RVING IS A UNIQUELY AMERICAN PHENOMENON, with more than 80% of RVs produced in the United States, particularly in Elkhart County, Indiana. Understanding who builds your RV—and where they build it—is more important than ever, giving you the best possible advantage when choosing an RV and deciding when and where to buy.
Knowing the details behind RV manufacturing is always useful, but it’s especially relevant in an evolving economic climate.
We’ll explore what it really means for RVs to be built in America—and what you should watch for in today’s changing market. We provide transparency into the processes behind some of the major manufacturers in the industry, many of which Camping World shares close ties with. So, let’s peel back the curtain and give you inside access to common RV design and manufacturing processes.
Why Are RVs Manufactured in the US?
The US remains the largest manufacturer and consumer of RVs in the world. But to understand why the US is the epicenter of RV production, we have to understand why the bulk of RVing happens in the US. Ultimately, for manufacturers, proximity matters, and they remain close to their market.
Trace RVing back to its first boom in popularity—in the late 50s and early 60s—and you’ll see it closely matches the advent of the US highway system post-World War II. Initially designed to move troops quickly across the country, the highway system transitioned easily to civilian use, facilitating the Golden Era of national and state park tourism. What better way to travel the country than in a motorhome or with an RV in tow?
Several factors have kept RVing and RV production domestic. But, put simply, RVs were originally made in America to see America, and the same holds true today.
RVs Built for Americans
The RV industry has grown around the preferences of the American RVer. Solving for the perfect sweetspot of size, comfort, tech innovation, safety, and affordability, to name a few, manufacturers produce new and improved models each year to better accommodate what buyers want. For instance, single-axle conventional travel trailers like the affordable Keystone Coleman 17B are among the most popular RVs ever sold.
At the end of the day, the consumer determines the direction. The RV industry is especially responsive to market feedback, both in sales numbers and direct critiques. This is reflected in the designs, sizes, and types of RVs built.
Features like full kitchens, queen or king-sized beds, bunks, televisions, and spacious showers represent a larger cultural preference for more comfort at the campsite. American travel trailers usually outsize their European counterparts, which are built for narrower roads and smaller campsites. We tend to prefer a more substantial home-on-wheels, and typical RV designs reflect that.
However, it’s not just customer proximity that keeps RV manufacturing in the US. Many other practical reasons further incentivize domestic manufacturing:
- Model customization and frequent model year updates
- Regulation compliance (RVIA, US Dept. of Transportation, state-level RV codes)
- Proximity to chassis manufacturers
- Warranty and service needs
- Avoiding the high cost of shipping bulky units
Manufacturers build most RVs in America, but not just anywhere in America. Approximately 80% come from a single region: Elkhart County, Indiana. So why has this corner of the Midwest become the heart of the RV industry? The region has become so synonymous with RV production that it’s easy to overlook the original geographic, historical, and economic context that landed us here.
Why Is Elkhart The RV Capital of the World?
Three major RV manufacturers—Thor, Winnebago, and Forest River—maintain a heavy footprint in Elkhart. Well over 30 of their brands like, Keystone, Grand Design, Jayco, and Thor Motor Coach, have headquarters, R&D departments, or manufacturing facilities in the region. As a result, many component manufacturers and supporting industries also base their operations in or near Elkhart, effectively creating a super-cluster of RV manufacturers, suppliers, specialized labor, aftermarket suppliers, transporters, and specialists. When you visit Elkhart County, the RV industry is visible at nearly every intersection.
History
But why Elkhart? For this, we go back to that postwar boom.
Elkhart County’s rise resulted from industrial geography, skilled labor, and strategic proximity to raw materials and transportation routes. After World War II, the Midwest’s manufacturing capacity surged, and Elkhart already had strong rail connections and access to Midwestern steel, lumber, and aluminum. Just 90 miles away, Gary, Indiana, was one of the largest steel-producing cities in the world at the time. It supplied raw materials for RV frames and chassis, as well as appliances, axles, and fasteners used in trailers and motorhomes.
Before World War II, Elkhart was known for musical instrument production (Conn, Selmer, Buescher) and building mobile structures following the Great Depression (trailers and mobile homes), so the region was already flush with experienced woodworkers and cabinet makers, metalworkers and welders, and access to tools and fabrication facilities.
Proximity
Elkhart sits near major auto manufacturing zones in Michigan and Ohio. When RVs began relying on truck and van chassis (from Ford, Chevy, etc.), building RVs near where the chassis rolled off the line was efficient. Its centralized location also makes distribution easier for RV companies.
From an industrial and supply chain perspective, Elkhart remains a more-or-less self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits from its location and history. But consider another important factor: manufacturers rely on a skilled workforce required to manufacture RVs, which are largely built by hand. Generationally skilled labor remains among the most unique and critical pieces to building RVs in America.
Skilled Generational Labor
Visit any RV manufacturing facility today, and you may be surprised by the number of processes that remain manually completed, with most assembly done by hand. RV manufacturing is largely unautomated for the following reasons:
- RVs are more like houses than automobiles and require hand-crafted processes like wood and aluminum framing, interior cabinet installation, and manual plumbing and electrical.
- Manufacturers produce RVs in smaller numbers that don’t justify the expense of automation.
- RVs maintain high model variety, and many models built on the same chassis size will differ widely in floor plan, options, and amenities.
- RVs undergo frequent new designs and updates that benefit from a skilled workforce that can quickly adapt to changes.
Elkhart is exceptionally equipped to handle these challenges with a strong, skilled workforce. One of the most unique factors contributing to Elkhart’s manufacturing dominance is the presence of a large Amish and Mennonite population. These communities have earned renown for their exceptional woodworking, cabinetry skills, and work ethic, and they often pass down generational trades through apprenticeships.
Competitive Construction
Most RV manufacturing plants feature carpentry departments where workers measure, cut and customize wood components for each RV type. In fact, manufacturers often build components like roofs, sidewalls, and floors in-house, and they boast construction processes and materials unique to their units. This creates healthy competition between brands vying to deliver the best possible build quality for consumers.
Cabinet and furniture assembly, manual plumbing and electrical, vacuum-bonded laminate walls, windshields prepped and installed by hand— all of these processes happen within the walls of each RV manufacturing plant. A bare chassis enters one side of the plant, and a new, fully-equipped modern RV rolls out the other side.
With most RVs built domestically and concentrated in one region, construction quality determines brand reputation. RVers review, compare, and hold brands accountable—especially in a market where many units are built using similar methods and materials.
Quality As Competition
Manufacturers largely follow the same format to build RVs. They use similar chassis, conventional builds, lamination processes, roof construction, and appliance/component suppliers. But the devil is in the details. Domestic manufacturers must meet high production goals, maintain quality construction, and produce a wide variety of models and floorplans—all while keeping RV costs low.. That’s a steep order, one not easily accomplished. Other considerations include long-term durability, the ease of aftermarket service and maintenance, and annually-shifting consumer preferences.
When manufacturers fall short, they hear about it. Some less-than-favorable feedback has included:
- Build Quality – Fit and finish problems, leaks, delamination, water system issues
- Design Issues – Lack of storage, low quality furniture, unintuitive and awkward layouts
- Aftermarket Service – Long service wait times, difficulty sourcing replacement parts, warranty issues
- Consistency & Quality Control – Avoiding “lemons”, differences between production models, fit and finish.
Customer feedback is one of the most important factors for American RV, both in the form of direct feedback and sales. Consumer pressure drives improvement across new model years while limiting cost. And that’s partly why RV manufacturers are set up to make quick changes.
What “Made in America” Really Means
Domestic RV manufacturing isn’t just a matter of geography—it’s about responsiveness. There’s a lot of back-and-forth between the market and manufacturers, sometimes in the same model year. American RV makers react quickly to changing demands, evolving travel habits, and recurring feedback from real-world use.
Whether tweaking a floor plan or implementing a new appliance, US-based manufacturers have the flexibility to make changes, and many do. This responsiveness is a defining feature of what “Built in America” really means in the RV world.
There are more residential designs, more living space, and features like Wi-Fi tailored to consumer preferences. We see regular updates to layouts, décor, and tech driven by buyer feedback and less hampered by overseas delays. Many American-made RVs offer customizable options from the factory, with choices in finishes, furniture, appliances, and even solar packages.
Of course, responsiveness doesn’t always mean upgrades. Decontenting—or removing or downgrading features to keep costs down—is a way manufacturers offset challenging economic seasons while still offering the core product experience. Manufacturers also shift components regularly based on availability and cost, especially during supply chain disruption. From interior hardware to air conditioners, those choices depend on many factors.
Built in America means manufacturers walk a yearly tightrope to provide the most exciting, dependable, and affordable RVs to meet consumer demand. And you don’t have to look far to see examples of this.
2025 RV Manufacturers
Look at Thor Motor Coach’s introduction of smaller, more affordable Class A and Class C RVs. Explore new models in the Freedom Elite and Freedom Traveler lines. With a Class A under 30 feet and a Class C just over 20 feet, Thor is offering more nimble, affordable RVs. These appeal to new RVers or those wanting to reduce their financial footprint.
Then there’s the Keystone Coleman brand. In the last two years, Keystone remade these popular travel trailers, upgrading them based on real-world feedback. They now include taller ceilings, lightweight models, and more residential features, among other improvements.
These are evidence of the RV industry’s speed and responsiveness to meet consumer interest and preferences.
So, if you’re considering a Thor Freedom Elite, a Keystone Coleman, an East to West Silver Lake, or almost any RV on the lot, you know these units are largely assembled in Indiana by teams with years—often generations—of industry experience.
Next, it’s also worth researching how much of the camper’s components (like furniture or electronics) are sourced domestically versus overseas and why.
Sourcing Components and Raw Materials
The RV industry’s resiliency is reflected in its robust supply chain. Behind every finished RV is a web of suppliers providing thousands of parts and components, from chassis to composite wall panels to drawer pulls. When manufacturers can source materials regionally—fiberglass molding or Amish-built cabinetry—they gain tighter control over quality and lead times.
Local suppliers can often deliver smaller batches more quickly and adjust to last-minute changes. This proximity reduces the need for extensive inventories and minimizes shipping and import costs, ultimately benefiting the end consumer.
Many RV components are still made in the US, particularly structural elements and custom-built furnishings: Chassis from Ford, Ram, and GM are North American-made. Wood cabinetry, metal frames, flooring, slide-outs, and wiring systems are often locally sourced or produced in-house.
However, components like air conditioners, refrigerators, electronics, and solar systems are frequently imported or built with foreign-made parts. The balance between domestic and imported parts depends on availability, pricing, and manufacturer preference. Building domestically and sourcing regionally where possible allows for more predictable pricing, fewer production delays, and faster responses to quality concerns.
What Today’s Buyers Should Know
The RV market is in flux—but that’s nothing new. For buyers, understanding how and where RVs are manufactured, what factors might affect production, and how domestic production shapes the options on the lot can help you make better purchasing decisions.
The good news? Likely every RV you see on the lot is made in the US—probably in Elkhart. That’s good because we have a fairly transparent look at their processes, materials, and components. By knowing the ins and outs of RV manufacturing and RV construction, things are a little easier at the dealership. You can make informed decisions based on your personal inspection, brand reputation, and feedback from other buyers.
A little research and physical inspection go a long way. There are near-limitless resources when it comes to weighing the pros and cons of a price point on a new camper.
RVs are made primarily in the US because the demand, infrastructure, skills, and culture intersect here. From Elkhart’s industrial flexibility to buyers’ evolving preferences, the RV industry is a testament to American manufacturing staying close to home and thriving because of it.
Tour an RV Manufacturing Facility
Want to learn more about individual manufacturers? Most manufacturers in the Elkhart area offer public plant tours. Contact those manufacturers you are interested in visiting to learn more. In addition, check out our plant tours to better understand the manufacturing process behind many of our most popular brands.
Curious to know more about RV construction or how specific manufacturers make their campers? Check out these additional resources:
- Aluminum vs Fiberglass RV Construction
- How the Keystone Cougar Sport Is Made
- RV Flooring Types
- RV Countertops Explained
What else do you want to learn about what it means for RVs to be built in America? Let us know in the comments below.
