | 2,278 | 6.6% |
| 4 | Google Places (Google Places) | community | 2,240 | 6.5% |
| 5 | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TX TPWD) | state | 1,787 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FL FWC) | state | 1,756 | 5.1% |
| 7 | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) | state | 647 | 1.9% |
| 8 | Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MI DNR) | state | 432 | 1.3% |
| 9 | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WA WDFW) | state | 390 | 1.1% |
| 10 | Recreation.gov / Recreation Information Database (USACE, USFS, BLM, NPS, BOR, USFWS) (RIDB) | federal | 214 | 0.6% |
| 11 | Massachusetts Office of Fishing and Boating Access (MA OFBA) | state | 181 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VA DWR) | state | 129 | 0.4% |
Most-Mapped Waterbodies in America
Hudson River has the most catalogued ramps of any US waterbody (142 sites). Each link below opens a directory of every boat ramp on that waterbody, with live USGS water levels where a gauge is mapped.
States With the Most Boat Ramps
Wisconsin leads the nation with 3,513 mapped boat ramps. Minnesota is second with 3,350, followed by Florida with 3,331.
| Rank | State | Total Ramps | Public Ramps | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | 3,513 | 3,129 | 4.5/5 |
| 2 | Minnesota | 3,350 | 3,043 | 4.5/5 |
| 3 | Florida | 3,331 | 2,777 | 4.5/5 |
| 4 | Texas | 2,786 | 2,267 | 4.4/5 |
| 5 | Michigan | 2,552 | 1,658 | 4.5/5 |
| 6 | New York | 1,583 | 1,000 | 4.5/5 |
| 7 | Washington | 1,570 | 675 | 4.3/5 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 1,050 | 294 | 4.5/5 |
| 9 | Missouri | 869 | 385 | 4.4/5 |
| 10 | Illinois | 835 | 102 | 4.6/5 |
States With the Highest-Rated Boat Ramps
New Hampshire has the highest average boat ramp rating at 4.8/5.
| Rank | State | Avg Rating | Total Ramps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 4.8/5 | 255 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 4.7/5 | 162 |
| 3 | Arkansas | 4.7/5 | 313 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 4.6/5 | 662 |
| 5 | Kansas | 4.6/5 | 233 |
| 6 | South Dakota | 4.6/5 | 128 |
| 7 | Vermont | 4.6/5 | 217 |
| 8 | Illinois | 4.6/5 | 835 |
| 9 | Maine | 4.5/5 | 606 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 4.5/5 | 283 |
All 50 States — Boat Ramp Data
| State | Total Ramps | Public | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 342 | 106 | 4.5/5 |
| Arizona | 154 | 20 | 4.5/5 |
| Arkansas | 313 | 182 | 4.7/5 |
| California | 761 | 74 | 4.5/5 |
| Colorado | 259 | 49 | — |
| Connecticut | 286 | 98 | 4.5/5 |
| Delaware | 100 | 24 | 4.5/5 |
| Florida | 3,331 | 2,777 | 4.5/5 |
| Georgia | 490 | 322 | 4.5/5 |
| Idaho | 365 | 124 | 4.5/5 |
| Illinois | 835 | 102 | 4.6/5 |
| Indiana | 419 | 98 | 4.5/5 |
| Iowa | 511 | 69 | 4.5/5 |
| Kansas | 233 | 30 | 4.6/5 |
| Kentucky | 463 | 119 | 4.5/5 |
| Louisiana | 221 | 81 | 4.5/5 |
| Maine | 606 | 376 | 4.5/5 |
| Maryland | 582 | 49 | 4.5/5 |
| Massachusetts | 662 | 317 | 4.6/5 |
| Michigan | 2,552 | 1,658 | 4.5/5 |
| Minnesota | 3,350 | 3,043 | 4.5/5 |
| Mississippi | 163 | 24 | 4.5/5 |
| Missouri | 869 | 385 | 4.4/5 |
| Montana | 325 | 44 | — |
| Nebraska | 162 | 102 | 4.7/5 |
| Nevada | 49 | 7 | 4.5/5 |
| New Hampshire | 255 | 177 | 4.8/5 |
| New Jersey | 283 | 53 | 4.5/5 |
| New Mexico | 54 | 6 | 4.5/5 |
| New York | 1,583 | 1,000 | 4.5/5 |
| North Carolina | 1,050 | 294 | 4.5/5 |
| North Dakota | 309 | 16 | 4.1/5 |
| Ohio | 561 | 69 | 4.1/5 |
| Oklahoma | 330 | 39 | 4.5/5 |
| Oregon | 557 | 158 | 4.1/5 |
| Pennsylvania | 589 | 245 | 4.5/5 |
| Rhode Island | 101 | 3 | — |
| South Carolina | 265 | 232 | 4.5/5 |
| South Dakota | 128 | 5 | 4.6/5 |
| Tennessee | 593 | 186 | 4.5/5 |
| Texas | 2,786 | 2,267 | 4.4/5 |
| Utah | 239 | 90 | 4.5/5 |
| Vermont | 217 | 40 | 4.6/5 |
| Virginia | 765 | 270 | 4.4/5 |
| Washington | 1,570 | 675 | 4.3/5 |
| West Virginia | 141 | 30 | 4.5/5 |
| Wisconsin | 3,513 | 3,129 | 4.5/5 |
| Wyoming | 96 | 13 | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many boat ramps are in the United States?
BoatLaunchMap has mapped 34,388 boat ramps and public boat launches across all 50 US states. Wisconsin has the most with 3,513.
Which state has the most boat ramps?
Wisconsin has the most boat ramps with 3,513 mapped locations. Minnesota is second with 3,350.
How many free public boat ramps are there?
There are 19,277 free public boat ramps in the US, representing 56% of all mapped boat ramps.
Cite This Data
Statistics, counts, and per-state breakdowns on this page are derived from the BoatLaunchMap open dataset (CC BY 4.0). You're free to use these numbers in articles, research, or apps with attribution.
BoatLaunchMap. (2026). US Boat Ramp Statistics. Retrieved from https://boatlaunchmap.com/boat-ramp-statistics
BoatLaunchMap (2026). US Public Boat Ramp Dataset [Data set]. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). https://boatlaunchmap.com/api/data/geojson