Data / Rankings / Registered motor vehicles / US states

US states by registered motor vehicles

California had the highest registered motor vehicles of 51 states in 2020, at 30.4 million. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 356,537. The median was 4.1 million and the figure for the United States was 275.94 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Highest30,398,249California
Lowest356,537District of Columbia
Median4,095,44251 states
United States275,936,367History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 5,320,340 countAlaska: 792,826 countArizona: 6,053,781 countArkansas: 2,913,369 countCalifornia: 30,398,249 countColorado: 5,350,708 countConnecticut: 2,867,554 countDelaware: 1,025,430 countDistrict of Columbia: 356,537 countFlorida: 18,464,506 countGeorgia: 8,829,596 countHawaii: 1,244,935 countIdaho: 1,917,808 countIllinois: 10,589,239 countIndiana: 6,199,901 countIowa: 3,787,224 countKansas: 2,603,543 countKentucky: 4,459,685 countLouisiana: 3,861,204 countMaine: 1,121,106 countMaryland: 4,212,244 countMassachusetts: 5,036,686 countMichigan: 8,453,239 countMinnesota: 5,690,749 countMississippi: 2,058,975 countMissouri: 5,587,022 countMontana: 1,952,553 countNebraska: 1,935,357 countNevada: 2,550,414 countNew Hampshire: 1,357,535 countNew Jersey: 6,006,247 countNew Mexico: 1,783,151 countNew York: 11,324,755 countNorth Carolina: 8,739,280 countNorth Dakota: 899,083 countOhio: 10,592,317 countOklahoma: 3,730,247 countOregon: 4,095,442 countPennsylvania: 10,690,187 countRhode Island: 866,584 countSouth Carolina: 4,561,299 countSouth Dakota: 1,294,282 countTennessee: 5,855,373 countTexas: 22,419,490 countUtah: 2,479,604 countVermont: 608,197 countVirginia: 7,606,452 countWashington: 7,257,401 countWest Virginia: 1,657,362 countWisconsin: 5,616,271 countWyoming: 861,028 count
  • Under 1.3M
  • 1.3M to 2.3M
  • 2.3M to 4.1M
  • 4.1M to 5.6M
  • 5.6M to 8.6M
  • 8.6M and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

California: 30,398,249 countCalifornia30,398,249Texas: 22,419,490 countTexas22,419,490Florida: 18,464,506 countFlorida18,464,506New York: 11,324,755 countNew York11,324,755Pennsylvania: 10,690,187 countPennsylvania10,690,187Ohio: 10,592,317 countOhio10,592,317Illinois: 10,589,239 countIllinois10,589,239Georgia: 8,829,596 countGeorgia8,829,596North Carolina: 8,739,280 countNorth Carolina8,739,280Michigan: 8,453,239 countMichigan8,453,239Virginia: 7,606,452 countVirginia7,606,452Washington: 7,257,401 countWashington7,257,401Indiana: 6,199,901 countIndiana6,199,901Arizona: 6,053,781 countArizona6,053,781New Jersey: 6,006,247 countNew Jersey6,006,247Tennessee: 5,855,373 countTennessee5,855,373Minnesota: 5,690,749 countMinnesota5,690,749Wisconsin: 5,616,271 countWisconsin5,616,271Missouri: 5,587,022 countMissouri5,587,022Colorado: 5,350,708 countColorado5,350,708Alabama: 5,320,340 countAlabama5,320,340Massachusetts: 5,036,686 countMassachusetts5,036,686South Carolina: 4,561,299 countSouth Carolina4,561,299Kentucky: 4,459,685 countKentucky4,459,685Maryland: 4,212,244 countMaryland4,212,244Oregon: 4,095,442 countOregon4,095,442Louisiana: 3,861,204 countLouisiana3,861,204Iowa: 3,787,224 countIowa3,787,224Oklahoma: 3,730,247 countOklahoma3,730,247Arkansas: 2,913,369 countArkansas2,913,369Connecticut: 2,867,554 countConnecticut2,867,554Kansas: 2,603,543 countKansas2,603,543Nevada: 2,550,414 countNevada2,550,414Utah: 2,479,604 countUtah2,479,604Mississippi: 2,058,975 countMississippi2,058,975Montana: 1,952,553 countMontana1,952,553Nebraska: 1,935,357 countNebraska1,935,357Idaho: 1,917,808 countIdaho1,917,808New Mexico: 1,783,151 countNew Mexico1,783,151West Virginia: 1,657,362 countWest Virginia1,657,362New Hampshire: 1,357,535 countNew Hampshire1,357,535South Dakota: 1,294,282 countSouth Dakota1,294,282Hawaii: 1,244,935 countHawaii1,244,935Maine: 1,121,106 countMaine1,121,106Delaware: 1,025,430 countDelaware1,025,430North Dakota: 899,083 countNorth Dakota899,083Rhode Island: 866,584 countRhode Island866,584Wyoming: 861,028 countWyoming861,028Alaska: 792,826 countAlaska792,826Vermont: 608,197 countVermont608,197District of Columbia: 356,537 countDistrict of Columbia356,537California: 30,398,249 countCalifornia30,398,249Texas: 22,419,490 countTexas22,419,490Florida: 18,464,506 countFlorida18,464,506New York: 11,324,755 countNew York11,324,755Pennsylvania: 10,690,187 countPennsylvania10,690,187Ohio: 10,592,317 countOhio10,592,317Illinois: 10,589,239 countIllinois10,589,239Georgia: 8,829,596 countGeorgia8,829,596North Carolina: 8,739,280 countNorth Carolina8,739,280Michigan: 8,453,239 countMichigan8,453,239Virginia: 7,606,452 countVirginia7,606,452Washington: 7,257,401 countWashington7,257,401Indiana: 6,199,901 countIndiana6,199,901Arizona: 6,053,781 countArizona6,053,781New Jersey: 6,006,247 countNew Jersey6,006,247Tennessee: 5,855,373 countTennessee5,855,373Minnesota: 5,690,749 countMinnesota5,690,749Wisconsin: 5,616,271 countWisconsin5,616,271Missouri: 5,587,022 countMissouri5,587,022Colorado: 5,350,708 countColorado5,350,708Alabama: 5,320,340 countAlabama5,320,340Massachusetts: 5,036,686 countMassachusetts5,036,686South Carolina: 4,561,299 countSouth Carolina4,561,299Kentucky: 4,459,685 countKentucky4,459,685Maryland: 4,212,244 countMaryland4,212,244Oregon: 4,095,442 countOregon4,095,442Louisiana: 3,861,204 countLouisiana3,861,204Iowa: 3,787,224 countIowa3,787,224Oklahoma: 3,730,247 countOklahoma3,730,247Arkansas: 2,913,369 countArkansas2,913,369Connecticut: 2,867,554 countConnecticut2,867,554Kansas: 2,603,543 countKansas2,603,543Nevada: 2,550,414 countNevada2,550,414Utah: 2,479,604 countUtah2,479,604Mississippi: 2,058,975 countMississippi2,058,975Montana: 1,952,553 countMontana1,952,553Nebraska: 1,935,357 countNebraska1,935,357Idaho: 1,917,808 countIdaho1,917,808New Mexico: 1,783,151 countNew Mexico1,783,151West Virginia: 1,657,362 countWest Virginia1,657,362New Hampshire: 1,357,535 countNew Hampshire1,357,535South Dakota: 1,294,282 countSouth Dakota1,294,282Hawaii: 1,244,935 countHawaii1,244,935Maine: 1,121,106 countMaine1,121,106Delaware: 1,025,430 countDelaware1,025,430North Dakota: 899,083 countNorth Dakota899,083Rhode Island: 866,584 countRhode Island866,584Wyoming: 861,028 countWyoming861,028Alaska: 792,826 countAlaska792,826Vermont: 608,197 countVermont608,197District of Columbia: 356,537 countDistrict of Columbia356,537
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2020
count		Change on 2019
1California30,398,249-2.7%
2Texas22,419,490-2.6%
3Florida18,464,506+3.5%
4New York11,324,755-0.6%
5Pennsylvania10,690,187-1%
6Ohio10,592,317-2.8%
7Illinois10,589,239-1%
8Georgia8,829,596+2.7%
9North Carolina8,739,280+2.5%
10Michigan8,453,239+0.2%
11Virginia7,606,452-0.5%
12Washington7,257,401-1.6%
13Indiana6,199,901-0.4%
14Arizona6,053,781+1.2%
15New Jersey6,006,247-0.4%
16Tennessee5,855,373+0.6%
17Minnesota5,690,749+4.9%
18Wisconsin5,616,271-0.9%
19Missouri5,587,022+1%
20Colorado5,350,708-1.1%
21Alabama5,320,340+0.6%
22Massachusetts Estimated5,036,686-0.5%
23South Carolina4,561,299+1%
24Kentucky4,459,685+1.7%
25Maryland4,212,244+0.2%
26Oregon4,095,442+4.5%
27Louisiana3,861,204+1.5%
28Iowa3,787,2240%
29Oklahoma3,730,247+0.6%
30Arkansas2,913,369+0.4%
31Connecticut2,867,554-0.4%
32Kansas2,603,543-2.9%
33Nevada2,550,414+0.2%
34Utah2,479,604+2%
35Mississippi2,058,975-0.4%
36Montana1,952,553+2.7%
37Nebraska1,935,357-1.7%
38Idaho1,917,808-1.9%
39New Mexico1,783,151-2.3%
40West Virginia1,657,362-0.6%
41New Hampshire1,357,535-0.4%
42South Dakota1,294,282+1%
43Hawaii1,244,935-2.2%
44Maine1,121,106-0.8%
45Delaware1,025,430+0.8%
46North Dakota899,083-0.5%
47Rhode Island866,584-0.3%
48Wyoming861,028+2.1%
49Alaska792,826-0.3%
50Vermont608,197-2%
51District of Columbia356,537+1.7%

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2020 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{federal_us_states_by_registered_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2020.
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 30.4 million in 2020, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered motor vehicles?

District of Columbia, with 356,537 in 2020.

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