Data / Rankings / Registered motor vehicles / US states

US states by registered motor vehicles

California had the highest registered motor vehicles of 51 states in 2017, at 30.8 million. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 346,016. The median was 4.1 million and the figure for the United States was 272.43 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest30,795,141California
Lowest346,016District of Columbia
Median4,103,45151 states
United States272,429,803History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 5,056,073 countAlaska: 804,505 countArizona: 5,964,434 countArkansas: 2,833,697 countCalifornia: 30,795,141 countColorado: 5,259,960 countConnecticut: 2,826,350 countDelaware: 970,733 countDistrict of Columbia: 346,016 countFlorida: 16,959,269 countGeorgia: 8,442,325 countHawaii: 1,259,541 countIdaho: 1,835,903 countIllinois: 10,890,760 countIndiana: 6,170,034 countIowa: 3,750,077 countKansas: 2,717,873 countKentucky: 4,293,205 countLouisiana: 3,906,812 countMaine: 1,094,388 countMaryland: 4,357,598 countMassachusetts: 5,065,221 countMichigan: 8,517,065 countMinnesota: 5,682,653 countMississippi: 2,057,476 countMissouri: 5,568,736 countMontana: 1,813,854 countNebraska: 1,965,105 countNevada: 2,455,442 countNew Hampshire: 1,319,117 countNew Jersey: 6,057,711 countNew Mexico: 1,740,002 countNew York: 10,857,455 countNorth Carolina: 8,070,717 countNorth Dakota: 1,056,758 countOhio: 10,809,247 countOklahoma: 3,744,178 countOregon: 4,103,451 countPennsylvania: 10,689,206 countRhode Island: 872,814 countSouth Carolina: 4,404,100 countSouth Dakota: 1,258,356 countTennessee: 5,800,489 countTexas: 22,130,765 countUtah: 2,355,773 countVermont: 621,608 countVirginia: 7,514,484 countWashington: 7,256,196 countWest Virginia: 1,691,237 countWisconsin: 5,596,635 countWyoming: 819,257 count
  • Under 1.3M
  • 1.3M to 2.3M
  • 2.3M to 4.1M
  • 4.1M to 5.6M
  • 5.6M to 8.3M
  • 8.3M and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 30,795,141 countCalifornia30,795,141Texas: 22,130,765 countTexas22,130,765Florida: 16,959,269 countFlorida16,959,269Illinois: 10,890,760 countIllinois10,890,760New York: 10,857,455 countNew York10,857,455Ohio: 10,809,247 countOhio10,809,247Pennsylvania: 10,689,206 countPennsylvania10,689,206Michigan: 8,517,065 countMichigan8,517,065Georgia: 8,442,325 countGeorgia8,442,325North Carolina: 8,070,717 countNorth Carolina8,070,717Virginia: 7,514,484 countVirginia7,514,484Washington: 7,256,196 countWashington7,256,196Indiana: 6,170,034 countIndiana6,170,034New Jersey: 6,057,711 countNew Jersey6,057,711Arizona: 5,964,434 countArizona5,964,434Tennessee: 5,800,489 countTennessee5,800,489Minnesota: 5,682,653 countMinnesota5,682,653Wisconsin: 5,596,635 countWisconsin5,596,635Missouri: 5,568,736 countMissouri5,568,736Colorado: 5,259,960 countColorado5,259,960Massachusetts: 5,065,221 countMassachusetts5,065,221Alabama: 5,056,073 countAlabama5,056,073South Carolina: 4,404,100 countSouth Carolina4,404,100Maryland: 4,357,598 countMaryland4,357,598Kentucky: 4,293,205 countKentucky4,293,205Oregon: 4,103,451 countOregon4,103,451Louisiana: 3,906,812 countLouisiana3,906,812Iowa: 3,750,077 countIowa3,750,077Oklahoma: 3,744,178 countOklahoma3,744,178Arkansas: 2,833,697 countArkansas2,833,697Connecticut: 2,826,350 countConnecticut2,826,350Kansas: 2,717,873 countKansas2,717,873Nevada: 2,455,442 countNevada2,455,442Utah: 2,355,773 countUtah2,355,773Mississippi: 2,057,476 countMississippi2,057,476Nebraska: 1,965,105 countNebraska1,965,105Idaho: 1,835,903 countIdaho1,835,903Montana: 1,813,854 countMontana1,813,854New Mexico: 1,740,002 countNew Mexico1,740,002West Virginia: 1,691,237 countWest Virginia1,691,237New Hampshire: 1,319,117 countNew Hampshire1,319,117Hawaii: 1,259,541 countHawaii1,259,541South Dakota: 1,258,356 countSouth Dakota1,258,356Maine: 1,094,388 countMaine1,094,388North Dakota: 1,056,758 countNorth Dakota1,056,758Delaware: 970,733 countDelaware970,733Rhode Island: 872,814 countRhode Island872,814Wyoming: 819,257 countWyoming819,257Alaska: 804,505 countAlaska804,505Vermont: 621,608 countVermont621,608District of Columbia: 346,016 countDistrict of Columbia346,016California: 30,795,141 countCalifornia30,795,141Texas: 22,130,765 countTexas22,130,765Florida: 16,959,269 countFlorida16,959,269Illinois: 10,890,760 countIllinois10,890,760New York: 10,857,455 countNew York10,857,455Ohio: 10,809,247 countOhio10,809,247Pennsylvania: 10,689,206 countPennsylvania10,689,206Michigan: 8,517,065 countMichigan8,517,065Georgia: 8,442,325 countGeorgia8,442,325North Carolina: 8,070,717 countNorth Carolina8,070,717Virginia: 7,514,484 countVirginia7,514,484Washington: 7,256,196 countWashington7,256,196Indiana: 6,170,034 countIndiana6,170,034New Jersey: 6,057,711 countNew Jersey6,057,711Arizona: 5,964,434 countArizona5,964,434Tennessee: 5,800,489 countTennessee5,800,489Minnesota: 5,682,653 countMinnesota5,682,653Wisconsin: 5,596,635 countWisconsin5,596,635Missouri: 5,568,736 countMissouri5,568,736Colorado: 5,259,960 countColorado5,259,960Massachusetts: 5,065,221 countMassachusetts5,065,221Alabama: 5,056,073 countAlabama5,056,073South Carolina: 4,404,100 countSouth Carolina4,404,100Maryland: 4,357,598 countMaryland4,357,598Kentucky: 4,293,205 countKentucky4,293,205Oregon: 4,103,451 countOregon4,103,451Louisiana: 3,906,812 countLouisiana3,906,812Iowa: 3,750,077 countIowa3,750,077Oklahoma: 3,744,178 countOklahoma3,744,178Arkansas: 2,833,697 countArkansas2,833,697Connecticut: 2,826,350 countConnecticut2,826,350Kansas: 2,717,873 countKansas2,717,873Nevada: 2,455,442 countNevada2,455,442Utah: 2,355,773 countUtah2,355,773Mississippi: 2,057,476 countMississippi2,057,476Nebraska: 1,965,105 countNebraska1,965,105Idaho: 1,835,903 countIdaho1,835,903Montana: 1,813,854 countMontana1,813,854New Mexico: 1,740,002 countNew Mexico1,740,002West Virginia: 1,691,237 countWest Virginia1,691,237New Hampshire: 1,319,117 countNew Hampshire1,319,117Hawaii: 1,259,541 countHawaii1,259,541South Dakota: 1,258,356 countSouth Dakota1,258,356Maine: 1,094,388 countMaine1,094,388North Dakota: 1,056,758 countNorth Dakota1,056,758Delaware: 970,733 countDelaware970,733Rhode Island: 872,814 countRhode Island872,814Wyoming: 819,257 countWyoming819,257Alaska: 804,505 countAlaska804,505Vermont: 621,608 countVermont621,608District of Columbia: 346,016 countDistrict of Columbia346,016
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2017
count		Change on 2016
1California30,795,141+1.9%
2Texas22,130,765+1.7%
3Florida16,959,269+2.2%
4Illinois10,890,760+6%
5New York10,857,455-2.4%
6Ohio10,809,247+1.2%
7Pennsylvania10,689,206-0.6%
8Michigan8,517,065+2.2%
9Georgia8,442,325+2.5%
10North Carolina8,070,717-2.4%
11Virginia7,514,484+2.9%
12Washington7,256,196+3%
13Indiana6,170,034+0.5%
14New Jersey6,057,711+2%
15Arizona5,964,434+3.1%
16Tennessee5,800,489+1.6%
17Minnesota5,682,653+6.1%
18Wisconsin5,596,635+0.6%
19Missouri5,568,736-2%
20Colorado5,259,960+2.8%
21Massachusetts5,065,221-0.1%
22Alabama5,056,073-7.5%
23South Carolina4,404,100+1.8%
24Maryland4,357,598+4.3%
25Kentucky4,293,205+1.6%
26Oregon4,103,451+7.7%
27Louisiana Estimated3,906,8120%
28Iowa3,750,077+2%
29Oklahoma Estimated3,744,178+0.2%
30Arkansas2,833,697+0.9%
31Connecticut2,826,350-0.5%
32Kansas2,717,873+2.6%
33Nevada2,455,442+2.4%
34Utah2,355,773+1.7%
35Mississippi2,057,476-0.5%
36Nebraska1,965,105+0.7%
37Idaho1,835,903-0.3%
38Montana1,813,854+1.1%
39New Mexico1,740,002-4.6%
40West Virginia Estimated1,691,237-0.8%
41New Hampshire1,319,117-0.3%
42Hawaii1,259,541+2.3%
43South Dakota1,258,356+1%
44Maine1,094,388-1.2%
45North Dakota1,056,758+18.1%
46Delaware970,733-3.3%
47Rhode Island872,814-0.4%
48Wyoming819,257-4.2%
49Alaska804,505+1.2%
50Vermont621,608+0.9%
51District of Columbia346,016+2.6%

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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{federal_us_states_by_registered_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2017.
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 30.8 million in 2017, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered motor vehicles?

District of Columbia, with 346,016 in 2017.

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