Data / Rankings / Registered motor vehicles / US states

US states by registered motor vehicles

California had the highest registered motor vehicles of 51 states in 2015, at 29.42 million. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 322,929. The median was 3.9 million and the figure for the United States was 263.61 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest29,424,012California
Lowest322,929District of Columbia
Median3,901,43251 states
United States263,610,219History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 5,400,419 countAlaska: 815,122 countArizona: 5,630,647 countArkansas: 2,772,214 countCalifornia: 29,424,012 countColorado: 5,005,172 countConnecticut: 2,841,764 countDelaware: 964,316 countDistrict of Columbia: 322,929 countFlorida: 16,105,008 countGeorgia: 8,137,621 countHawaii: 1,242,319 countIdaho: 1,854,019 countIllinois: 10,595,254 countIndiana: 6,045,114 countIowa: 3,636,898 countKansas: 2,634,856 countKentucky: 4,151,982 countLouisiana: 3,901,432 countMaine: 1,104,001 countMaryland: 4,135,158 countMassachusetts: 5,069,601 countMichigan: 8,294,108 countMinnesota: 5,281,269 countMississippi: 2,068,853 countMissouri: 5,624,005 countMontana: 1,645,227 countNebraska: 1,981,296 countNevada: 2,316,056 countNew Hampshire: 1,296,137 countNew Jersey: 5,938,585 countNew Mexico: 1,823,445 countNew York: 10,638,765 countNorth Carolina: 7,928,973 countNorth Dakota: 890,803 countOhio: 10,557,323 countOklahoma: 2,988,512 countOregon: 3,607,482 countPennsylvania: 10,598,694 countRhode Island: 875,097 countSouth Carolina: 4,162,651 countSouth Dakota: 1,082,289 countTennessee: 5,612,123 countTexas: 21,864,841 countUtah: 2,229,193 countVermont: 655,347 countVirginia: 7,238,905 countWashington: 6,725,467 countWest Virginia: 1,613,345 countWisconsin: 5,466,581 countWyoming: 814,989 count
  • Under 1.2M
  • 1.2M to 2.2M
  • 2.2M to 3.9M
  • 3.9M to 5.5M
  • 5.5M to 8.1M
  • 8.1M and over
count, 2015. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

California: 29,424,012 countCalifornia29,424,012Texas: 21,864,841 countTexas21,864,841Florida: 16,105,008 countFlorida16,105,008New York: 10,638,765 countNew York10,638,765Pennsylvania: 10,598,694 countPennsylvania10,598,694Illinois: 10,595,254 countIllinois10,595,254Ohio: 10,557,323 countOhio10,557,323Michigan: 8,294,108 countMichigan8,294,108Georgia: 8,137,621 countGeorgia8,137,621North Carolina: 7,928,973 countNorth Carolina7,928,973Virginia: 7,238,905 countVirginia7,238,905Washington: 6,725,467 countWashington6,725,467Indiana: 6,045,114 countIndiana6,045,114New Jersey: 5,938,585 countNew Jersey5,938,585Arizona: 5,630,647 countArizona5,630,647Missouri: 5,624,005 countMissouri5,624,005Tennessee: 5,612,123 countTennessee5,612,123Wisconsin: 5,466,581 countWisconsin5,466,581Alabama: 5,400,419 countAlabama5,400,419Minnesota: 5,281,269 countMinnesota5,281,269Massachusetts: 5,069,601 countMassachusetts5,069,601Colorado: 5,005,172 countColorado5,005,172South Carolina: 4,162,651 countSouth Carolina4,162,651Kentucky: 4,151,982 countKentucky4,151,982Maryland: 4,135,158 countMaryland4,135,158Louisiana: 3,901,432 countLouisiana3,901,432Iowa: 3,636,898 countIowa3,636,898Oregon: 3,607,482 countOregon3,607,482Oklahoma: 2,988,512 countOklahoma2,988,512Connecticut: 2,841,764 countConnecticut2,841,764Arkansas: 2,772,214 countArkansas2,772,214Kansas: 2,634,856 countKansas2,634,856Nevada: 2,316,056 countNevada2,316,056Utah: 2,229,193 countUtah2,229,193Mississippi: 2,068,853 countMississippi2,068,853Nebraska: 1,981,296 countNebraska1,981,296Idaho: 1,854,019 countIdaho1,854,019New Mexico: 1,823,445 countNew Mexico1,823,445Montana: 1,645,227 countMontana1,645,227West Virginia: 1,613,345 countWest Virginia1,613,345New Hampshire: 1,296,137 countNew Hampshire1,296,137Hawaii: 1,242,319 countHawaii1,242,319Maine: 1,104,001 countMaine1,104,001South Dakota: 1,082,289 countSouth Dakota1,082,289Delaware: 964,316 countDelaware964,316North Dakota: 890,803 countNorth Dakota890,803Rhode Island: 875,097 countRhode Island875,097Alaska: 815,122 countAlaska815,122Wyoming: 814,989 countWyoming814,989Vermont: 655,347 countVermont655,347District of Columbia: 322,929 countDistrict of Columbia322,929California: 29,424,012 countCalifornia29,424,012Texas: 21,864,841 countTexas21,864,841Florida: 16,105,008 countFlorida16,105,008New York: 10,638,765 countNew York10,638,765Pennsylvania: 10,598,694 countPennsylvania10,598,694Illinois: 10,595,254 countIllinois10,595,254Ohio: 10,557,323 countOhio10,557,323Michigan: 8,294,108 countMichigan8,294,108Georgia: 8,137,621 countGeorgia8,137,621North Carolina: 7,928,973 countNorth Carolina7,928,973Virginia: 7,238,905 countVirginia7,238,905Washington: 6,725,467 countWashington6,725,467Indiana: 6,045,114 countIndiana6,045,114New Jersey: 5,938,585 countNew Jersey5,938,585Arizona: 5,630,647 countArizona5,630,647Missouri: 5,624,005 countMissouri5,624,005Tennessee: 5,612,123 countTennessee5,612,123Wisconsin: 5,466,581 countWisconsin5,466,581Alabama: 5,400,419 countAlabama5,400,419Minnesota: 5,281,269 countMinnesota5,281,269Massachusetts: 5,069,601 countMassachusetts5,069,601Colorado: 5,005,172 countColorado5,005,172South Carolina: 4,162,651 countSouth Carolina4,162,651Kentucky: 4,151,982 countKentucky4,151,982Maryland: 4,135,158 countMaryland4,135,158Louisiana: 3,901,432 countLouisiana3,901,432Iowa: 3,636,898 countIowa3,636,898Oregon: 3,607,482 countOregon3,607,482Oklahoma: 2,988,512 countOklahoma2,988,512Connecticut: 2,841,764 countConnecticut2,841,764Arkansas: 2,772,214 countArkansas2,772,214Kansas: 2,634,856 countKansas2,634,856Nevada: 2,316,056 countNevada2,316,056Utah: 2,229,193 countUtah2,229,193Mississippi: 2,068,853 countMississippi2,068,853Nebraska: 1,981,296 countNebraska1,981,296Idaho: 1,854,019 countIdaho1,854,019New Mexico: 1,823,445 countNew Mexico1,823,445Montana: 1,645,227 countMontana1,645,227West Virginia: 1,613,345 countWest Virginia1,613,345New Hampshire: 1,296,137 countNew Hampshire1,296,137Hawaii: 1,242,319 countHawaii1,242,319Maine: 1,104,001 countMaine1,104,001South Dakota: 1,082,289 countSouth Dakota1,082,289Delaware: 964,316 countDelaware964,316North Dakota: 890,803 countNorth Dakota890,803Rhode Island: 875,097 countRhode Island875,097Alaska: 815,122 countAlaska815,122Wyoming: 814,989 countWyoming814,989Vermont: 655,347 countVermont655,347District of Columbia: 322,929 countDistrict of Columbia322,929
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
count		Change on 2014
1California29,424,012+2.6%
2Texas21,864,841+4.7%
3Florida16,105,008+3.9%
4New York10,638,765-2.4%
5Pennsylvania10,598,694+0.9%
6Illinois10,595,254+1.9%
7Ohio10,557,323+1%
8Michigan8,294,108+2.1%
9Georgia8,137,621-0.2%
10North Carolina7,928,973+0.7%
11Virginia7,238,905+1.1%
12Washington6,725,467+5%
13Indiana Estimated6,045,114+0.5%
14New Jersey5,938,585-13.6%
15Arizona5,630,647+0.8%
16Missouri5,624,005+5.5%
17Tennessee5,612,123+2.1%
18Wisconsin5,466,581+2.4%
19Alabama5,400,419+0.6%
20Minnesota5,281,269+1.1%
21Massachusetts Estimated5,069,601+1.5%
22Colorado5,005,172+3.8%
23South Carolina4,162,651+3.6%
24Kentucky4,151,982+0.1%
25Maryland4,135,158+2.1%
26Louisiana3,901,432+0.4%
27Iowa3,636,898+1.1%
28Oregon3,607,482+5.5%
29Oklahoma2,988,512-15%
30Connecticut2,841,764-0.9%
31Arkansas2,772,214-0.2%
32Kansas2,634,856+3.6%
33Nevada2,316,056+3.4%
34Utah2,229,193+3.7%
35Mississippi2,068,853+0.1%
36Nebraska1,981,296+1.7%
37Idaho1,854,019+5.2%
38New Mexico1,823,445-5.6%
39Montana1,645,227+3.7%
40West Virginia1,613,345+3.9%
41New Hampshire1,296,137-1.1%
42Hawaii1,242,319-10.8%
43Maine1,104,001-7.6%
44South Dakota1,082,289+4.8%
45Delaware964,316+0.7%
46North Dakota890,803+2.3%
47Rhode Island875,097+1.2%
48Alaska Estimated815,122+1.8%
49Wyoming814,989-0.6%
50Vermont655,347+7%
51District of Columbia322,929-3.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

All motor vehicles registered during the year: automobiles, buses, trucks and motorcycles.

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.

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. Trailers are not motor vehicles and are not counted.

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 (all motor vehicles, 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states (US states by registered motor vehicles, 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states, US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. US states by registered motor vehicles, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (2026) Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states, US states by registered motor vehicles, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states: US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Highway Statistics, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states: US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Highway Statistics, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, 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 motor vehicles?

California, with 29.42 million in 2015, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered motor vehicles?

District of Columbia, with 322,929 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings