Data / Rankings / Registered automobiles / US states

US states by registered automobiles

California had the highest registered automobiles of 51 states in 2018, at 15.07 million. Alaska had the lowest, at 183,270. The median was 1.49 million and the figure for the United States was 111.24 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest15,065,827California
Lowest183,270Alaska
Median1,488,62351 states
United States111,242,132History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 2,161,212 countAlaska: 183,270 countArizona: 2,391,772 countArkansas: 921,161 countCalifornia: 15,065,827 countColorado: 1,798,177 countConnecticut: 1,306,709 countDelaware: 433,363 countDistrict of Columbia: 209,723 countFlorida: 7,966,091 countGeorgia: 3,557,469 countHawaii: 509,492 countIdaho: 598,774 countIllinois: 4,477,763 countIndiana: 2,248,870 countIowa: 1,242,219 countKansas: 975,171 countKentucky: 1,721,942 countLouisiana: 1,389,249 countMaine: 390,506 countMaryland: 1,922,463 countMassachusetts: 2,182,530 countMichigan: 3,023,940 countMinnesota: 1,976,525 countMississippi: 825,338 countMissouri: 2,102,216 countMontana: 452,845 countNebraska: 683,020 countNevada: 1,073,760 countNew Hampshire: 506,959 countNew Jersey: 2,754,253 countNew Mexico: 655,766 countNew York: 4,712,779 countNorth Carolina: 3,393,781 countNorth Dakota: 240,048 countOhio: 4,603,594 countOklahoma: 1,296,219 countOregon: 1,488,623 countPennsylvania: 4,424,183 countRhode Island: 412,255 countSouth Carolina: 1,830,186 countSouth Dakota: 358,859 countTennessee: 2,285,329 countTexas: 8,248,322 countUtah: 937,421 countVermont: 218,302 countVirginia: 3,267,735 countWashington: 2,964,939 countWest Virginia: 560,118 countWisconsin: 2,087,518 countWyoming: 203,546 count
  • Under 400K
  • 400K to 900K
  • 900K to 1.5M
  • 1.5M to 2.2M
  • 2.2M to 3.4M
  • 3.4M and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

California: 15,065,827 countCalifornia15,065,827Texas: 8,248,322 countTexas8,248,322Florida: 7,966,091 countFlorida7,966,091New York: 4,712,779 countNew York4,712,779Ohio: 4,603,594 countOhio4,603,594Illinois: 4,477,763 countIllinois4,477,763Pennsylvania: 4,424,183 countPennsylvania4,424,183Georgia: 3,557,469 countGeorgia3,557,469North Carolina: 3,393,781 countNorth Carolina3,393,781Virginia: 3,267,735 countVirginia3,267,735Michigan: 3,023,940 countMichigan3,023,940Washington: 2,964,939 countWashington2,964,939New Jersey: 2,754,253 countNew Jersey2,754,253Arizona: 2,391,772 countArizona2,391,772Tennessee: 2,285,329 countTennessee2,285,329Indiana: 2,248,870 countIndiana2,248,870Massachusetts: 2,182,530 countMassachusetts2,182,530Alabama: 2,161,212 countAlabama2,161,212Missouri: 2,102,216 countMissouri2,102,216Wisconsin: 2,087,518 countWisconsin2,087,518Minnesota: 1,976,525 countMinnesota1,976,525Maryland: 1,922,463 countMaryland1,922,463South Carolina: 1,830,186 countSouth Carolina1,830,186Colorado: 1,798,177 countColorado1,798,177Kentucky: 1,721,942 countKentucky1,721,942Oregon: 1,488,623 countOregon1,488,623Louisiana: 1,389,249 countLouisiana1,389,249Connecticut: 1,306,709 countConnecticut1,306,709Oklahoma: 1,296,219 countOklahoma1,296,219Iowa: 1,242,219 countIowa1,242,219Nevada: 1,073,760 countNevada1,073,760Kansas: 975,171 countKansas975,171Utah: 937,421 countUtah937,421Arkansas: 921,161 countArkansas921,161Mississippi: 825,338 countMississippi825,338Nebraska: 683,020 countNebraska683,020New Mexico: 655,766 countNew Mexico655,766Idaho: 598,774 countIdaho598,774West Virginia: 560,118 countWest Virginia560,118Hawaii: 509,492 countHawaii509,492New Hampshire: 506,959 countNew Hampshire506,959Montana: 452,845 countMontana452,845Delaware: 433,363 countDelaware433,363Rhode Island: 412,255 countRhode Island412,255Maine: 390,506 countMaine390,506South Dakota: 358,859 countSouth Dakota358,859North Dakota: 240,048 countNorth Dakota240,048Vermont: 218,302 countVermont218,302District of Columbia: 209,723 countDistrict of Columbia209,723Wyoming: 203,546 countWyoming203,546Alaska: 183,270 countAlaska183,270California: 15,065,827 countCalifornia15,065,827Texas: 8,248,322 countTexas8,248,322Florida: 7,966,091 countFlorida7,966,091New York: 4,712,779 countNew York4,712,779Ohio: 4,603,594 countOhio4,603,594Illinois: 4,477,763 countIllinois4,477,763Pennsylvania: 4,424,183 countPennsylvania4,424,183Georgia: 3,557,469 countGeorgia3,557,469North Carolina: 3,393,781 countNorth Carolina3,393,781Virginia: 3,267,735 countVirginia3,267,735Michigan: 3,023,940 countMichigan3,023,940Washington: 2,964,939 countWashington2,964,939New Jersey: 2,754,253 countNew Jersey2,754,253Arizona: 2,391,772 countArizona2,391,772Tennessee: 2,285,329 countTennessee2,285,329Indiana: 2,248,870 countIndiana2,248,870Massachusetts: 2,182,530 countMassachusetts2,182,530Alabama: 2,161,212 countAlabama2,161,212Missouri: 2,102,216 countMissouri2,102,216Wisconsin: 2,087,518 countWisconsin2,087,518Minnesota: 1,976,525 countMinnesota1,976,525Maryland: 1,922,463 countMaryland1,922,463South Carolina: 1,830,186 countSouth Carolina1,830,186Colorado: 1,798,177 countColorado1,798,177Kentucky: 1,721,942 countKentucky1,721,942Oregon: 1,488,623 countOregon1,488,623Louisiana: 1,389,249 countLouisiana1,389,249Connecticut: 1,306,709 countConnecticut1,306,709Oklahoma: 1,296,219 countOklahoma1,296,219Iowa: 1,242,219 countIowa1,242,219Nevada: 1,073,760 countNevada1,073,760Kansas: 975,171 countKansas975,171Utah: 937,421 countUtah937,421Arkansas: 921,161 countArkansas921,161Mississippi: 825,338 countMississippi825,338Nebraska: 683,020 countNebraska683,020New Mexico: 655,766 countNew Mexico655,766Idaho: 598,774 countIdaho598,774West Virginia: 560,118 countWest Virginia560,118Hawaii: 509,492 countHawaii509,492New Hampshire: 506,959 countNew Hampshire506,959Montana: 452,845 countMontana452,845Delaware: 433,363 countDelaware433,363Rhode Island: 412,255 countRhode Island412,255Maine: 390,506 countMaine390,506South Dakota: 358,859 countSouth Dakota358,859North Dakota: 240,048 countNorth Dakota240,048Vermont: 218,302 countVermont218,302District of Columbia: 209,723 countDistrict of Columbia209,723Wyoming: 203,546 countWyoming203,546Alaska: 183,270 countAlaska183,270
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2018
count		Change on 2017
1California15,065,827+1.4%
2Texas8,248,322+0.9%
3Florida7,966,091+2.4%
4New York4,712,779+3.3%
5Ohio4,603,594-0%
6Illinois4,477,763-3.8%
7Pennsylvania4,424,183-0.9%
8Georgia3,557,469+0.6%
9North Carolina3,393,781+2.3%
10Virginia3,267,735+0.5%
11Michigan3,023,940-7.2%
12Washington2,964,939+1.3%
13New Jersey2,754,253-1.6%
14Arizona2,391,7720%
15Tennessee2,285,329-1.7%
16Indiana2,248,870-0.6%
17Massachusetts Estimated2,182,530-1.2%
18Alabama2,161,212+4.6%
19Missouri2,102,216-1.8%
20Wisconsin2,087,518-0.2%
21Minnesota1,976,525-7.9%
22Maryland1,922,463-4.2%
23South Carolina1,830,186+1.2%
24Colorado1,798,177+0.7%
25Kentucky1,721,942+1.8%
26Oregon1,488,623-3.5%
27Louisiana1,389,249-0%
28Connecticut1,306,709+0.3%
29Oklahoma Estimated1,296,219-3.1%
30Iowa1,242,219-2.1%
31Nevada1,073,760+2.5%
32Kansas975,171-1.2%
33Utah937,421+1.3%
34Arkansas921,161-0.6%
35Mississippi825,338+0.3%
36Nebraska Estimated683,020+0.9%
37New Mexico655,766+7.6%
38Idaho598,774+8.9%
39West Virginia Estimated560,118-0.5%
40Hawaii509,492-0.6%
41New Hampshire506,959+0.3%
42Montana452,845+2.6%
43Delaware433,363+3.4%
44Rhode Island412,255-1.9%
45Maine390,506+0.8%
46South Dakota358,859+1.6%
47North Dakota240,048-13.2%
48Vermont218,302-1.6%
49District of Columbia209,723+0.8%
50Wyoming203,546+5.2%
51Alaska183,270+5.6%

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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{federal_us_states_by_registered_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2018.
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 15.07 million in 2018, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered automobiles?

Alaska, with 183,270 in 2018.

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