How Many Cessna 172s are Under US N-Registry?

Every now and then we like to look at the FAA Aircraft N-Registry to pull out a list of the "active" aircraft (with a valid aircraft registration). One thing we get asked about every now and then is how many Cessna 172s are out there (and hold an active registration). To estimate the # of US-Registered Cessna 172s out there, we combed through the 300,000 registrations that were valid and made a little chart of the Top 30.

Currently, there are about 20,000 N-number registered 172s out there - not all of these will be in the US, but this is a close approximation. Here are the rest:

Note: Make/model codes were sifted through to reflect make/models or families including related variants under the model category / family type. See notes at end.

The Top 50 models account for about 50% of the registrations - this is understandable given economies of scale in aircraft manufacturing and also first mover advantages in gaining market share to promote brand, features, and increase reach across newly minted pilots.

Soon the Cirrus SR-22, which has grown by over 3,000 registered aircraft over the last 4 years, will displace the Beechcraft Bonanza and enter the top 5.

These are data points to be excited about, as we continue to see positive trends within the General Aviation market - older aircraft models continue to be upgraded, maintained, and flown, while new models continue to see a pickup in demand.

If there's a type of aircraft you'd like to know more about, ask us and we may be able to find out for you.

Notes to chart:

_{1. Cessna 150 and 172 include Reims (European Manufacturer)
2. Piper J-3 Cub includes variants L-4, NE-1, NE-2, XLNP-1, and TG-8
3. Piper Super Cub includes variants L-18 and L-21
4. Piper Pacer (PA-22) includes the PA-20 variant
5. Piper PA-24 Comanche includes the PA-33 Twin Comanche
6. Beechcraft Debonair-Bonanza (33 series) separated out from 35/36 series
7. King Air family includes 90, 100, 200, 300, and 350 series. Excludes Queen Airs
8. Piper M-class includes the M350, M500, M600, and M700 series
9. Bell 206 Jet Ranger includes the OH-4 variant}

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