Data / Rankings / Registered automobiles / US states

US states by registered automobiles

California had the highest registered automobiles of 51 states in 2021, at 14.27 million. Alaska had the lowest, at 141,093. The median was 1.36 million and the figure for the United States was 102.72 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest14,268,528California
Lowest141,093Alaska
Median1,357,12651 states
United States102,724,349History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 2,065,319 countAlaska: 141,093 countArizona: 2,258,488 countArkansas: 958,639 countCalifornia: 14,268,528 countColorado: 1,496,310 countConnecticut: 1,119,278 countDelaware: 177,980 countDistrict of Columbia: 199,249 countFlorida: 7,853,979 countGeorgia: 3,497,207 countHawaii: 463,874 countIdaho: 569,964 countIllinois: 4,117,589 countIndiana: 1,836,779 countIowa: 1,129,061 countKansas: 856,989 countKentucky: 1,567,435 countLouisiana: 1,279,501 countMaine: 415,725 countMaryland: 2,076,393 countMassachusetts: 1,980,433 countMichigan: 2,894,828 countMinnesota: 1,729,997 countMississippi: 893,598 countMissouri: 1,916,497 countMontana: 463,651 countNebraska: 604,900 countNevada: 1,051,677 countNew Hampshire: 458,141 countNew Jersey: 2,535,248 countNew Mexico: 619,690 countNew York: 3,112,030 countNorth Carolina: 3,280,487 countNorth Dakota: 212,292 countOhio: 4,086,521 countOklahoma: 1,056,367 countOregon: 1,357,126 countPennsylvania: 3,917,586 countRhode Island: 338,351 countSouth Carolina: 1,919,529 countSouth Dakota: 317,697 countTennessee: 2,346,547 countTexas: 7,784,067 countUtah: 990,756 countVermont: 180,025 countVirginia: 2,978,391 countWashington: 2,977,074 countWest Virginia: 359,430 countWisconsin: 1,825,450 countWyoming: 186,583 count
  • Under 400K
  • 400K to 900K
  • 900K to 1.4M
  • 1.4M to 2M
  • 2M to 3.1M
  • 3.1M and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

California: 14,268,528 countCalifornia14,268,528Florida: 7,853,979 countFlorida7,853,979Texas: 7,784,067 countTexas7,784,067Illinois: 4,117,589 countIllinois4,117,589Ohio: 4,086,521 countOhio4,086,521Pennsylvania: 3,917,586 countPennsylvania3,917,586Georgia: 3,497,207 countGeorgia3,497,207North Carolina: 3,280,487 countNorth Carolina3,280,487New York: 3,112,030 countNew York3,112,030Virginia: 2,978,391 countVirginia2,978,391Washington: 2,977,074 countWashington2,977,074Michigan: 2,894,828 countMichigan2,894,828New Jersey: 2,535,248 countNew Jersey2,535,248Tennessee: 2,346,547 countTennessee2,346,547Arizona: 2,258,488 countArizona2,258,488Maryland: 2,076,393 countMaryland2,076,393Alabama: 2,065,319 countAlabama2,065,319Massachusetts: 1,980,433 countMassachusetts1,980,433South Carolina: 1,919,529 countSouth Carolina1,919,529Missouri: 1,916,497 countMissouri1,916,497Indiana: 1,836,779 countIndiana1,836,779Wisconsin: 1,825,450 countWisconsin1,825,450Minnesota: 1,729,997 countMinnesota1,729,997Kentucky: 1,567,435 countKentucky1,567,435Colorado: 1,496,310 countColorado1,496,310Oregon: 1,357,126 countOregon1,357,126Louisiana: 1,279,501 countLouisiana1,279,501Iowa: 1,129,061 countIowa1,129,061Connecticut: 1,119,278 countConnecticut1,119,278Oklahoma: 1,056,367 countOklahoma1,056,367Nevada: 1,051,677 countNevada1,051,677Utah: 990,756 countUtah990,756Arkansas: 958,639 countArkansas958,639Mississippi: 893,598 countMississippi893,598Kansas: 856,989 countKansas856,989New Mexico: 619,690 countNew Mexico619,690Nebraska: 604,900 countNebraska604,900Idaho: 569,964 countIdaho569,964Hawaii: 463,874 countHawaii463,874Montana: 463,651 countMontana463,651New Hampshire: 458,141 countNew Hampshire458,141Maine: 415,725 countMaine415,725West Virginia: 359,430 countWest Virginia359,430Rhode Island: 338,351 countRhode Island338,351South Dakota: 317,697 countSouth Dakota317,697North Dakota: 212,292 countNorth Dakota212,292District of Columbia: 199,249 countDistrict of Columbia199,249Wyoming: 186,583 countWyoming186,583Vermont: 180,025 countVermont180,025Delaware: 177,980 countDelaware177,980Alaska: 141,093 countAlaska141,093California: 14,268,528 countCalifornia14,268,528Florida: 7,853,979 countFlorida7,853,979Texas: 7,784,067 countTexas7,784,067Illinois: 4,117,589 countIllinois4,117,589Ohio: 4,086,521 countOhio4,086,521Pennsylvania: 3,917,586 countPennsylvania3,917,586Georgia: 3,497,207 countGeorgia3,497,207North Carolina: 3,280,487 countNorth Carolina3,280,487New York: 3,112,030 countNew York3,112,030Virginia: 2,978,391 countVirginia2,978,391Washington: 2,977,074 countWashington2,977,074Michigan: 2,894,828 countMichigan2,894,828New Jersey: 2,535,248 countNew Jersey2,535,248Tennessee: 2,346,547 countTennessee2,346,547Arizona: 2,258,488 countArizona2,258,488Maryland: 2,076,393 countMaryland2,076,393Alabama: 2,065,319 countAlabama2,065,319Massachusetts: 1,980,433 countMassachusetts1,980,433South Carolina: 1,919,529 countSouth Carolina1,919,529Missouri: 1,916,497 countMissouri1,916,497Indiana: 1,836,779 countIndiana1,836,779Wisconsin: 1,825,450 countWisconsin1,825,450Minnesota: 1,729,997 countMinnesota1,729,997Kentucky: 1,567,435 countKentucky1,567,435Colorado: 1,496,310 countColorado1,496,310Oregon: 1,357,126 countOregon1,357,126Louisiana: 1,279,501 countLouisiana1,279,501Iowa: 1,129,061 countIowa1,129,061Connecticut: 1,119,278 countConnecticut1,119,278Oklahoma: 1,056,367 countOklahoma1,056,367Nevada: 1,051,677 countNevada1,051,677Utah: 990,756 countUtah990,756Arkansas: 958,639 countArkansas958,639Mississippi: 893,598 countMississippi893,598Kansas: 856,989 countKansas856,989New Mexico: 619,690 countNew Mexico619,690Nebraska: 604,900 countNebraska604,900Idaho: 569,964 countIdaho569,964Hawaii: 463,874 countHawaii463,874Montana: 463,651 countMontana463,651New Hampshire: 458,141 countNew Hampshire458,141Maine: 415,725 countMaine415,725West Virginia: 359,430 countWest Virginia359,430Rhode Island: 338,351 countRhode Island338,351South Dakota: 317,697 countSouth Dakota317,697North Dakota: 212,292 countNorth Dakota212,292District of Columbia: 199,249 countDistrict of Columbia199,249Wyoming: 186,583 countWyoming186,583Vermont: 180,025 countVermont180,025Delaware: 177,980 countDelaware177,980Alaska: 141,093 countAlaska141,093
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (automobiles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2021
count		Change on 2020
1California14,268,528+0.5%
2Florida7,853,979+0.2%
3Texas7,784,067-3.8%
4Illinois4,117,589-1.1%
5Ohio4,086,521-3.8%
6Pennsylvania3,917,586-3.1%
7Georgia3,497,207+0.1%
8North Carolina3,280,487-3.5%
9New York Estimated3,112,030-26.5%
10Virginia2,978,391-2.6%
11Washington2,977,074+6.3%
12Michigan2,894,828+7.5%
13New Jersey2,535,248-0.2%
14Tennessee2,346,547+10.9%
15Arizona2,258,488-6.3%
16Maryland2,076,393+13.9%
17Alabama2,065,319+1.5%
18Massachusetts1,980,433-1.1%
19South Carolina1,919,529+8.6%
20Missouri1,916,497-3.8%
21Indiana1,836,779-13.5%
22Wisconsin1,825,450-4%
23Minnesota1,729,997-6.1%
24Kentucky1,567,435-4.7%
25Colorado1,496,310-8.7%
26Oregon1,357,126-5.8%
27Louisiana Estimated1,279,501-2.8%
28Iowa1,129,061-3%
29Connecticut1,119,278-7.6%
30Oklahoma1,056,367-13.7%
31Nevada1,051,677+2.4%
32Utah990,756+9.8%
33Arkansas958,639+9.9%
34Mississippi893,598+13.3%
35Kansas856,989-3.6%
36New Mexico619,690-0.7%
37Nebraska604,900-3.2%
38Idaho Estimated569,964-3.1%
39Hawaii463,874-2.3%
40Montana463,651+1%
41New Hampshire458,141-0.6%
42Maine415,725+16.8%
43West Virginia359,430-29.3%
44Rhode Island338,351-11.4%
45South Dakota317,697-2.2%
46North Dakota212,292-1.6%
47District of Columbia199,249-5.3%
48Wyoming186,583-2.5%
49Vermont180,025-6.9%
50Delaware177,980-57.2%
51Alaska141,093-17.6%

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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{federal_us_states_by_registered_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-automobiles/us-states?period=2021.
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 14.27 million in 2021, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered automobiles?

Alaska, with 141,093 in 2021.

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