Key Highlights
● Florida is the best state for a water sports vacation, with good access to lakes and beaches, great weather, and low rates of injuries and deaths in and around water in the state.
● Texas and Michigan rank second and third, respectively.
● South Dakota ranked as the worst state to visit for water sports.
New research has revealed that Florida is America’s best water sports destination.
Vacation rental platform Lake.com analyzed 22 different factors related to watersports, including each state’s total coastal area, the number of public beaches, lakes, marinas, and waterparks, and average weather conditions. Based on these factors, each state was assigned a ‘Water Sports Score’ out of 100 to identify the best destinations for a water sports vacation.
Florida emerged as the best state to visit for a water sports vacation, scoring 62.88 out of 100. The Sunshine State has the best access to public beaches, with 909 miles of public beachfront, as well as the most water parks (18), online boat rentals (2,879), marine stores (5,283), and boat yards (8,132).
The state also has the seventh-highest number of lakes in the country, the second-best weather in terms of hours of sunshine and average temperature, and the lowest rate of accidents, deaths, and property damage on and around water.
Texas is the second-best destination for water sports, scoring 58.57 out of 100. The state has the most marine and boating events, the second-highest lake access and the third-lowest rates of deaths and injury related to water.
Michigan is in third place, earning a water sports score of 57.55 out of 100. The state has the fourth-best access to lakes, the third-best access to public beaches, and the third-best number of water vessels available for rent. Michigan also has the seventh-highest number of marine and boating events.
Scoring 55.20 out of 100, California ranks as the fourth-best state for a water sports vacation. It has the second-best access to public beaches, waterparks, online boat rentals and boat yards, and marine stores. The state also has the second-lowest water-related accident and death rate.
Rounding out the top five is New York, with a score of 54.14 out of 100. New York has the third largest coastal area, the fifth-highest access to public beaches, waterparks, online boat rentals and boat yards, and marine stores, and the fifth-lowest water-related injury and death rate.
Top 10 States of Water Sports
| Water Sports Ranking | State | Score / 100 |
| 1 | Florida | 62.88 |
| 2 | Texas | 58.57 |
| 3 | Michigan | 57.55 |
| 4 | California | 55.2 |
| 5 | New York | 54.14 |
| 6 | Illinois | 52.78 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 52.16 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 51.36 |
| 9 | Washington | 49.09 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 48.54 |
Following in sixth place is Illinois, with a score of 52.78 out of 100. The state has the ninth-best lake access and the 11th-highest number of marine and boating events. In seventh place is Wisconsin, scoring 52.16 out of 100. The state has the best lake access of all 50 states.
Minnesota is eighth, scoring 51.36, Washington is ninth with 49.09, and Massachusetts is tenth with 48.54.
South Dakota ranks as the worst state for water sports vacations, scoring 26.88 out of 100. The state recorded the third-highest rate of injuries and property damage in and around water. The landlocked state also featured few public beaches and lakes and a relatively low average annual temperature.
David Ciccarelli, CEO of Lake.com, commented on the findings:
“The United States is blessed with an abundance of stunning bodies of water, including millions of lakes and access to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans, as well as their surrounding beaches. Water sports have become popular for people to stay active, bond with family, and connect with this part of nature.
“Activities such as swimming, snorkeling, water skiing, fishing, diving, rowing, and sailing are enjoyed by many across the country. This research provides a useful guide to the best states in the country to visit for water sports this spring and summer.”
The Methodology, Data Sources and Complete Data Set
Our Methodology
A total of 22 factors were used to compile the index. The raw data for each factor was cleaned, checked, and standardized on the same scale from 0 to 10, where 0 and 10
represent the worst and best values present in the data to allow for accurate comparison between factors. Factors where a high score would be negative were subtracted from 10 to invert their scoring.
The 22 factors were also grouped by category to facilitate the analysis, e.g., access to beaches, waterparks, and online boat rentals were grouped under “recreational access.”
Weighting was then assigned to each factor, reflecting its importance in the analysis. The factors, their groupings, and sources are listed below.
22 Ranking Factors and Sources
All 50 states ranked from best to worst for water sports vacations
| Rank | State | Population | Total Area (km2) | Rank -Water access | Rank – Recreational access | Rank -Water Access | Rank – Weather | Rank – Events | Rank – Incidents | Water Sports Score / 100 |
| 1. | Florida | 22,610,726 | 170,312 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 24 | 50 | 62.88 |
| 2. | Texas | 30,503,301 | 695,662 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 48 | 58.57 |
| 3. | Michigan | 10,037,261 | 250,487 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 7 | 35 | 57.55 |
| 4. | California | 38,965,193 | 423,967 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 3 | 49 | 55.20 |
| 5. | New York | 19,571,216 | 141,297 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 42 | 25 | 46 | 54.14 |
| 6. | Illinois | 12,549,689 | 149,995 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 29 | 11 | 24 | 52.78 |
| 7. | Wisconsin | 5,910,955 | 169,635 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 45 | 22 | 41 | 52.16 |
| 8. | Minnesota | 5,737,915 | 225,163 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 43 | 21 | 36 | 51.36 |
| 9. | Washington | 7,812,880 | 184,661 | 12 | 6 | 29 | 41 | 18 | 33 | 49.09 |
| 10. | Massachusetts | 7,001,399 | 27,336 | 1 | 14 | 40 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 48.54 |
| 11. | North Carolina | 10,835,491 | 139,391 | 24 | 7 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 47.26 |
| 12. | Virginia | 8,715,698 | 110,787 | 11 | 13 | 48 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 47.22 |
| 13. | New Jersey | 9,290,841 | 22,591 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 23 | 33 | 29 | 46.68 |
| 14. | Alabama | 5,108,468 | 135,767 | 25 | 17 | 31 | 6 | 12 | 31 | 46.55 |
| 15. | Ohio | 11,785,935 | 116,098 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 36 | 19 | 39 | 46.37 |
| 16. | Alaska | 733,406 | 1,723,337 | 4 | 28 | 6 | 50 | 44 | 16 | 45.51 |
| 17. | South Carolina | 5,373,555 | 82,933 | 20 | 12 | 27 | 7 | 32 | 47 | 44.47 |
| 18. | Georgia | 11,029,227 | 153,910 | 28 | 11 | 33 | 4 | 14 | 42 | 44.27 |
| 19. | Indiana | 6,862,199 | 94,326 | 27 | 25 | 11 | 30 | 8 | 25 | 44.09 |
| 20. | Maine | 1,395,722 | 91,633 | 9 | 24 | 16 | 34 | 39 | 20 | 44.05 |
| 21. | Louisiana | 4,573,749 | 135,659 | 7 | 20 | 39 | 3 | 29 | 45 | 43.49 |
| 22. | Maryland | 6,180,253 | 32,131 | 10 | 18 | 50 | 19 | 20 | 38 | 42.71 |
| 23. | Hawaii | 1,435,138 | 28,313 | 13 | 31 | 47 | 1 | 34 | 9 | 42.63 |
| 24. | Pennsylvania | 12,961,683 | 119,280 | 22 | 27 | 12 | 27 | 28 | 22 | 42.22 |
| 25. | Rhode Island | 1,095,962 | 4,001 | 2 | 30 | 45 | 21 | 37 | 12 | 42.16 |
| 26. | Oregon | 4,233,358 | 254,799 | 26 | 19 | 13 | 47 | 13 | 30 | 41.99 |
| 27. | Utah | 3,417,734 | 219,882 | 31 | 36 | 4 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 41.63 |
| 28. | Mississippi | 2,939,690 | 125,438 | 23 | 33 | 30 | 5 | 36 | 13 | 41.14 |
| 29. | Arizona | 7,431,344 | 295,234 | 31 | 23 | 23 | 9 | 15 | 37 | 40.82 |
| 30. | Delaware | 1,031,890 | 6,446 | 6 | 40 | 49 | 14 | 42 | 10 | 40.49 |
| 31. | Arkansas | 3,067,732 | 137,732 | 31 | 37 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 39.86 |
| 32. | Nevada | 3,194,176 | 286,380 | 31 | 38 | 20 | 28 | 9 | 14 | 39.40 |
| 33. | Connecticut | 3,617,176 | 14,357 | 17 | 21 | 34 | 20 | 43 | 26 | 38.83 |
| 34. | Oklahoma | 4,053,824 | 181,037 | 31 | 29 | 18 | 10 | 30 | 27 | 38.43 |
| 35. | Tennessee | 7,126,489 | 109,153 | 31 | 26 | 35 | 12 | 4 | 44 | 37.00 |
| 36. | Missouri | 6,196,156 | 180,540 | 31 | 22 | 42 | 17 | 5 | 40 | 36.14 |
| 37. | Kansas | 2,940,546 | 213,100 | 31 | 43 | 24 | 25 | 38 | 6 | 34.27 |
| 38. | Kentucky | 4,526,154 | 104,656 | 31 | 41 | 43 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 34.03 |
| 39. | New Hampshire | 1,402,054 | 24,214 | 30 | 34 | 26 | 32 | 50 | 18 | 32.10 |
| 40. | Vermont | 647,464 | 24,906 | 31 | 47 | 22 | 38 | 48 | 1 | 31.83 |
| 41. | West Virginia | 1,770,071 | 62,756 | 31 | 49 | 44 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 31.71 |
| 42. | Nebraska | 1,978,379 | 200,330 | 31 | 44 | 28 | 35 | 35 | 8 | 31.33 |
| 43. | Colorado | 5,877,610 | 269,601 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 27 | 21 | 30.91 |
| 44. | Idaho | 1,964,726 | 216,443 | 31 | 35 | 19 | 39 | 45 | 28 | 30.82 |
| 45. | Montana | 1,132,812 | 380,831 | 31 | 42 | 17 | 49 | 47 | 15 | 30.58 |
| 46. | North Dakota | 783,926 | 183,108 | 31 | 45 | 25 | 48 | 41 | 4 | 30.47 |
| 47. | Iowa | 3,207,004 | 145,746 | 31 | 39 | 41 | 31 | 31 | 11 | 29.97 |
| 48. | New Mexico | 2,114,371 | 314,917 | 31 | 48 | 38 | 26 | 40 | 7 | 27.66 |
| 49. | Wyoming | 584,057 | 253,335 | 31 | 50 | 21 | 46 | 49 | 2 | 27.19 |
| 50. | South Dakota | 919,318 | 199,729 | 31 | 46 | 46 | 37 | 46 | 3 | 26.88 |
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