come sail away
2 Houston-area counties sail to the top of Texas boat owners

Houston-area residents like a day on the water.
Ahoy, Houston! With access to bodies of water like Lake Conroe, Lake Houston, and the Gulf, it would make sense that Harris County sails into the No. 1 position for the most boat owners in any Texas county.
Data from Cushman & Wakefield Recreational Property Advisors shows 48,015 boat registrations in Harris County — leaving the state’s 253 other counties in its wake. Tarrant County, anchored by Fort Worth, motors into second place with 28,331 boat registrations. Paddling into third place is Montgomery County, with 27,694 boat registrations. Not only is The Woodlands located in Montgomery County, it is also home to the 21,000-acre Lake Conroe.
Cushman & Wakefield says 632,306 boats are registered in Texas. That works out to 19.85 boats per 1,000 residents — a rate far below boating-obsessed states like Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Michigan.
The Discover Boating website calls Texas a “perfect” location for boating, thanks to its more than 3,300 miles of coastline, over 7,000 lakes and reservoirs, and 15 major rivers.
“With a vast network of boat ramps, docks, and marinas, anyone can enjoy the sport of boating [in Texas] — no matter their experience,” Discover Boating adds. “It’s no wonder so many people own boats … there!”
According to Cushman & Wakefield, these are the top 13 Texas counties for boat ownership, each with at least 10,000 boat registrations. Only one of the 13 counties is outside a major metro area.
- Harris County (Houston) — 48,015
- Tarrant County (Fort Worth) — 28,331
- Montgomery County (The Woodlands) — 27,694
- Dallas County (Dallas) — 24,477
- Travis County (Austin) — 24,327
- Denton County (Denton) — 20,300
- Bexar County (San Antonio) — 18,898
- Collin County (McKinney) — 15,997
- Galveston County (Galveston) — 14,038
- Williamson County (Round Rock) — 12,270
- Brazoria County (Pearland) — 10,831
- Fort Bend County (Sugar Land) — 10,742
- Smith County (Tyler) — 10,182
