Data / Rankings / Registered automobiles / US states

US states by registered automobiles

California had the highest registered automobiles of 51 states in 2015, at 14.46 million. Alaska had the lowest, at 193,348. The median was 1.44 million and the figure for the United States was 112.86 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest14,463,569California
Lowest193,348Alaska
Median1,438,56851 states
United States112,864,228History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 2,278,262 countAlaska: 193,348 countArizona: 2,332,734 countArkansas: 947,789 countCalifornia: 14,463,569 countColorado: 1,822,170 countConnecticut: 1,385,867 countDelaware: 438,031 countDistrict of Columbia: 200,566 countFlorida: 7,735,060 countGeorgia: 3,523,619 countHawaii: 522,807 countIdaho: 626,440 countIllinois: 4,775,414 countIndiana: 2,335,800 countIowa: 1,326,200 countKansas: 992,017 countKentucky: 1,713,959 countLouisiana: 1,438,568 countMaine: 419,560 countMaryland: 1,993,936 countMassachusetts: 2,374,223 countMichigan: 3,376,682 countMinnesota: 2,079,843 countMississippi: 847,173 countMissouri: 2,273,098 countMontana: 435,930 countNebraska: 732,856 countNevada: 1,017,534 countNew Hampshire: 535,188 countNew Jersey: 2,918,603 countNew Mexico: 667,947 countNew York: 4,868,521 countNorth Carolina: 3,439,151 countNorth Dakota: 247,404 countOhio: 4,738,800 countOklahoma: 1,156,606 countOregon: 1,432,905 countPennsylvania: 4,680,498 countRhode Island: 447,356 countSouth Carolina: 1,784,004 countSouth Dakota: 328,797 countTennessee: 2,318,324 countTexas: 8,451,039 countUtah: 919,013 countVermont: 252,859 countVirginia: 3,270,479 countWashington: 2,841,248 countWest Virginia: 566,215 countWisconsin: 2,189,332 countWyoming: 206,884 count
  • Under 400K
  • 400K to 900K
  • 900K to 1.4M
  • 1.4M to 2.3M
  • 2.3M to 3.4M
  • 3.4M and over
count, 2015. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

California: 14,463,569 countCalifornia14,463,569Texas: 8,451,039 countTexas8,451,039Florida: 7,735,060 countFlorida7,735,060New York: 4,868,521 countNew York4,868,521Illinois: 4,775,414 countIllinois4,775,414Ohio: 4,738,800 countOhio4,738,800Pennsylvania: 4,680,498 countPennsylvania4,680,498Georgia: 3,523,619 countGeorgia3,523,619North Carolina: 3,439,151 countNorth Carolina3,439,151Michigan: 3,376,682 countMichigan3,376,682Virginia: 3,270,479 countVirginia3,270,479New Jersey: 2,918,603 countNew Jersey2,918,603Washington: 2,841,248 countWashington2,841,248Massachusetts: 2,374,223 countMassachusetts2,374,223Indiana: 2,335,800 countIndiana2,335,800Arizona: 2,332,734 countArizona2,332,734Tennessee: 2,318,324 countTennessee2,318,324Alabama: 2,278,262 countAlabama2,278,262Missouri: 2,273,098 countMissouri2,273,098Wisconsin: 2,189,332 countWisconsin2,189,332Minnesota: 2,079,843 countMinnesota2,079,843Maryland: 1,993,936 countMaryland1,993,936Colorado: 1,822,170 countColorado1,822,170South Carolina: 1,784,004 countSouth Carolina1,784,004Kentucky: 1,713,959 countKentucky1,713,959Louisiana: 1,438,568 countLouisiana1,438,568Oregon: 1,432,905 countOregon1,432,905Connecticut: 1,385,867 countConnecticut1,385,867Iowa: 1,326,200 countIowa1,326,200Oklahoma: 1,156,606 countOklahoma1,156,606Nevada: 1,017,534 countNevada1,017,534Kansas: 992,017 countKansas992,017Arkansas: 947,789 countArkansas947,789Utah: 919,013 countUtah919,013Mississippi: 847,173 countMississippi847,173Nebraska: 732,856 countNebraska732,856New Mexico: 667,947 countNew Mexico667,947Idaho: 626,440 countIdaho626,440West Virginia: 566,215 countWest Virginia566,215New Hampshire: 535,188 countNew Hampshire535,188Hawaii: 522,807 countHawaii522,807Rhode Island: 447,356 countRhode Island447,356Delaware: 438,031 countDelaware438,031Montana: 435,930 countMontana435,930Maine: 419,560 countMaine419,560South Dakota: 328,797 countSouth Dakota328,797Vermont: 252,859 countVermont252,859North Dakota: 247,404 countNorth Dakota247,404Wyoming: 206,884 countWyoming206,884District of Columbia: 200,566 countDistrict of Columbia200,566Alaska: 193,348 countAlaska193,348California: 14,463,569 countCalifornia14,463,569Texas: 8,451,039 countTexas8,451,039Florida: 7,735,060 countFlorida7,735,060New York: 4,868,521 countNew York4,868,521Illinois: 4,775,414 countIllinois4,775,414Ohio: 4,738,800 countOhio4,738,800Pennsylvania: 4,680,498 countPennsylvania4,680,498Georgia: 3,523,619 countGeorgia3,523,619North Carolina: 3,439,151 countNorth Carolina3,439,151Michigan: 3,376,682 countMichigan3,376,682Virginia: 3,270,479 countVirginia3,270,479New Jersey: 2,918,603 countNew Jersey2,918,603Washington: 2,841,248 countWashington2,841,248Massachusetts: 2,374,223 countMassachusetts2,374,223Indiana: 2,335,800 countIndiana2,335,800Arizona: 2,332,734 countArizona2,332,734Tennessee: 2,318,324 countTennessee2,318,324Alabama: 2,278,262 countAlabama2,278,262Missouri: 2,273,098 countMissouri2,273,098Wisconsin: 2,189,332 countWisconsin2,189,332Minnesota: 2,079,843 countMinnesota2,079,843Maryland: 1,993,936 countMaryland1,993,936Colorado: 1,822,170 countColorado1,822,170South Carolina: 1,784,004 countSouth Carolina1,784,004Kentucky: 1,713,959 countKentucky1,713,959Louisiana: 1,438,568 countLouisiana1,438,568Oregon: 1,432,905 countOregon1,432,905Connecticut: 1,385,867 countConnecticut1,385,867Iowa: 1,326,200 countIowa1,326,200Oklahoma: 1,156,606 countOklahoma1,156,606Nevada: 1,017,534 countNevada1,017,534Kansas: 992,017 countKansas992,017Arkansas: 947,789 countArkansas947,789Utah: 919,013 countUtah919,013Mississippi: 847,173 countMississippi847,173Nebraska: 732,856 countNebraska732,856New Mexico: 667,947 countNew Mexico667,947Idaho: 626,440 countIdaho626,440West Virginia: 566,215 countWest Virginia566,215New Hampshire: 535,188 countNew Hampshire535,188Hawaii: 522,807 countHawaii522,807Rhode Island: 447,356 countRhode Island447,356Delaware: 438,031 countDelaware438,031Montana: 435,930 countMontana435,930Maine: 419,560 countMaine419,560South Dakota: 328,797 countSouth Dakota328,797Vermont: 252,859 countVermont252,859North Dakota: 247,404 countNorth Dakota247,404Wyoming: 206,884 countWyoming206,884District of Columbia: 200,566 countDistrict of Columbia200,566Alaska: 193,348 countAlaska193,348
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
count		Change on 2014
1California14,463,569+2.8%
2Texas8,451,039+3.8%
3Florida7,735,060+2.5%
4New York4,868,521-5.6%
5Illinois4,775,414-0.4%
6Ohio4,738,800-1.4%
7Pennsylvania4,680,498-0.6%
8Georgia3,523,619-1.2%
9North Carolina3,439,151-1%
10Michigan3,376,682-2%
11Virginia3,270,479-1.2%
12New Jersey2,918,603-16%
13Washington2,841,248+3.4%
14Massachusetts Estimated2,374,223-2.6%
15Indiana Estimated2,335,800-2.5%
16Arizona2,332,734+0.5%
17Tennessee2,318,324+2%
18Alabama2,278,262-9.7%
19Missouri2,273,098+1.9%
20Wisconsin2,189,332-0.2%
21Minnesota2,079,843-3.8%
22Maryland1,993,936+0.2%
23Colorado1,822,170+0.9%
24South Carolina1,784,004+1.7%
25Kentucky1,713,959-2.1%
26Louisiana1,438,568-1.4%
27Oregon1,432,905+2.1%
28Connecticut1,385,867-3.1%
29Iowa1,326,200-1.7%
30Oklahoma1,156,606-16.9%
31Nevada1,017,534+2.8%
32Kansas992,017+1.4%
33Arkansas947,789-4.2%
34Utah919,013+2.6%
35Mississippi847,173-1.2%
36Nebraska732,856-2.5%
37New Mexico667,947-7.8%
38Idaho626,440+2.9%
39West Virginia566,215-1.8%
40New Hampshire535,188-4.3%
41Hawaii522,807-11.7%
42Rhode Island447,356-1.8%
43Delaware438,031-0.8%
44Montana435,930-0.1%
45Maine419,560-11.1%
46South Dakota328,797+1.4%
47Vermont252,859+3.6%
48North Dakota247,404-1.4%
49Wyoming206,884-4.5%
50District of Columbia200,566-7.2%
51Alaska Estimated193,348-1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Automobiles registered during the year, taxicabs included.

More on how it is measured
  • FHWA Highway Statistics table MV-1 counts the vehicles registered in each state during the year, from the records of the state motor vehicle agencies: private, commercial and publicly owned vehicles, but not those of the armed forces.
  • A vehicle is counted in the state that registered it.

From the 2012 table FHWA allocates light-duty vehicles between automobiles and trucks with its own method, and automobiles fall from 125.7 million in 2011 to 111.3 million in 2012 while trucks rise from 118.5 million to 133.1 million, so the split is not comparable across those years. The all motor vehicles total is. Many sport utility vehicles, pickups and vans count as trucks, not automobiles. States keep their registers differently: some report registration transactions during the year or vehicles on multi-year registrations instead of active registrations, and a change in what a state reports can move its count sharply from one year to the next (Delaware in 2021, New York in 2024). Values for states FHWA estimated, or for which it repeated the previous year, are marked estimated. FHWA publishes some counts with fractions; they are rounded to whole vehicles.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Highway Statistics, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. (2026). Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states (US states by registered automobiles, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm

MLA 9

Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states, US states by registered automobiles, 2015. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 23 Feb. 2026, https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. 2026. Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. US states by registered automobiles, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (2026) Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states, US states by registered automobiles, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{federal_us_states_by_registered_2015,
  author = {{Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation}},
  title = {{Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states: US states by registered automobiles, 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Highway Statistics, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
TI  - Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states: US states by registered automobiles, 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/23
PB  - Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Highway Statistics, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest registered automobiles?

California, with 14.46 million in 2015, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered automobiles?

Alaska, with 193,348 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings