Data / Rankings / Registered motor vehicles / US states

US states by registered motor vehicles

California had the highest registered motor vehicles of 51 states in 2021, at 31.35 million. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 363,287. The median was 4.01 million and the figure for the United States was 281.19 million. Source: the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest31,349,073California
Lowest363,287District of Columbia
Median4,010,63551 states
United States281,185,492History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 5,479,971 countAlaska: 686,142 countArizona: 6,064,542 countArkansas: 3,214,781 countCalifornia: 31,349,073 countColorado: 5,096,394 countConnecticut: 2,756,485 countDelaware: 472,175 countDistrict of Columbia: 363,287 countFlorida: 19,180,165 countGeorgia: 9,072,876 countHawaii: 1,235,360 countIdaho: 1,976,199 countIllinois: 11,003,729 countIndiana: 5,552,566 countIowa: 3,839,312 countKansas: 2,606,313 countKentucky: 4,408,730 countLouisiana: 3,862,490 countMaine: 1,387,656 countMaryland: 4,910,674 countMassachusetts: 5,207,052 countMichigan: 9,556,452 countMinnesota: 5,511,960 countMississippi: 2,385,768 countMissouri: 5,603,939 countMontana: 2,140,014 countNebraska: 1,933,528 countNevada: 2,676,143 countNew Hampshire: 1,417,949 countNew Jersey: 6,249,905 countNew Mexico: 1,862,673 countNew York: 9,408,796 countNorth Carolina: 8,707,506 countNorth Dakota: 925,186 countOhio: 10,892,377 countOklahoma: 3,353,167 countOregon: 4,010,635 countPennsylvania: 10,927,881 countRhode Island: 801,654 countSouth Carolina: 5,091,679 countSouth Dakota: 1,346,517 countTennessee: 6,712,722 countTexas: 23,012,990 countUtah: 2,838,505 countVermont: 614,340 countVirginia: 7,652,036 countWashington: 7,966,147 countWest Virginia: 1,219,024 countWisconsin: 5,769,058 countWyoming: 870,969 count
  • Under 1.3M
  • 1.3M to 2.5M
  • 2.5M to 4M
  • 4M to 5.6M
  • 5.6M to 9M
  • 9M and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

California: 31,349,073 countCalifornia31,349,073Texas: 23,012,990 countTexas23,012,990Florida: 19,180,165 countFlorida19,180,165Illinois: 11,003,729 countIllinois11,003,729Pennsylvania: 10,927,881 countPennsylvania10,927,881Ohio: 10,892,377 countOhio10,892,377Michigan: 9,556,452 countMichigan9,556,452New York: 9,408,796 countNew York9,408,796Georgia: 9,072,876 countGeorgia9,072,876North Carolina: 8,707,506 countNorth Carolina8,707,506Washington: 7,966,147 countWashington7,966,147Virginia: 7,652,036 countVirginia7,652,036Tennessee: 6,712,722 countTennessee6,712,722New Jersey: 6,249,905 countNew Jersey6,249,905Arizona: 6,064,542 countArizona6,064,542Wisconsin: 5,769,058 countWisconsin5,769,058Missouri: 5,603,939 countMissouri5,603,939Indiana: 5,552,566 countIndiana5,552,566Minnesota: 5,511,960 countMinnesota5,511,960Alabama: 5,479,971 countAlabama5,479,971Massachusetts: 5,207,052 countMassachusetts5,207,052Colorado: 5,096,394 countColorado5,096,394South Carolina: 5,091,679 countSouth Carolina5,091,679Maryland: 4,910,674 countMaryland4,910,674Kentucky: 4,408,730 countKentucky4,408,730Oregon: 4,010,635 countOregon4,010,635Louisiana: 3,862,490 countLouisiana3,862,490Iowa: 3,839,312 countIowa3,839,312Oklahoma: 3,353,167 countOklahoma3,353,167Arkansas: 3,214,781 countArkansas3,214,781Utah: 2,838,505 countUtah2,838,505Connecticut: 2,756,485 countConnecticut2,756,485Nevada: 2,676,143 countNevada2,676,143Kansas: 2,606,313 countKansas2,606,313Mississippi: 2,385,768 countMississippi2,385,768Montana: 2,140,014 countMontana2,140,014Idaho: 1,976,199 countIdaho1,976,199Nebraska: 1,933,528 countNebraska1,933,528New Mexico: 1,862,673 countNew Mexico1,862,673New Hampshire: 1,417,949 countNew Hampshire1,417,949Maine: 1,387,656 countMaine1,387,656South Dakota: 1,346,517 countSouth Dakota1,346,517Hawaii: 1,235,360 countHawaii1,235,360West Virginia: 1,219,024 countWest Virginia1,219,024North Dakota: 925,186 countNorth Dakota925,186Wyoming: 870,969 countWyoming870,969Rhode Island: 801,654 countRhode Island801,654Alaska: 686,142 countAlaska686,142Vermont: 614,340 countVermont614,340Delaware: 472,175 countDelaware472,175District of Columbia: 363,287 countDistrict of Columbia363,287California: 31,349,073 countCalifornia31,349,073Texas: 23,012,990 countTexas23,012,990Florida: 19,180,165 countFlorida19,180,165Illinois: 11,003,729 countIllinois11,003,729Pennsylvania: 10,927,881 countPennsylvania10,927,881Ohio: 10,892,377 countOhio10,892,377Michigan: 9,556,452 countMichigan9,556,452New York: 9,408,796 countNew York9,408,796Georgia: 9,072,876 countGeorgia9,072,876North Carolina: 8,707,506 countNorth Carolina8,707,506Washington: 7,966,147 countWashington7,966,147Virginia: 7,652,036 countVirginia7,652,036Tennessee: 6,712,722 countTennessee6,712,722New Jersey: 6,249,905 countNew Jersey6,249,905Arizona: 6,064,542 countArizona6,064,542Wisconsin: 5,769,058 countWisconsin5,769,058Missouri: 5,603,939 countMissouri5,603,939Indiana: 5,552,566 countIndiana5,552,566Minnesota: 5,511,960 countMinnesota5,511,960Alabama: 5,479,971 countAlabama5,479,971Massachusetts: 5,207,052 countMassachusetts5,207,052Colorado: 5,096,394 countColorado5,096,394South Carolina: 5,091,679 countSouth Carolina5,091,679Maryland: 4,910,674 countMaryland4,910,674Kentucky: 4,408,730 countKentucky4,408,730Oregon: 4,010,635 countOregon4,010,635Louisiana: 3,862,490 countLouisiana3,862,490Iowa: 3,839,312 countIowa3,839,312Oklahoma: 3,353,167 countOklahoma3,353,167Arkansas: 3,214,781 countArkansas3,214,781Utah: 2,838,505 countUtah2,838,505Connecticut: 2,756,485 countConnecticut2,756,485Nevada: 2,676,143 countNevada2,676,143Kansas: 2,606,313 countKansas2,606,313Mississippi: 2,385,768 countMississippi2,385,768Montana: 2,140,014 countMontana2,140,014Idaho: 1,976,199 countIdaho1,976,199Nebraska: 1,933,528 countNebraska1,933,528New Mexico: 1,862,673 countNew Mexico1,862,673New Hampshire: 1,417,949 countNew Hampshire1,417,949Maine: 1,387,656 countMaine1,387,656South Dakota: 1,346,517 countSouth Dakota1,346,517Hawaii: 1,235,360 countHawaii1,235,360West Virginia: 1,219,024 countWest Virginia1,219,024North Dakota: 925,186 countNorth Dakota925,186Wyoming: 870,969 countWyoming870,969Rhode Island: 801,654 countRhode Island801,654Alaska: 686,142 countAlaska686,142Vermont: 614,340 countVermont614,340Delaware: 472,175 countDelaware472,175District of Columbia: 363,287 countDistrict of Columbia363,287
count. Source: FHWA, Table MV-1, State Motor-Vehicle Registrations (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2021
count		Change on 2020
1California31,349,073+3.1%
2Texas23,012,990+2.6%
3Florida19,180,165+3.9%
4Illinois11,003,729+3.9%
5Pennsylvania10,927,881+2.2%
6Ohio10,892,377+2.8%
7Michigan9,556,452+13.1%
8New York Estimated9,408,796-16.9%
9Georgia9,072,876+2.8%
10North Carolina8,707,506-0.4%
11Washington7,966,147+9.8%
12Virginia7,652,036+0.6%
13Tennessee6,712,722+14.6%
14New Jersey6,249,905+4.1%
15Arizona6,064,542+0.2%
16Wisconsin5,769,058+2.7%
17Missouri5,603,939+0.3%
18Indiana5,552,566-10.4%
19Minnesota5,511,960-3.1%
20Alabama5,479,971+3%
21Massachusetts5,207,052+3.4%
22Colorado5,096,394-4.8%
23South Carolina5,091,679+11.6%
24Maryland4,910,674+16.6%
25Kentucky4,408,730-1.1%
26Oregon4,010,635-2.1%
27Louisiana Estimated3,862,4900%
28Iowa3,839,312+1.4%
29Oklahoma3,353,167-10.1%
30Arkansas3,214,781+10.3%
31Utah2,838,505+14.5%
32Connecticut2,756,485-3.9%
33Nevada2,676,143+4.9%
34Kansas2,606,313+0.1%
35Mississippi2,385,768+15.9%
36Montana2,140,014+9.6%
37Idaho Estimated1,976,199+3%
38Nebraska1,933,528-0.1%
39New Mexico1,862,673+4.5%
40New Hampshire1,417,949+4.5%
41Maine1,387,656+23.8%
42South Dakota1,346,517+4%
43Hawaii1,235,360-0.8%
44West Virginia1,219,024-26.4%
45North Dakota925,186+2.9%
46Wyoming870,969+1.2%
47Rhode Island801,654-7.5%
48Alaska686,142-13.5%
49Vermont614,340+1%
50Delaware472,175-54%
51District of Columbia363,287+1.9%

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, 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states, US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. US states by registered motor vehicles, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states: US states by registered motor vehicles, 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-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2021. 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, 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-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/registered-motor-vehicles/us-states?period=2021.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by registered motor vehicles using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"registered_vehicles","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=registered_vehicles&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest registered motor vehicles?

California, with 31.35 million in 2021, according to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Which state has the lowest registered motor vehicles?

District of Columbia, with 363,287 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 (all motor vehicles, total), United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings