Original research

RV repair deserts: 99% of Americans live within 50 miles of a shop, but 230 counties don't

We measured the straight-line distance from the center of each of 3,144 US counties to the nearest of the 7,700 RV repair shops and mobile techs in our directory. 0.9% of Americans, about 3 million people, live in a county whose center is more than 50 miles from one. 230 counties are past that line, and 39 are more than 100 miles out.

By the RV Repair Centers research desk · Published October 25, 2026

Key findings

  • 99.1% of Americans live in a county whose center is within 50 miles of an RV repair shop in our directory. The population-weighted average is 8.4 miles.
  • 230 of 3,144 counties are more than 50 miles from a shop, home to 0.9% of the population (about 3.0 million people).
  • 39 counties are more than 100 miles out (0.2% of the population). 24 of them are in Alaska.
  • Harney County, Oregon, is the most remote in the lower 48 at 131.1 miles, followed by Union County, New Mexico (127.2) and Valley County, Montana (124.0). Montana has 7 of the 15 most remote lower-48 counties.
  • Alaska (124.2 miles) and Hawaii (55.9) are far ahead of every other state on population-weighted distance. North Dakota (23.6), Montana (22.5), Wyoming (21.6) and South Dakota (21.2) lead the lower 48.

How far Americans live from an RV repair shop

For most RV owners, a repair shop is a short drive. Weighted by population, the average county center is 8.4 miles from the nearest RV repair shop or mobile tech in our directory, and half of all counties are within 14.2 miles. The gaps are in the places RVers like to go: the northern Plains, the Great Basin and the mountain West, where a breakdown can be a long tow from help.

0.9%of Americans live over 50 miles from a shop
230counties over 50 miles
39counties over 100 miles
Population-weighted distance from county center to the nearest RV repair shop (miles)AK 124 mi, HI 56 mi, ND 24 mi, MT 23 mi, WY 22 mi, SD 21 mi, MS 19 mi, ME 18 miAK: 124 miAK124 miME: 18 miME18 miVT: 12 miVT12 miNH: 6 miNH6 miWA: 8 miWA8 miID: 12 miID12 miMT: 23 miMT23 miND: 24 miND24 miMN: 10 miMN10 miIL: 7 miIL7 miWI: 8 miWI8 miMI: 7 miMI7 miNY: 7 miNY7 miRI: 4 miRI4 miMA: 9 miMA9 miOR: 8 miOR8 miNV: 13 miNV13 miWY: 22 miWY22 miSD: 21 miSD21 miIA: 11 miIA11 miIN: 7 miIN7 miOH: 7 miOH7 miPA: 7 miPA7 miNJ: 6 miNJ6 miCT: 10 miCT10 miCA: 9 miCA9 miUT: 8 miUT8 miCO: 10 miCO10 miNE: 11 miNE11 miMO: 9 miMO9 miKY: 10 miKY10 miWV: 15 miWV15 miVA: 8 miVA8 miMD: 7 miMD7 miDE: 2 miDE2 miAZ: 11 miAZ11 miNM: 16 miNM16 miKS: 13 miKS13 miAR: 11 miAR11 miTN: 5 miTN5 miNC: 6 miNC6 miSC: 8 miSC8 miDC: 12 miDC12 miOK: 8 miOK8 miLA: 11 miLA11 miMS: 19 miMS19 miAL: 9 miAL9 miGA: 6 miGA6 miHI: 56 miHI56 miTX: 5 miTX5 miFL: 5 miFL5 mi2 mi124 mi
Each county's distance is weighted by its 2023 population, so the figure reflects where people live, not land area.

Kansas has the most counties more than 50 miles from a shop (27), followed by South Dakota (26), Alaska (25), Montana (23) and Texas (19). Kansas (13.2 miles) and Texas (5.3) still score far better on the population-weighted map, because most of their residents live near cities with plenty of shops. The weighted figure is highest where the whole state is thinly served.

States where residents live farthest from an RV repair shop (population-weighted miles)Alaska: 124 mi; Hawaii: 56 mi; North Dakota: 24 mi; Montana: 23 mi; Wyoming: 22 mi; South Dakota: 21 mi; Mississippi: 19 mi; Maine: 18 mi; New Mexico: 16 mi; West Virginia: 15 mi; Kansas: 13 mi; Nevada: 13 miAlaska124 miHawaii56 miNorth Dakota24 miMontana23 miWyoming22 miSouth Dakota21 miMississippi19 miMaine18 miNew Mexico16 miWest Virgin…15 miKansas13 miNevada13 mi
Top 12 states by population-weighted miles. Delaware is lowest at 2.2 miles.

The most remote counties in the lower 48

Leaving out Alaska and Hawaii, the farthest county from an RV repair shop is Harney County in eastern Oregon, 131.1 miles from its center to the nearest shop. Twelve counties in the lower 48 are more than 100 miles out, five of them in Montana. Most are large, thinly populated counties on the northern Plains and in the Great Basin.

The 15 lower-48 counties farthest from an RV repair shop
Harney CountyOregon131 mi7,440
Union CountyNew Mexico127 mi3,964
Valley CountyMontana124 mi7,474
Garfield CountyMontana119 mi1,211
Custer CountyMontana118 mi11,985
Nye CountyNevada118 mi55,720
Glacier CountyMontana112 mi13,609
Phillips CountyMontana110 mi4,249
Finney CountyKansas104 mi37,466
Prowers CountyColorado102 mi11,751
Gregory CountySouth Dakota101 mi4,018
Cherry CountyNebraska101 mi5,492
Daniels CountyMontana99 mi1,633
Blaine CountyMontana98 mi6,899
Clark CountyKansas95 mi1,847

Straight-line distance from the county's Census internal point to the nearest listing in our directory. Road distance is longer. Download this table (CSV)

The most remote counties with 50,000 or more people

Among counties with at least 50,000 residents, three of the four most remote are in Hawaii, where the nearest shop in our directory can be across open water. Hawaii County (the Big Island, 207,615 people) is 205.9 miles from the nearest one.

The 10 most remote counties with 50,000+ residents
Hawaii CountyHawaii206 mi207,615
Nye CountyNevada118 mi55,720
Kauai CountyHawaii114 mi73,851
Maui CountyHawaii102 mi164,183
Navajo CountyArizona62 mi109,175
Maverick CountyTexas60 mi57,762
Somerset CountyMaine58 mi51,302
Washoe CountyNevada55 mi498,022
Oktibbeha CountyMississippi55 mi51,203
Lowndes CountyMississippi52 mi57,283

Download this table (CSV)

What it means for you

  • Check your roadside plan's tow limit. Many plans cap free towing by distance or send you only to the nearest shop. In a county 100 miles from a shop, that limit matters. Know the number before you go.
  • Find a mobile tech before you need one. A mobile RV repair tech based in the nearest town may cover a wide radius. Save two or three numbers along a remote route.
  • Carry the parts that strand people. A spare tire you can actually change, fuses, a spare serpentine belt for motorhomes, and a basic tool kit. Tire and bearing trouble is the most common running-gear complaint in our reviews; get a tire and brake check before a long remote run.
  • Service the rig before the trip, not on it. Our RV Breakdown Calendar shows A/C failures peak in July and furnace failures in January, so test the system you will need before you head somewhere 100 miles from help.
  • Plan for no signal. Download offline maps and carry a satellite messenger if your route crosses the counties above. Note the last town with a shop before each long stretch.
  • Know the weekend gap. Only about 1 in 4 RV repair shops opens on Sunday (see our weekend hours study). In a remote county, a Saturday breakdown can mean a Monday fix.
Population-weighted distance to the nearest RV repair shop, by state
Alaska124 mi
Hawaii56 mi
North Dakota24 mi
Montana23 mi
Wyoming22 mi
South Dakota21 mi
Mississippi19 mi
Maine18 mi
New Mexico16 mi
West Virginia15 mi
Kansas13 mi
Nevada13 mi
Idaho12 mi
Vermont12 mi
District of Columbia12 mi
Arkansas11 mi
Louisiana11 mi
Arizona11 mi
Iowa11 mi
Nebraska11 mi
Colorado10 mi
Minnesota10 mi
Kentucky10 mi
Connecticut10 mi
Massachusetts9 mi
Alabama9 mi
Missouri9 mi
California9 mi
Oregon8 mi
Wisconsin8 mi
Oklahoma8 mi
Washington8 mi
South Carolina8 mi
Virginia8 mi
Utah8 mi
New York7 mi
Illinois7 mi
Michigan7 mi
Indiana7 mi
Maryland7 mi
Ohio7 mi
Pennsylvania7 mi
North Carolina6 mi
Georgia6 mi
New Jersey6 mi
New Hampshire6 mi
Texas5 mi
Florida5 mi
Tennessee5 mi
Rhode Island4 mi
Delaware2 mi

Average of county-center distances, weighted by Census 2023 county population estimates. Download this table (CSV)

The infographic

RV repair deserts · 2026230 US counties are more than50 miles from an RV repair shop.Population-weighted straight-line distance from each county's center tothe nearest RV repair shop or mobile tech, by state, Oct 2026.8.4 miaverage American,population-weighted131.1 miHarney County, OR: most remotein the lower 480.9%of Americans live over 50miles awayPopulation-weighted distance from county center to the nearest RV repair shop (miles)AK 124 mi, HI 56 mi, ND 24 mi, MT 23 mi, WY 22 mi, SD 21 mi, MS 19 mi, ME 18 miAK: 124 miAK124 miME: 18 miME18 miVT: 12 miVT12 miNH: 6 miNH6 miWA: 8 miWA8 miID: 12 miID12 miMT: 23 miMT23 miND: 24 miND24 miMN: 10 miMN10 miIL: 7 miIL7 miWI: 8 miWI8 miMI: 7 miMI7 miNY: 7 miNY7 miRI: 4 miRI4 miMA: 9 miMA9 miOR: 8 miOR8 miNV: 13 miNV13 miWY: 22 miWY22 miSD: 21 miSD21 miIA: 11 miIA11 miIN: 7 miIN7 miOH: 7 miOH7 miPA: 7 miPA7 miNJ: 6 miNJ6 miCT: 10 miCT10 miCA: 9 miCA9 miUT: 8 miUT8 miCO: 10 miCO10 miNE: 11 miNE11 miMO: 9 miMO9 miKY: 10 miKY10 miWV: 15 miWV15 miVA: 8 miVA8 miMD: 7 miMD7 miDE: 2 miDE2 miAZ: 11 miAZ11 miNM: 16 miNM16 miKS: 13 miKS13 miAR: 11 miAR11 miTN: 5 miTN5 miNC: 6 miNC6 miSC: 8 miSC8 miDC: 12 miDC12 miOK: 8 miOK8 miLA: 11 miLA11 miMS: 19 miMS19 miAL: 9 miAL9 miGA: 6 miGA6 miHI: 56 miHI56 miTX: 5 miTX5 miFL: 5 miFL5 mi2 mi124 miSource: RV Repair Centers analysis of 7,700 US RV repair listings, Census 2023Gazetteer county centers and Vintage 2023 population estimates, Oct 2026.rvrepaircenters.com

How we did this

  • We used the 3,144 counties and county equivalents in the 50 states and DC from the US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer county file, and measured from each county's internal point (its official center point). In Alaska, county equivalents are boroughs and census areas, many of them very large.
  • For each county we found the straight-line (great-circle) distance to the nearest of the 7,700 RV repair shops and mobile techs listed in our directory in October 2026. Road distances are longer, often much longer in mountain and desert country.
  • Population shares and state averages use the Census Bureau's Vintage 2023 county population estimates (334.9 million people in total). A state's figure is the average county distance weighted by population.
  • A county is counted as "over 50 miles" from its center point. In large counties, many residents live closer to a shop than the center does (see the note on Nye and Washoe counties), so these figures overstate the gap for some people and understate it for others in remote corners. Our directory may also miss some shops, especially small or new ones.

Sources

  1. US Census Bureau, 2023 Gazetteer Files: Counties, accessed October 24, 2026
  2. US Census Bureau, County Population Totals: 2020-2023 (Vintage 2023), accessed October 24, 2026
  3. RV repair shops and mobile techs listed on RV Repair Centers, October 2026
  4. RV Repair Centers analysis, October 2026

Cite this: RV Repair Centers, "RV repair deserts: 99% of Americans live within 50 miles of a shop, but 230 counties don't," October 25, 2026, https://rvrepaircenters.com/rv-service-deserts/

Spotted an error or have newer data? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.

Questions people ask

Where are the RV repair deserts in the US?

Outside Alaska and Hawaii, the counties farthest from an RV repair shop are on the northern Plains and in the Great Basin. Harney County, Oregon, is the most remote at 131.1 miles, and Montana has 7 of the 15 most remote lower-48 counties. Kansas and South Dakota have the most counties over 50 miles from a shop.

How far is the average American from an RV repair shop?

Weighted by population, the average county center is 8.4 miles from the nearest RV repair shop or mobile tech in our directory. 99.1% of Americans live in a county whose center is within 50 miles of one.

Which state is farthest from RV repair?

Alaska, at a population-weighted 124.2 miles, then Hawaii at 55.9. In the lower 48, North Dakota (23.6 miles), Montana (22.5), Wyoming (21.6) and South Dakota (21.2) are farthest. Delaware is closest at 2.2 miles.

What should I do before driving an RV through a remote area?

Check how far your roadside plan will tow, save numbers for mobile techs along the route, carry a spare tire, fuses and belts, and get the tires, brakes and bearings checked before you go. In 39 counties, the nearest shop is more than 100 miles from the county center.

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