Cessna 172 Market Report
Single-Engine Piston · generated 2026-10-20 · fyiAero market data, FAA registry, NTSB, aircraft.com sold records.
Market summary
3,197in operation (FAA)
6for sale · 0.2% of fleet
$150kaverage asking
$140kmedian asking
41avg days on market
71registry transfers, 6 mo
10.5 yravg length of ownership
| Low | Avg | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asking price | $80k | $150k | $244k |
| Model year | 1958 | 1965 | 1975 |
| Airframe time | 2,608 | 3,529 | 4,450 |
| Days on market | — | 41 | 72 |
For sale & average asking by month reconstructed from listing history
| Month | For sale | Avg asking | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08 | 9 | $148k | |
| 2026-09 | 8 | $168k | |
| 2026-10 | 9 | $245k |
Features of aircraft for sale
| ADS-B | 17% (1) | |
| Autopilot | 17% (1) | |
| GPS navigator | 0% (0) | |
| FIKI | 0% (0) | |
| GTN 750 / 750Xi | 0% (0) | |
| Glass flight deck | 0% (0) |
Fleet & safety
889NTSB events, 10 yr
91fatal
43.4per 1,000 airframes
Where the fleet is based top states, FAA registry
| TX | 312 | |
| CA | 229 | |
| FL | 176 | |
| WA | 164 | |
| AK | 115 | |
| GA | 103 | |
| OH | 96 | |
| MI | 94 | |
| MN | 91 | |
| WI | 90 |
1,805 of 3,197 are individually registered.
Registry transfers by month new registration certificates, 12 mo
| 2025-10 | 10 | |
| 2025-11 | 23 | |
| 2025-12 | 19 | |
| 2026-01 | 17 | |
| 2026-02 | 12 | |
| 2026-03 | 18 | |
| 2026-04 | 20 | |
| 2026-05 | 13 | |
| 2026-06 | 22 | |
| 2026-07 | 24 | |
| 2026-08 | 7 |
Aircraft for sale 6 units · asking vs fyiEstimate
| Year | Reg | Serial | Asking | fyiEstimate | vs est | TTAF | Engine | Seller | DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | N3953F | 36853 | $140,000 | — | — | — | 51 | 72 | |
| 1962 | N1523Y | 17249223 | $80,500 | $129,750 | -38% | 2,608 | 10 | Ray Cunningham | 2 |
| 1963 | — | 17250434 | $105,000 | $123,500 | -15% | — | — | Graham Aviation Consulting & | 69 |
| 1966 | — | 17255736 | Inquire | $146,250 | — | — | — | 33 | |
| 1969 | N191SH | 172572232 | $179,900 | $151,000 | +19% | 4,450 | 650 | Geaux Giddum Aviation | 2 |
| 1975 | — | 172-64490 | $244,499 | — | — | — | — | Aeromeccanica SA | 69 |
Market by model year fleet · for sale · asking
| Year | Fleet | For sale | % | Low | Avg | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1951 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1952 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1953 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1955 | 60 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1956 | 565 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1957 | 338 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1958 | 314 | 1 | 0.3% | $140k | $140k | $140k |
| 1959 | 167 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1960 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1961 | 160 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1962 | 141 | 1 | 0.7% | $80k | $80k | $80k |
| 1963 | — | 1 | — | $105k | $105k | $105k |
| 1965 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1966 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 1968 | 308 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1969 | 475 | 1 | 0.2% | $180k | $180k | $180k |
| 1970 | 117 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 1975 | — | 1 | — | $244k | $244k | $244k |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | — | — | — |
fyiEstimate values by model year and airframe time
| Model year | Units | Avg fyiEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 1 | $129,750 |
| 1963 | 1 | $123,500 |
| 1966 | 1 | $146,250 |
| 1969 | 1 | $151,000 |
| Airframe hours | Units | Avg asking | Avg fyiEstimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000–3,999 | 1 | $80,500 | $129,750 |
| 4,000–5,999 | 1 | $179,900 | $151,000 |
Recent market activity last 60 days
| Date | Event | Aircraft | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-18 | Off market | 1958 N3953F | $140k |
| 2026-10-18 | Newly listed | 1962 N1523Y | $80k |
| 2026-10-18 | Newly listed | 1969 N191SH | $180k |
| 2026-10-01 | Newly listed | 2008 | $415k |
| 2026-10-01 | Newly listed | 2022 | $550k |
| 2026-09-27 | Newly listed | 1960 N7469T | $96k |
| 2026-09-27 | Off market | 1960 N7469T | $96k |
| 2026-09-17 | Newly listed | 2024 | Inquire |
| 2026-09-17 | Newly listed | 1966 | Inquire |
| 2026-09-13 | Off market | 1973 N12192 | $120k |
| 2026-09-06 | Off market | 1968 | $300k |
| 2026-09-03 | Price change | 1963 | $100k → $105k |
Operating costs full cost analysis →
$21,238annual budget · 148 hrs
$88variable cost / hour
$0.81cost per nm
8.0gph fuel burn
fyiEstimate values are market estimates from comparable asking prices (which skew high versus sold prices), not certified appraisals. Fleet and ownership figures from the FAA Releasable Registry; "registry transfers" count new registration certificates issued. Sold records from aircraft.com reflect the last asking price, not the transaction price. Monthly history is reconstructed from when listings first and last appeared.
