Data / Rankings / Voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over) / US states

US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over)

Mississippi had the highest voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over) of 51 states in 2012, at 84.2%. Hawaii had the lowest, at 58.9%. The median was 73% and the figure for the United States was 71.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest84.2Mississippi
Lowest58.9Hawaii
Median7351 states
United States71.2History

Map of states, 2012

Alabama: 73.5 %Alaska: 72.8 %Arizona: 65.2 %Arkansas: 65.3 %California: 65.6 %Colorado: 74.4 %Connecticut: 70.4 %Delaware: 73.3 %District of Columbia: 83.4 %Florida: 68.3 %Georgia: 70.7 %Hawaii: 58.9 %Idaho: 70 %Illinois: 72.7 %Indiana: 69.2 %Iowa: 78.2 %Kansas: 74.4 %Kentucky: 72.1 %Louisiana: 77.1 %Maine: 77.1 %Maryland: 72.1 %Massachusetts: 78.7 %Michigan: 77.8 %Minnesota: 79 %Mississippi: 84.2 %Missouri: 76.7 %Montana: 73.3 %Nebraska: 69.5 %Nevada: 65 %New Hampshire: 75.9 %New Jersey: 73 %New Mexico: 68.6 %New York: 67.9 %North Carolina: 78.9 %North Dakota: 74.5 %Ohio: 71.1 %Oklahoma: 66.1 %Oregon: 74.3 %Pennsylvania: 71.9 %Rhode Island: 73.5 %South Carolina: 73.3 %South Dakota: 74.8 %Tennessee: 68.6 %Texas: 66.9 %Utah: 63.5 %Vermont: 73.4 %Virginia: 74.6 %Washington: 73.1 %West Virginia: 68.1 %Wisconsin: 78.1 %Wyoming: 63.9 %
  • Under 67
  • 67 to 70
  • 70 to 73
  • 73 to 74
  • 74 to 77
  • 77 and over
%, 2012. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2012

Mississippi: 84.2 %Mississippi84.2District of Columbia: 83.4 %District of Columbia83.4Minnesota: 79 %Minnesota79North Carolina: 78.9 %North Carolina78.9Massachusetts: 78.7 %Massachusetts78.7Iowa: 78.2 %Iowa78.2Wisconsin: 78.1 %Wisconsin78.1Michigan: 77.8 %Michigan77.8Louisiana: 77.1 %Louisiana77.1Maine: 77.1 %Maine77.1Missouri: 76.7 %Missouri76.7New Hampshire: 75.9 %New Hampshire75.9South Dakota: 74.8 %South Dakota74.8Virginia: 74.6 %Virginia74.6North Dakota: 74.5 %North Dakota74.5Colorado: 74.4 %Colorado74.4Kansas: 74.4 %Kansas74.4Oregon: 74.3 %Oregon74.3Alabama: 73.5 %Alabama73.5Rhode Island: 73.5 %Rhode Island73.5Vermont: 73.4 %Vermont73.4Delaware: 73.3 %Delaware73.3Montana: 73.3 %Montana73.3South Carolina: 73.3 %South Carolina73.3Washington: 73.1 %Washington73.1New Jersey: 73 %New Jersey73Alaska: 72.8 %Alaska72.8Illinois: 72.7 %Illinois72.7Kentucky: 72.1 %Kentucky72.1Maryland: 72.1 %Maryland72.1Pennsylvania: 71.9 %Pennsylvania71.9Ohio: 71.1 %Ohio71.1Georgia: 70.7 %Georgia70.7Connecticut: 70.4 %Connecticut70.4Idaho: 70 %Idaho70Nebraska: 69.5 %Nebraska69.5Indiana: 69.2 %Indiana69.2New Mexico: 68.6 %New Mexico68.6Tennessee: 68.6 %Tennessee68.6Florida: 68.3 %Florida68.3West Virginia: 68.1 %West Virginia68.1New York: 67.9 %New York67.9Texas: 66.9 %Texas66.9Oklahoma: 66.1 %Oklahoma66.1California: 65.6 %California65.6Arkansas: 65.3 %Arkansas65.3Arizona: 65.2 %Arizona65.2Nevada: 65 %Nevada65Wyoming: 63.9 %Wyoming63.9Utah: 63.5 %Utah63.5Hawaii: 58.9 %Hawaii58.9Mississippi: 84.2 %Mississippi84.2District of Columbia: 83.4 %District of Columbia83.4Minnesota: 79 %Minnesota79North Carolina: 78.9 %North Carolina78.9Massachusetts: 78.7 %Massachusetts78.7Iowa: 78.2 %Iowa78.2Wisconsin: 78.1 %Wisconsin78.1Michigan: 77.8 %Michigan77.8Louisiana: 77.1 %Louisiana77.1Maine: 77.1 %Maine77.1Missouri: 76.7 %Missouri76.7New Hampshire: 75.9 %New Hampshire75.9South Dakota: 74.8 %South Dakota74.8Virginia: 74.6 %Virginia74.6North Dakota: 74.5 %North Dakota74.5Colorado: 74.4 %Colorado74.4Kansas: 74.4 %Kansas74.4Oregon: 74.3 %Oregon74.3Alabama: 73.5 %Alabama73.5Rhode Island: 73.5 %Rhode Island73.5Vermont: 73.4 %Vermont73.4Delaware: 73.3 %Delaware73.3Montana: 73.3 %Montana73.3South Carolina: 73.3 %South Carolina73.3Washington: 73.1 %Washington73.1New Jersey: 73 %New Jersey73Alaska: 72.8 %Alaska72.8Illinois: 72.7 %Illinois72.7Kentucky: 72.1 %Kentucky72.1Maryland: 72.1 %Maryland72.1Pennsylvania: 71.9 %Pennsylvania71.9Ohio: 71.1 %Ohio71.1Georgia: 70.7 %Georgia70.7Connecticut: 70.4 %Connecticut70.4Idaho: 70 %Idaho70Nebraska: 69.5 %Nebraska69.5Indiana: 69.2 %Indiana69.2New Mexico: 68.6 %New Mexico68.6Tennessee: 68.6 %Tennessee68.6Florida: 68.3 %Florida68.3West Virginia: 68.1 %West Virginia68.1New York: 67.9 %New York67.9Texas: 66.9 %Texas66.9Oklahoma: 66.1 %Oklahoma66.1California: 65.6 %California65.6Arkansas: 65.3 %Arkansas65.3Arizona: 65.2 %Arizona65.2Nevada: 65 %Nevada65Wyoming: 63.9 %Wyoming63.9Utah: 63.5 %Utah63.5Hawaii: 58.9 %Hawaii58.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2012 (%)
1Mississippi84.2
2District of Columbia83.4
3Minnesota79
4North Carolina78.9
5Massachusetts78.7
6Iowa78.2
7Wisconsin78.1
8Michigan77.8
9Louisiana77.1
9Maine77.1
11Missouri76.7
12New Hampshire75.9
13South Dakota74.8
14Virginia74.6
15North Dakota74.5
16Colorado74.4
16Kansas74.4
18Oregon74.3
19Alabama73.5
19Rhode Island73.5
21Vermont73.4
22Delaware73.3
22Montana73.3
22South Carolina73.3
25Washington73.1
26New Jersey73
27Alaska72.8
28Illinois72.7
29Kentucky72.1
29Maryland72.1
31Pennsylvania71.9
32Ohio71.1
33Georgia70.7
34Connecticut70.4
35Idaho70
36Nebraska69.5
37Indiana69.2
38New Mexico68.6
38Tennessee68.6
40Florida68.3
41West Virginia68.1
42New York67.9
43Texas66.9
44Oklahoma66.1
45California65.6
46Arkansas65.3
47Arizona65.2
48Nevada65
49Wyoming63.9
50Utah63.5
51Hawaii58.9

Other periods

About this ranking

Share of US citizens aged 18 and over who report being registered to vote in the November election, as a percentage of the citizen population 18 and over, from the Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau. States are where respondents live. The year is the year of the election.

Estimates from a household survey taken after each November election, so state figures carry a margin of error, stored with each value; values whose margin is 5 percentage points or more are marked low reliability. People report their own registration and voting, and more say they voted than official counts show, so these rates run above turnout computed from ballots cast. Respondents who did not answer the voting questions count as not having voted or registered. Elections are every two years; turnout is lower in midterm years than in presidential years.

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

U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls. 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

U.S. Census Bureau. (2016). Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population (US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over), 2012) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls

MLA 9

Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population, US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over), 2012. U.S. Census Bureau, 22 Feb. 2016, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/voter-registration-rate/us-states?period=2012. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2016. Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population. US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over), 2012. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/voter-registration-rate/us-states?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2016) Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population, US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over), 2012 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/voter-registration-rate/us-states?period=2012 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_voter_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population: US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over), 2012}},
  year = {2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/voter-registration-rate/us-states?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population: US states by voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over), 2012
PY  - 2016
DA  - 2016/02/22
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/voter-registration-rate/us-states?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/voter-registration-rate/us-states?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/p20/568/table04a.xls. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over)?

Mississippi, with 84.2% in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest voter registration rate (reported, citizens 18 and over)?

Hawaii, with 58.9% in 2012.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, November supplement, Table 4a: reported voting and registration for states, percent registered of the citizen population. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings