According to a new report by Bard College based on FAA registration data, there are almost a million registered drone users in the USA. Las Vegas, NV has the highest number of hobbyist registrations, followed by Katy, TX (Houston) at #2, McKinney, TX (Dallas) at #3, Redmond, WA (Seattle) at #4, and Cedar Park, TX (Austin) at #5. They track this by zip code and Texas has 8 zip codes in the top 20, followed by California with 5 zip codes in the top 20.

For non-hobbyist registrations, Mountain View, CA is #1, followed by West Menlo Park CA at #2 (both Mountain View and West Menlo Park are near Palo Alto, fwiw). Then Daytona Beach, FL at #3, Montgomery, AL at #4, and Raleigh, NC at #5.

As for brands of drones registered, DJI has the lion's share with 78% of non-hobbyists drones. There is no percentage for hobbyist drones because the FFA doesn't require you to list the manufacturer on a hobbyist registration. They also look at Part 107 licenses by state.

In case you want to read more, here is the link to the full, 9-page report:  http://dronecenter.bard.edu/files/2017/11/Drone-Registrations-Web-.pdf

Interesting read. Not surprised by the high numbers of drone hobbyist in CA, NV and FL. Thanks the info.

M.C. Pilot Posted at 2017-12-5 15:30
Interesting read. Not surprised by the high numbers of drone hobbyist in CA, NV and FL. Thanks the info.

Yup'er, One of the Daytona area guys, lots of time to fly all year but we cant go skiing, snowmobiling, mountain climbing, Pheasant hunting, Zip lining (unless is from Power pole to Power pole).

I’m surprised Oregon isn’t listed in the top.

The two cities in California are mid-way between San Francisco and San Jose and are among the priciest towns anywhere.  So, I suspect the high number of non-hobby registrations there are for realtors, using drones to do photos of these multi-million dollar homes. For example, in Menlo Park, my mother-in-law sold her 50 year old home there a couple of years ago.  She's a widow and hadn't done much to keep it up.  We told a realtor she was thinking of selling it.  In 3 days, he had 3 offers.