RV Park Feasibility Study in Missouri

Missouri over-indexes on RV parks

Missouri is one of the stronger states for RV park and campground lending. SBA approved 29 such loans there from FY2017 to FY2026, worth $27.8 million, and the state ranks 10 of 47. The location quotient of 1.91x is the headline: campgrounds take nearly twice the share of Missouri approvals that they hold nationally. Inside Missouri the class lands at 20 of 39 by asset class, so it is a notable specialty and not a mainstay. The median loan, $578,000, is 0.82x the national median for the class, so Missouri parks are financed at somewhat smaller tickets than elsewhere.

Size, mix and franchising

Half of loans fall between $350,000 and $1.0 million. The 7(a) program carried 25 and 504 carried 4, while franchise affiliation reaches 17.2% of loans, a sizeable share that probably reflects national campground brands. Activity was lumpy: none in FY2017, 6 loans in FY2021, and 5 each in FY2022, FY2023 and FY2025, the last of those with $9.5 million, the biggest dollar year. FY2026 shows 1 loan at $202,000. The sequence says little about trend and a lot about how a handful of larger parks can shape any one year.

Taney County and the rest

Taney County, home of Branson, accounts for 5 loans. Laclede and Saint Charles follow with 3 each, then Andrew and Stone with 2. The map shows tourism counties and commuter edges together, which is a reminder that the market has both destination and regional-stopover demand. No lender table appears for this cell. Both outcome percentages are suppressed for the thin cohorts, and a borrower should not hear in that gap any promise of good results.

What proves an RV park out

Occupancy is seasonal in most of the Missouri Ozarks, so a study should model monthly revenue, not a flat year, and show debt service coverage through the slow months. Site mix matters: full hookups, seasonal long-stay sites, cabins and storage each earn at different rates and cost different amounts to build. The report should test utility capacity, flood exposure along the river valleys, local zoning for campgrounds and the competition from public parks. The industry code covers RV parks and campgrounds together, so a glamping or cabin-led plan is read against the same bucket. An appraiser will capitalise stabilised income, which a young park may not yet have.