Average miles driven per year in the U.S.

Average miles driven per year broken down by state

Americans drive a lot, but how much they drive depends a lot on the state where they live. For instance, while populous California accounts for 340 billion miles driven each year — more than any other state — the average driver only covers 12,500 miles annually, less than the nationwide average. On the other hand, Oklahoma posts just 44 billion miles each year (85 percent less than California), but each driver averages 17,700 miles, far more than the average American.

A variety of factors — like fuel costs and density — account for the vast differences between driving habits in each state. Whether you’re cruising around Rhode Island (9,900 miles per year on average) or sailing past Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico (19,100 miles per year on average), you are a part of a collective of drivers who cover more than 3 trillion miles annually in their cars. 

Below, we have a table with the most recent data from the Federal Highway Administration showing how many miles each state drives in total and per driver.

While it’s interesting to see all of that driving data in one place, it’s even more compelling to look at trends that connect various states together. Read on to see a deep dive into the states where people drive the most and the least.

States where Americans drive the most

Five states from the South and the West top the list of places where Americans drive the most on average. You can check them out below, along with their average miles driven per year.

1. Wyoming: 24,069 average miles per year
2. Mississippi: 19,966 average miles per year
3. New Mexico: 19,157 average miles per year
4. Missouri: 18,521 average miles per year
5. Georgia: 18,334 average miles per year

The above states are typically more rural and have less population density than other states. Because of this, these states tend to have fewer options for other methods of transportation, making driving a more convenient way to travel.

States where Americans drive the least

The states with the lowest average miles driven per year hail from the East and the broader Pacific Northwest. Below you can find the states that drive the least and their average miles driven per year.

1. District of Columbia: 7,013 miles
2. Rhode Island: 9,961 miles
3. New York: 10,167 miles
4. Washington: 10,949 miles
5. Alaska: 11,111 miles

Most of the states with the lowest average miles driven per year boast some of the best public transportation systems in the nation. As the place that Americans drive the least, Washington D.C. is home to one of the largest public transit systems in the country — 25 transit routes are less than half a mile from an average neighborhood block.

Public transportation is often a more affordable and efficient way to travel than by car in these states, so the average number of miles driven is typically lower. Fuel costs can also contribute to whether people drive less on average. Both Washington and Alaska are among the top 10 states with the highest prices for a gallon of regular gas.

How demographics affect average miles driven per year

Significant differences in driving behaviors exist among groups according to age and gender, according to the most recent available data from the FHWA. 

Age

It’s no surprise that age tends to influence average driving trends. Older adults who are retired typically don’t have a commute to work, and high school students may have alternate methods of transportation. The data reveals that working-age adults who most likely have to commute to their jobs drive the most miles on average.

• Young drivers ages 16-19 and adults over 65 drive the least out of all the age groups. Both of these groups drive a similar amount of miles on average — around 7,600 miles a year.
• Working-age adults drive the most out of all age groups, with the 20-44 age groups driving 15,300 miles on average.

Gender

When it comes to driving, the data reveals that men drive more miles on average than women. These gender differences play out in a number of ways when both age and gender are taken into account. Find some notable differences below.

• Across all age groups, men drive more than women, though this difference is most pronounced in working-age adults, where men drive 7,500 miles more each year than women.
• Women over 65 drive the least — just 4,700 miles per year, compared to middle-aged men, who drive the most at 18,800 miles each year.

The average number of miles driven per year fell dramatically during the pandemic

After strict quarantine and lockdown measures began in March 2020, many roads across the United States were virtually abandoned. With so many people working from home or unemployed, daily commutes became far less common. Meanwhile, closures of most public places meant that Americans were largely confined to their homes, leading to a dramatic reduction in the number of miles driven nationwide (and an increase in quarantine hobbies).

While the Federal Highway Administration has not yet reported precise driving statistics for 2020, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics created a metric for estimating changes in vehicle travel throughout the pandemic. This metric was established by calculating the median trip count, distance traveled, average trip distance by day of the week and trip duration to create an observed value to compare against the median typical value for that day of the week. After establishing a baseline for vehicle travel based on the period prior to March 2020, the BTS calculated reductions in nationwide automobile travel for the rest of the calendar year.

The sharpest reductions took place early on, when vehicle travel decreased 60 percent near the beginning of April. While vehicle travel began to return to normal over the course of the summer, it nonetheless remained on average 10 percent lower than typical.

Americans may be driving less, but traffic accidents are on the rise

Over the course of 2020, vehicle miles traveled decreased by about 13%, or 430 billion miles. Even with this reduction, fatal accident rates increased from 1.11 per 100 miles traveled in 2019 to 1.37 per 100 million miles traveled in 2020 — a 7% increase in fatalities. As the nation began to open back up in 2021, the number of miles traveled increased by nearly 8%, but this number is still lower than pre-pandemic normals. With more drivers back on the road, the number of fatalities is also up by about 10% compared to 2020.

With the pandemic here to stay for the near future, we will see if these changes in automobile travel are short-lived or signs of lasting change. With more Americans working from home or looking to live in sustainable and smart cities, the average number of miles driven each year may be on the decline for years to come.

Additionally, the rise of micromobility — traveling with short-range vehicles like electric scooters — may well reshape the roads we drive on daily, especially in urban areas. And with Americans spending more time in their own homes and less on the road, we may have already seen the peak in annual mileage come and go.