Data / Rankings / Registered automobiles / US states

US states by registered automobiles

California had the highest registered automobiles of 51 states in 2019, at 14.89 million. Alaska had the lowest, at 178,516. The median was 1.42 million and the figure for the United States was 108.55 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest14,894,912California
Lowest178,516Alaska
Median1,424,79951 states
United States108,547,710History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 2,109,108 countAlaska: 178,516 countArizona: 2,405,959 countArkansas: 886,647 countCalifornia: 14,894,912 countColorado: 1,741,218 countConnecticut: 1,260,954 countDelaware: 423,462 countDistrict of Columbia: 203,771 countFlorida: 7,841,189 countGeorgia: 3,499,520 countHawaii: 498,992 countIdaho: 602,170 countIllinois: 4,322,850 countIndiana: 2,185,979 countIowa: 1,221,843 countKansas: 947,148 countKentucky: 1,669,167 countLouisiana: 1,349,720 countMaine: 373,868 countMaryland: 1,868,994 countMassachusetts: 2,088,674 countMichigan: 2,831,499 countMinnesota: 1,836,831 countMississippi: 806,061 countMissouri: 2,052,788 countMontana: 439,118 countNebraska: 661,864 countNevada: 1,060,188 countNew Hampshire: 489,224 countNew Jersey: 2,639,261 countNew Mexico: 641,838 countNew York: 4,444,391 countNorth Carolina: 3,434,565 countNorth Dakota: 228,881 countOhio: 4,423,248 countOklahoma: 1,255,134 countOregon: 1,424,799 countPennsylvania: 4,267,811 countRhode Island: 396,508 countSouth Carolina: 1,801,243 countSouth Dakota: 342,868 countTennessee: 2,185,229 countTexas: 8,313,623 countUtah: 921,645 countVermont: 206,621 countVirginia: 3,187,026 countWashington: 2,943,914 countWest Virginia: 536,646 countWisconsin: 2,004,002 countWyoming: 196,219 count
  • Under 400K
  • 400K to 900K
  • 900K to 1.4M
  • 1.4M to 2.1M
  • 2.1M to 3.4M
  • 3.4M and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

California: 14,894,912 countCalifornia14,894,912Texas: 8,313,623 countTexas8,313,623Florida: 7,841,189 countFlorida7,841,189New York: 4,444,391 countNew York4,444,391Ohio: 4,423,248 countOhio4,423,248Illinois: 4,322,850 countIllinois4,322,850Pennsylvania: 4,267,811 countPennsylvania4,267,811Georgia: 3,499,520 countGeorgia3,499,520North Carolina: 3,434,565 countNorth Carolina3,434,565Virginia: 3,187,026 countVirginia3,187,026Washington: 2,943,914 countWashington2,943,914Michigan: 2,831,499 countMichigan2,831,499New Jersey: 2,639,261 countNew Jersey2,639,261Arizona: 2,405,959 countArizona2,405,959Indiana: 2,185,979 countIndiana2,185,979Tennessee: 2,185,229 countTennessee2,185,229Alabama: 2,109,108 countAlabama2,109,108Massachusetts: 2,088,674 countMassachusetts2,088,674Missouri: 2,052,788 countMissouri2,052,788Wisconsin: 2,004,002 countWisconsin2,004,002Maryland: 1,868,994 countMaryland1,868,994Minnesota: 1,836,831 countMinnesota1,836,831South Carolina: 1,801,243 countSouth Carolina1,801,243Colorado: 1,741,218 countColorado1,741,218Kentucky: 1,669,167 countKentucky1,669,167Oregon: 1,424,799 countOregon1,424,799Louisiana: 1,349,720 countLouisiana1,349,720Connecticut: 1,260,954 countConnecticut1,260,954Oklahoma: 1,255,134 countOklahoma1,255,134Iowa: 1,221,843 countIowa1,221,843Nevada: 1,060,188 countNevada1,060,188Kansas: 947,148 countKansas947,148Utah: 921,645 countUtah921,645Arkansas: 886,647 countArkansas886,647Mississippi: 806,061 countMississippi806,061Nebraska: 661,864 countNebraska661,864New Mexico: 641,838 countNew Mexico641,838Idaho: 602,170 countIdaho602,170West Virginia: 536,646 countWest Virginia536,646Hawaii: 498,992 countHawaii498,992New Hampshire: 489,224 countNew Hampshire489,224Montana: 439,118 countMontana439,118Delaware: 423,462 countDelaware423,462Rhode Island: 396,508 countRhode Island396,508Maine: 373,868 countMaine373,868South Dakota: 342,868 countSouth Dakota342,868North Dakota: 228,881 countNorth Dakota228,881Vermont: 206,621 countVermont206,621District of Columbia: 203,771 countDistrict of Columbia203,771Wyoming: 196,219 countWyoming196,219Alaska: 178,516 countAlaska178,516California: 14,894,912 countCalifornia14,894,912Texas: 8,313,623 countTexas8,313,623Florida: 7,841,189 countFlorida7,841,189New York: 4,444,391 countNew York4,444,391Ohio: 4,423,248 countOhio4,423,248Illinois: 4,322,850 countIllinois4,322,850Pennsylvania: 4,267,811 countPennsylvania4,267,811Georgia: 3,499,520 countGeorgia3,499,520North Carolina: 3,434,565 countNorth Carolina3,434,565Virginia: 3,187,026 countVirginia3,187,026Washington: 2,943,914 countWashington2,943,914Michigan: 2,831,499 countMichigan2,831,499New Jersey: 2,639,261 countNew Jersey2,639,261Arizona: 2,405,959 countArizona2,405,959Indiana: 2,185,979 countIndiana2,185,979Tennessee: 2,185,229 countTennessee2,185,229Alabama: 2,109,108 countAlabama2,109,108Massachusetts: 2,088,674 countMassachusetts2,088,674Missouri: 2,052,788 countMissouri2,052,788Wisconsin: 2,004,002 countWisconsin2,004,002Maryland: 1,868,994 countMaryland1,868,994Minnesota: 1,836,831 countMinnesota1,836,831South Carolina: 1,801,243 countSouth Carolina1,801,243Colorado: 1,741,218 countColorado1,741,218Kentucky: 1,669,167 countKentucky1,669,167Oregon: 1,424,799 countOregon1,424,799Louisiana: 1,349,720 countLouisiana1,349,720Connecticut: 1,260,954 countConnecticut1,260,954Oklahoma: 1,255,134 countOklahoma1,255,134Iowa: 1,221,843 countIowa1,221,843Nevada: 1,060,188 countNevada1,060,188Kansas: 947,148 countKansas947,148Utah: 921,645 countUtah921,645Arkansas: 886,647 countArkansas886,647Mississippi: 806,061 countMississippi806,061Nebraska: 661,864 countNebraska661,864New Mexico: 641,838 countNew Mexico641,838Idaho: 602,170 countIdaho602,170West Virginia: 536,646 countWest Virginia536,646Hawaii: 498,992 countHawaii498,992New Hampshire: 489,224 countNew Hampshire489,224Montana: 439,118 countMontana439,118Delaware: 423,462 countDelaware423,462Rhode Island: 396,508 countRhode Island396,508Maine: 373,868 countMaine373,868South Dakota: 342,868 countSouth Dakota342,868North Dakota: 228,881 countNorth Dakota228,881Vermont: 206,621 countVermont206,621District of Columbia: 203,771 countDistrict of Columbia203,771Wyoming: 196,219 countWyoming196,219Alaska: 178,516 countAlaska178,516
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2019
count		Change on 2018
1California14,894,912-1.1%
2Texas8,313,623+0.8%
3Florida7,841,189-1.6%
4New York4,444,391-5.7%
5Ohio4,423,248-3.9%
6Illinois Estimated4,322,850-3.5%
7Pennsylvania4,267,811-3.5%
8Georgia3,499,520-1.6%
9North Carolina3,434,565+1.2%
10Virginia3,187,026-2.5%
11Washington Estimated2,943,914-0.7%
12Michigan Estimated2,831,499-6.4%
13New Jersey Estimated2,639,261-4.2%
14Arizona2,405,959+0.6%
15Indiana2,185,979-2.8%
16Tennessee2,185,229-4.4%
17Alabama2,109,108-2.4%
18Massachusetts Estimated2,088,674-4.3%
19Missouri Estimated2,052,788-2.4%
20Wisconsin Estimated2,004,002-4%
21Maryland1,868,994-2.8%
22Minnesota Estimated1,836,831-7.1%
23South Carolina1,801,243-1.6%
24Colorado1,741,218-3.2%
25Kentucky1,669,167-3.1%
26Oregon1,424,799-4.3%
27Louisiana1,349,720-2.8%
28Connecticut Estimated1,260,954-3.5%
29Oklahoma Estimated1,255,134-3.2%
30Iowa1,221,843-1.6%
31Nevada Estimated1,060,188-1.3%
32Kansas Estimated947,148-2.9%
33Utah921,645-1.7%
34Arkansas886,647-3.7%
35Mississippi806,061-2.3%
36Nebraska661,864-3.1%
37New Mexico641,838-2.1%
38Idaho602,170+0.6%
39West Virginia Estimated536,646-4.2%
40Hawaii498,992-2.1%
41New Hampshire489,224-3.5%
42Montana439,118-3%
43Delaware423,462-2.3%
44Rhode Island396,508-3.8%
45Maine Estimated373,868-4.3%
46South Dakota342,868-4.5%
47North Dakota228,881-4.7%
48Vermont Estimated206,621-5.4%
49District of Columbia203,771-2.8%
50Wyoming196,219-3.6%
51Alaska178,516-2.6%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2019 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{federal_us_states_by_registered_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2019.
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 14.89 million in 2019, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered automobiles?

Alaska, with 178,516 in 2019.

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