Data / Rankings / Registered motor vehicles / US states

US states by registered motor vehicles

California had the highest registered motor vehicles of 51 states in 2019, at 31.25 million. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 350,463. The median was 3.92 million and the figure for the United States was 276.49 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest31,247,270California
Lowest350,463District of Columbia
Median3,919,15751 states
United States276,491,174History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 5,288,208 countAlaska: 795,275 countArizona: 5,982,559 countArkansas: 2,902,111 countCalifornia: 31,247,270 countColorado: 5,412,404 countConnecticut: 2,878,548 countDelaware: 1,016,927 countDistrict of Columbia: 350,463 countFlorida: 17,833,720 countGeorgia: 8,594,567 countHawaii: 1,272,361 countIdaho: 1,954,528 countIllinois: 10,691,947 countIndiana: 6,223,460 countIowa: 3,786,328 countKansas: 2,682,337 countKentucky: 4,383,223 countLouisiana: 3,802,746 countMaine: 1,130,056 countMaryland: 4,203,994 countMassachusetts: 5,061,260 countMichigan: 8,440,065 countMinnesota: 5,425,885 countMississippi: 2,066,681 countMissouri: 5,534,289 countMontana: 1,900,806 countNebraska: 1,968,479 countNevada: 2,546,583 countNew Hampshire: 1,363,379 countNew Jersey: 6,033,015 countNew Mexico: 1,825,421 countNew York: 11,389,158 countNorth Carolina: 8,527,388 countNorth Dakota: 903,668 countOhio: 10,901,279 countOklahoma: 3,706,624 countOregon: 3,919,157 countPennsylvania: 10,800,315 countRhode Island: 868,942 countSouth Carolina: 4,516,143 countSouth Dakota: 1,280,969 countTennessee: 5,817,887 countTexas: 23,007,146 countUtah: 2,430,275 countVermont: 620,428 countVirginia: 7,647,692 countWashington: 7,377,028 countWest Virginia: 1,668,113 countWisconsin: 5,666,400 countWyoming: 843,671 count
  • Under 1.3M
  • 1.3M to 2.3M
  • 2.3M to 3.9M
  • 3.9M to 5.6M
  • 5.6M to 8.5M
  • 8.5M and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

California: 31,247,270 countCalifornia31,247,270Texas: 23,007,146 countTexas23,007,146Florida: 17,833,720 countFlorida17,833,720New York: 11,389,158 countNew York11,389,158Ohio: 10,901,279 countOhio10,901,279Pennsylvania: 10,800,315 countPennsylvania10,800,315Illinois: 10,691,947 countIllinois10,691,947Georgia: 8,594,567 countGeorgia8,594,567North Carolina: 8,527,388 countNorth Carolina8,527,388Michigan: 8,440,065 countMichigan8,440,065Virginia: 7,647,692 countVirginia7,647,692Washington: 7,377,028 countWashington7,377,028Indiana: 6,223,460 countIndiana6,223,460New Jersey: 6,033,015 countNew Jersey6,033,015Arizona: 5,982,559 countArizona5,982,559Tennessee: 5,817,887 countTennessee5,817,887Wisconsin: 5,666,400 countWisconsin5,666,400Missouri: 5,534,289 countMissouri5,534,289Minnesota: 5,425,885 countMinnesota5,425,885Colorado: 5,412,404 countColorado5,412,404Alabama: 5,288,208 countAlabama5,288,208Massachusetts: 5,061,260 countMassachusetts5,061,260South Carolina: 4,516,143 countSouth Carolina4,516,143Kentucky: 4,383,223 countKentucky4,383,223Maryland: 4,203,994 countMaryland4,203,994Oregon: 3,919,157 countOregon3,919,157Louisiana: 3,802,746 countLouisiana3,802,746Iowa: 3,786,328 countIowa3,786,328Oklahoma: 3,706,624 countOklahoma3,706,624Arkansas: 2,902,111 countArkansas2,902,111Connecticut: 2,878,548 countConnecticut2,878,548Kansas: 2,682,337 countKansas2,682,337Nevada: 2,546,583 countNevada2,546,583Utah: 2,430,275 countUtah2,430,275Mississippi: 2,066,681 countMississippi2,066,681Nebraska: 1,968,479 countNebraska1,968,479Idaho: 1,954,528 countIdaho1,954,528Montana: 1,900,806 countMontana1,900,806New Mexico: 1,825,421 countNew Mexico1,825,421West Virginia: 1,668,113 countWest Virginia1,668,113New Hampshire: 1,363,379 countNew Hampshire1,363,379South Dakota: 1,280,969 countSouth Dakota1,280,969Hawaii: 1,272,361 countHawaii1,272,361Maine: 1,130,056 countMaine1,130,056Delaware: 1,016,927 countDelaware1,016,927North Dakota: 903,668 countNorth Dakota903,668Rhode Island: 868,942 countRhode Island868,942Wyoming: 843,671 countWyoming843,671Alaska: 795,275 countAlaska795,275Vermont: 620,428 countVermont620,428District of Columbia: 350,463 countDistrict of Columbia350,463California: 31,247,270 countCalifornia31,247,270Texas: 23,007,146 countTexas23,007,146Florida: 17,833,720 countFlorida17,833,720New York: 11,389,158 countNew York11,389,158Ohio: 10,901,279 countOhio10,901,279Pennsylvania: 10,800,315 countPennsylvania10,800,315Illinois: 10,691,947 countIllinois10,691,947Georgia: 8,594,567 countGeorgia8,594,567North Carolina: 8,527,388 countNorth Carolina8,527,388Michigan: 8,440,065 countMichigan8,440,065Virginia: 7,647,692 countVirginia7,647,692Washington: 7,377,028 countWashington7,377,028Indiana: 6,223,460 countIndiana6,223,460New Jersey: 6,033,015 countNew Jersey6,033,015Arizona: 5,982,559 countArizona5,982,559Tennessee: 5,817,887 countTennessee5,817,887Wisconsin: 5,666,400 countWisconsin5,666,400Missouri: 5,534,289 countMissouri5,534,289Minnesota: 5,425,885 countMinnesota5,425,885Colorado: 5,412,404 countColorado5,412,404Alabama: 5,288,208 countAlabama5,288,208Massachusetts: 5,061,260 countMassachusetts5,061,260South Carolina: 4,516,143 countSouth Carolina4,516,143Kentucky: 4,383,223 countKentucky4,383,223Maryland: 4,203,994 countMaryland4,203,994Oregon: 3,919,157 countOregon3,919,157Louisiana: 3,802,746 countLouisiana3,802,746Iowa: 3,786,328 countIowa3,786,328Oklahoma: 3,706,624 countOklahoma3,706,624Arkansas: 2,902,111 countArkansas2,902,111Connecticut: 2,878,548 countConnecticut2,878,548Kansas: 2,682,337 countKansas2,682,337Nevada: 2,546,583 countNevada2,546,583Utah: 2,430,275 countUtah2,430,275Mississippi: 2,066,681 countMississippi2,066,681Nebraska: 1,968,479 countNebraska1,968,479Idaho: 1,954,528 countIdaho1,954,528Montana: 1,900,806 countMontana1,900,806New Mexico: 1,825,421 countNew Mexico1,825,421West Virginia: 1,668,113 countWest Virginia1,668,113New Hampshire: 1,363,379 countNew Hampshire1,363,379South Dakota: 1,280,969 countSouth Dakota1,280,969Hawaii: 1,272,361 countHawaii1,272,361Maine: 1,130,056 countMaine1,130,056Delaware: 1,016,927 countDelaware1,016,927North Dakota: 903,668 countNorth Dakota903,668Rhode Island: 868,942 countRhode Island868,942Wyoming: 843,671 countWyoming843,671Alaska: 795,275 countAlaska795,275Vermont: 620,428 countVermont620,428District of Columbia: 350,463 countDistrict of Columbia350,463
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2019
count		Change on 2018
1California31,247,270+0.7%
2Texas23,007,146+3.7%
3Florida17,833,720+1.9%
4New York11,389,158-0.8%
5Ohio10,901,279-0.1%
6Pennsylvania10,800,315+0.7%
7Illinois Estimated10,691,947+1%
8Georgia8,594,567+1%
9North Carolina8,527,388+3.9%
10Michigan Estimated8,440,065+0.7%
11Virginia7,647,692+0.6%
12Washington Estimated7,377,028+3.1%
13Indiana6,223,460+0.5%
14New Jersey Estimated6,033,015-0.4%
15Arizona5,982,559+3%
16Tennessee5,817,887+0.8%
17Wisconsin Estimated5,666,400-0.3%
18Missouri Estimated5,534,289+0.6%
19Minnesota Estimated5,425,885+0.4%
20Colorado5,412,404+1.1%
21Alabama5,288,208-0.2%
22Massachusetts Estimated5,061,260-0%
23South Carolina4,516,143+1.3%
24Kentucky4,383,223+0.3%
25Maryland4,203,994-0%
26Oregon3,919,157-0.6%
27Louisiana3,802,746-2.1%
28Iowa3,786,328+2.6%
29Oklahoma Estimated3,706,624+0.2%
30Arkansas2,902,111+3%
31Connecticut Estimated2,878,548-0%
32Kansas Estimated2,682,337-0.1%
33Nevada Estimated2,546,583+1.3%
34Utah2,430,275+2.4%
35Mississippi2,066,681-0%
36Nebraska1,968,479+0.4%
37Idaho1,954,528+4%
38Montana1,900,806+3%
39New Mexico1,825,421+0.1%
40West Virginia Estimated1,668,113-1.5%
41New Hampshire1,363,379+1.3%
42South Dakota1,280,969+0.9%
43Hawaii1,272,361+0.4%
44Maine Estimated1,130,056+0.4%
45Delaware1,016,927+0.8%
46North Dakota903,668+0.4%
47Rhode Island868,942-0.4%
48Wyoming843,671+0.8%
49Alaska795,275-1%
50Vermont Estimated620,428+0.1%
51District of Columbia350,463-0.4%

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, 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states, US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. US states by registered motor vehicles, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states: US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2019. 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, 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-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2019.
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 31.25 million in 2019, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered motor vehicles?

District of Columbia, with 350,463 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings