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U.S. sales of PWC peaked in 1995 with approximately 200,000 units sold. Sales of personal watercraft declined from 1996 through 2001, but began to level off in 2002 with sales of 79,300 units. The industry saw sales in 2005 of more than 80,200 units.
According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, there were approximately 1.55 million PWC in use in 2005. The average retail price of a PWC in 2005 was $9,495. Since the mid-1990s, sit-down style, multi-passenger watercraft have made up around 99 percent of all PWC sales, with three-person family models being by far the largest segment. According to the 2000 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE), approximately 20 million Americans ride personal watercraft each year.
PWC owners spend millions on the sport annually. In addition to purchasing the vessel, they spend money on boating registration fees, launch fees, trailers, fuel, insurance, clothing, accessories, food, travel, and watercraft-oriented vacations.
2005 U.S. Personal Watercraft Sales*
| Personal Watercraft Sold: |
80,200 |
| Total Retail Value: |
$761,531,000 |
| Average Unit Cost: |
$9,495 |
| Personal Watecraft In Use: |
1.55 million |
Employment in the PWC Industry
Nearly 6,000 people are employed in the United States by PWC manufacturers in at least 11 states. Other financial impacts of the sport include employment in more than 2,000 retail businesses servicing and selling PWC, aftermarket and related small businesses manufacturing components and accessories, corporate tax revenues from PWC-related businesses, local and state sales taxes, and gas tax revenues.
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Unit Sales, 1987 - 2004:
| Year |
Unit sales |
| 2004 |
79,500 |
| 2003 |
80,600 |
| 2002 |
79,300 |
| 2001 |
80,900 |
| 2000 |
92,000 |
| 1999 |
106,000 |
| 1998 |
130,000 |
| 1997 |
176,200 |
| 1996 |
191,300 |
| 1995 |
200,000 |
| 1994 |
142,000 |
| 1993 |
107,000 |
| 1992 |
79,000 |
| 1991 |
68,000 |
| 1990 |
72,000 |
| 1989 |
64,000 |
| 1988 |
48,000 |
| 1987 |
29,000 |
*Source: National Marine Manufacturers Association
http://www.nmma.org/facts
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