In this web-exclusive addition to the State of the Industry Report, we’ll take a closeup look at responses to the survey from professionals working for camp facilities. Making up 4.8% of the survey respondents, these professionals work either with youth and private camps (3.1% of survey respondents), or campgrounds and RV parks (1.7%).
The vast majority of camp respondents—97.1%—said they worked for private organizations. Some 63.2% worked with private nonprofit organizations, while around one-third (33.8%) worked with private, for-profit organizations. Just 2.9% were with public or governmental organizations.
Camp respondents were most likely to be located in the Midwest. Some 38.5% said they called the Midwestern states home. Around one-fifth were from the Northeast (19.2%), and the same number were located in the Western region of the U.S. (19.2%). Smaller numbers of camp respondents were located in the South Central (13.5%) or South Atlantic (9.6%) regions of the U.S.
Camps are generally located in natural, beautiful, out-of-the-way places, so it’s not surprising to find that three-quarters (75%) of camp respondents said they were located in rural areas. Another 23.1% were located in suburban communities, and 1.9% said they could be found in urban communities.
Camp respondents in 2025 were much less likely to report that they had partnered with outside organizations than in 2024. Some 64.9% of camp respondents in 2025 said they had formed partnerships, down from 80.4% in 2024 and 72.8% in 2023. The most common partners for camps were nonprofit organizations (56.1% of camps had partnered with nonprofits), local schools (35.1%), colleges and universities (24.6%), corporations or local businesses (24.6%), and local government (14%).
Camp Facility Budgets & Costs
More than half (54.7%) of camp respondents said their revenues for 2024 were higher than in 2023. Another 24.5% reported no change, and 20.8% said their revenues decreased from 2023 to 2024.
In 2025, 64.8% of camp respondents are expecting to see higher revenues, with 24.1% anticipating no change, 11.1% expecting a decrease. And looking forward to 2026, 64.7% of camp respondents expect to see higher revenues, with 27.5% expecting revenues to remain the same, and 7.8% expecting revenues to decline.
In 2024, camp respondents spent an average of $1,130,000 on their operating expenses, 32.1% less than the average for 2023 of $1,664,000. The median expenditure for camp respondents in 2024 was $650,000.
Looking forward, camp respondents are expecting their average operating cost to increase 15% in 2025, to $1,300,000. And they expect a further 1.5% increase in 2026, to an average of $1,320,000.
More than nine in 10 (90.6%) camp respondents in 2025 said they had taken action over the past year to reduce their operating costs, up slightly from 88.6% in 2023, and making camp respondents the most likely to indicate they had taken such action. The most common measures used by camp respondents to reduce their costs were increasing their fees (75.5% of camps had raised fees to reduce their operating costs), improving energy efficiency (43.4%), and putting construction and renovation plans on hold (34%).
Camp Facility Construction Plans
More than three-quarters (77.2%) of camp respondents in 2025 said they had plans for construction over the next three years, down from 85.4% in 2024. Some 59.6% said they planned to renovate their existing facilities, while 49.1% were planning additions, and 38.6% were planning new construction. The median construction budget for camp respondents was $500,000.
The features most commonly found at camp respondents’ facilities in 2025 include: Wi-Fi services, campgrounds, walking and hiking trails, open spaces and natural areas, playgrounds, shelters such as gazebos and picnic shelters, outdoor courts for sports like basketball and tennis, waterfronts and marinas, outdoor aquatic facilities, and park restroom structures.
Half (50%) of camp respondents said they had plans to add features to their facilities over the next few years, down from 56.6% in 2024.
The most commonly planned additions in 2025 were:
- Playgrounds (23.5% of camp respondents with plans to add features said they would add playgrounds)
- Park restroom structures (20.6%)
- Challenge courses or ropes courses (20.6%)
- Splash play areas (17.6%)
- Park shelters (14.7%)
- Indoor sports courts (14.7%)
- Climbing walls (14.7%)
- Walking and hiking trails (11.8%)
- Disc golf courses (11.8%)
- Miniature golf courses (11.8%)