The U.S. drone register
Drones weighing more than 55 pounds, and any drone flown under an FAA waiver, must be registered like an airplane with the operator's name on file. That makes this the only public count of who is really buying and flying commercial drones in the United States.
The DJI question agricultural drone registrations per month
On December 22, 2025 the FCC added DJI and Autel to its Covered List, which blocks approval of new DJI models for sale in the U.S. Aircraft already approved can still be sold from stock and flown. The register shows what happened next: DJI's monthly registrations fell from a peak of 252 to 37 in October 2026, while Hylio (Richmond, Texas) registered 4.
October 2026 is a partial month, through October 15, 2026. Counted by the date the FAA issued the registration certificate.
All drone registrations per month, by use
By use
By use, as a table
| drones | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural drones | 11,365 | 59% |
| Delivery and cargo drones | 4,347 | 23% |
| Defense drones | 1,351 | 7% |
| Drone light shows | 980 | 5% |
| Other or not yet classified | 864 | 5% |
| Inspection and mapping drones | 234 | 1% |
| Consumer drones | 46 | 0.2% |
Who owns them
By owner type, as a table
| drones | share | |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | 7,401 | 39% |
| Corporation | 6,812 | 36% |
| Individual | 2,353 | 12% |
| Government | 1,132 | 6% |
| Partnership | 133 | 0.7% |
| Non-citizen corporation | 112 | 0.6% |
| Co-owned | 39 | 0.2% |
By state top 15
By maker top 25
By maker, as a table
Maker names are cleaned up by this site. The FAA spells DJI four ways and Pipistrel ten. Makers directory
Largest drone fleets
Companies, LLCs and government bodies with five or more registered drones, led by Zipline (3,011), Hylio INC (699) and Pixis Drones LLC (646). Individuals are not listed at this time.
The U.S. drone market, in numbers answers refresh every morning
How many drones are registered with the FAA?
The FAA aircraft register lists 19,187 drones with their own tail numbers as of October 15, 2026. These are the drones that must be registered like an airplane: anything over 55 pounds, and drones flown under an FAA waiver or exemption, which is where crop-spraying, delivery and defense drones live. The much larger number of small hobby and commercial drones registered through the FAA's DroneZone website is a separate system and is not in this public file. See the drone pages.
Who makes the most registered drones in the United States?
DJI of China (6,975), Zipline of United States (3,518), Hylio of United States (1,212), EAVision of China (1,158) and XAG of China (1,019), as of October 15, 2026. Makers based in the United States account for 8,937 registered drones and makers based in China for 9,285.
Is DJI losing the U.S. market?
On the register the answer so far is yes. DJI's monthly crop-spraying drone registrations fell from a peak of 252 in April 2025 to 37 in October 2026, and its share of those registrations went from 51% in 2025 to 42% so far in 2026. Hylio of Richmond, Texas registered 4 in October 2026 against DJI's 37. On December 22, 2025 the FCC added DJI to its Covered List, which blocks approval of new DJI models for the U.S. market; models approved earlier can still be sold from stock and flown. See the month-by-month chart.
What are most registered drones used for?
Crop spraying, by a wide margin: 11,365 of the 19,187 registered drones are agricultural. Then delivery and cargo (4,347, led by Zipline and Amazon Prime Air), defense and long-endurance (1,351), drone light shows (980) and inspection and mapping (234).
Which state has the most registered drones?
California, with 4,079, followed by Texas (1,694) and Iowa (1,115). Counted by the state of the registered owner, so a delivery company's whole fleet sits in its home state.
Who operates the largest drone fleets?
Zipline International INC (3,011, California), Hylio INC (699, Texas), Pixis Drones LLC (646, Virginia) and Amazon.Com Services LLC (639, Washington). Only companies, LLCs and government bodies are listed; individual owners are not named at this time. See the largest fleets.
How many registered drones are electric?
17,687 of the 19,187, or 92%. The rest are mostly small piston engines and turbojets on defense and long-endurance drones.
The long version, rewritten every morning: The state of the U.S. drone market.