Which States Have The Most Timeshares?

Timeshare resorts are located all across America, with timeshares in all but a few states. At last count, 46 states plus the District of Columbia had timeshares but the majority of the resorts are concentrated in just a handful of states.

Local municipalities allow timeshare resorts to operate within their jurisdictions for the benefits they provide, with the occupancy rates and per-day visitor spend far outweighing the standard hotel visitor.

Economic Impact for States is Huge

For the year 2019 (since we’ll look at more normalized, pre-pandemic figures), the timeshare industry generated approximately $97.4 billion of economic output according to the American Resort Development Association.

Timeshare occupancy rates were just over 79 percent, compared to 66 percent for hotels. The ownership model for timeshares means owners are more likely to travel and, therefore, spend money in local communities. Timeshare traveling parties spend about $2,000 per vacation, which is the spend while on vacation and not including the accommodation (since it’s already paid for) or transportation to the destination.

Timeshares bring visitors to their regions. Add in the tax benefits for the local municipalities ($12.7billion in 2019) and it’s no wonder that timeshares are a welcome form of visitor accommodation.

What Are the Main Timeshare States?

Five states combine for 49 percent of the total number of timeshare resorts in the U.S., all of which have occupancy rates above the industry average. The top five states, with the percentage of overall U.S. timeshare resorts, are:

1) Florida 24%

2) California 8%

3) South Carolina 7%

4) Hawaii 6%

5) Nevada 4%

The remaining 51 percent of timeshare resorts are spread across the rest of the states, with the regions divided into the following categories:

• Mountain/Pacific 16% (including Colorado, Utah, Arizona and the Pacific Northwest)
• Northeast 11% (New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey)
• South Atlantic 8% (Georgia plus the mid-Atlantic states such as Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina)
• South Central 8% (the non-Florida Gulf Coast states plus Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma)
• Midwest 8% (Missouri through the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes Region and across to the Dakotas)

For those of you who are wondering what the four states are that do not have timeshare resorts, they are Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota.

Florida coming it at the top isn’t much of a surprise due to its overall popularity for vacationers, especially since Orlando is traditionally the most popular single vacation destination in America. This would explain why nearly every major timeshare company has its headquarters in Orlando.  

California in second spot follows on from the connection to overall vacation popularity, especially with the size and population of the state.

South Carolina over Hawaii?

South Carolina is a bit of a surprise, lifting slightly above Hawaii, but this would reflect the ease of access to millions of potential drive-to visitors to timeshare hot spots like Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island, with Charleston as an emerging destination.

Nevada rounds out the top five primarily on the strength of Las Vegas, which is the second-most popular timeshare destination behind Orlando. Reno and the Lake Tahoe-area locations such as Stateline and Incline Village also give Nevada a big boost and show the type of activity diversification across the state.

Traditionally strong timeshare states such as Colorado, Utah, Missouri, Arizona, Virginia, Massachusetts and Tennessee tend to drift in and out of the top ten at times, but the top five are year-in, year-out the backbone of the timeshare industry.

Type of Resorts

Now that the states have been identified that have the most timeshares, the next question is why timeshare resorts in those states are so popular? Or stated another way – what aspects or activities make those resorts so attractive to timeshare buyers?

Some of these categories below are obvious, but it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. The categories are shown based on the type of resort as seen in the eyes of consumers. For example, 32 percent of timeshare resorts would be classified as Beach resorts according to the types shown below (categories courtesy of the American Resort Development Association):

Beach (at 32% it explains so many Florida timeshare resorts as well as the previously mentioned South Carolina, but also expands to places such as Virginia Beach, Ocean City and Atlantic City).

Country/Lakes (at 15% highlighting the importance of rural-type experiences emphasizing outdoor activities. Places like the Sapphire Valley in western North Carolina, Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri or Washington’s Lake Chelan Valley).

Ski (11% for the resorts whose first priority is a ski experience, perhaps with ski-in, ski-out facilities. Park City and Breckenridge jump to mind as compared to a general mountain resort experience in places like north Georgia).

Island (7% - Hawaii timeshares are always top of mind but also think of places like the Florida Keys, the islands of Puget Sound near Seattle known for WorldMark timeshares or Hilton Head).

Golf (at 6% this is a tricky one since a resort such as Holiday Inn Orange Lake has an excellent golf experience but would primarily leverage the Disney theme parks as a drawcard to the resort).

Theme Park (6% - Orlando immediately comes to mind but this is broader and could include resorts in places such as Anaheim or even Branson with parks like Silver Dollar City).

Urban (4% - an emerging category with extensive investment and resources being poured into urban-based timeshare properties from the major hospitality brands. Examples range from the opening of Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, San Francisco, Hilton’s new The Central at 5th by Hilton Club in New York or Wyndham’s planned timeshare resort in Atlanta).

Mountains (3% - a more specific category than the broader Country category, this could be a destination such as Massanutten in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia or Bluegreen’s South Mountain in New Hampshire. And, of course, the eastern Tennessee resorts near the Great Smoky Mountains).

Other (at 16% this is the catch-all category for the resorts that don’t fall into one of the earlier categories. It’s a substantial number that could include resorts in places such as Las Vegas or historical locations like Williamsburg).

There’s a lot of information to take in, but the overall take-away is the amazing diversity of timeshare destinations and the range of resorts available to timeshare owners.

Especially for points-based programs, these diverse resort offerings are a major benefit as consumers looking to buy timeshare points can choose where the want to use their points to book vacation accommodation.

As always, our professional licensed agents are available to answer any questions relating to these or any other timeshare-related topics or destinations. Contact us by leaving us a message here or by calling 877-624-6889 and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.