The need for speed, the open road, the wind in your face—there are plenty of reasons to own a motorcycle.
Motorcyclists are sometimes adrenaline-seekers, and maybe it's because they receive positive feedback in the saddle. A University of California, Los Angeles study published in 2019 and sponsored by Harley-Davidson Inc. showed that riding reduced stress in participants while increasing their heart rates, adrenaline levels, and brain activity.
Motorcycles are also cheaper than cars, and in places where personal transportation is needed to get around—which includes most of the United States—that can make a huge difference. Despite falling 2.4% year over year, the average price of a new car reached $48,759 in December 2023. The average new bike costs less than a quarter of that amount.
Advances in electric batteries and e-motorcycles are making it more sustainable to ride too. Motorcycles produce significantly more pollution per kilometer than cars, so widespread adoption of these more sustainable machines could put a serious dent in planet-warming emissions.
Cheap Insurance compiled a ranking of the states with the most motorcycle owners using data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Motorcycle registration figures were from Jan. 1, 2023, and were normalized per 10,000 residents using estimated state populations from the Census Bureau as of July.
From Alaska to Florida, the United States is home to nearly 8.8 million registered motorcycles. California leads the nation in total ownership, while Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas round out the top five states. While the Lone Star State ranks high for having the most owners, it falls to 50th on this list with only 129 motorcycles per 10,000 residents, ahead of only Washington D.C., with 68 motorcycles per 10,000 residents.
When looking at the number of motorcycles per 10,000 residents, three of the top eight states have a population of 1 million or fewer, and only two of the top 10 have more than 2 million citizens.
