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Which states' residents drive the most per capita?

·Martha Sandoval

ddisq // Shutterstock
ddisq // Shutterstock
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If a symbol of the American lifestyle exists, it might very well be the car. So perhaps it's not surprising that, according to the Federal Highway Administration, the average American drives an average of 14,000 miles per year or just under 1,200 miles a month. That's enough for a round-trip drive from Miami to Seattle twice—with a few hundred miles left over.

Another way to measure driving is with vehicle miles traveled per capita, the sum of annual miles traveled by vehicles divided by the state's total population. Collectively, Americans drive roughly 3.2 trillion miles every year—which measures out to 9,780 miles per capita.

But people in different states drive different amounts. Population density and the cost of gas are among the factors influencing driving habits. CheapInsurance.com used data from the Federal Highway Administration and the Census Bureau to find out which state's residents do the most driving. The data are ranked by the average number of vehicle-miles driven in each state, by capita. Driving data are from September 20211 through August 2023, and population data are from 2022.

Southern and Western states lead the rankings of where drivers spend more time behind the wheel. The top five states are more rural and have lower population densities than others, meaning they may have longer distances to travel for work or regular errands. It's also likely they have less access to public transportation.

At the other end of the list, the five states with the lowest miles driven per capita are in the Northeast and along the Pacific coast. Some of them are home to cities with the best public transportation systems in the country.

Traffic moving slowly on the highway with the background of the Capitol Hill in D.C.

Drew Angerer // Getty Images

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#51. Washington DC

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 3.25 billion
---Per capita: 4,843.7

Busy traffic in New York City.

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#50. New York

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 112.65 billion
---Per capita: 5,724.9

Downtown Honolulu traffic.

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#49. Hawaii

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 10.48 billion
---Per capita: 7,278.2

City skyline.

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#48. Rhode Island

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 8.10 billion
---Per capita: 7,407.7

An aerial view of a highway intersection in Seattle.

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#47. Washington

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 59.18 billion
---Per capita: 7,600.6

Main street in a small town in Alaska.

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#46. Alaska

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 5.80 billion
---Per capita: 7,902.3

A busy highway going over a yellow bridge over a river in Pittsburgh.

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#45. Pennsylvania

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 103.89 billion
---Per capita: 8,008.7

Chicago traffic at sunset with the skyline in the background.

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#44. Illinois

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 101.66 billion
---Per capita: 8,079.8

Busy highway traffic and skyline of Los Angeles.

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#43. California

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 319.63 billion
---Per capita: 8,189.5

Modern downtown buildings along the road.

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#42. Connecticut

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 30.40 billion
---Per capita: 8,383.7

A view of New York City from the busy highway-loop in New Jersey.

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#41. New Jersey

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 78.62 billion
---Per capita: 8,488.2

Traffic in the city downtown.

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#40. Oregon

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 36.49 billion
---Per capita: 8,606.8

Colorful lights of Las Vegas city buildings and night traffic in the city.

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#39. Nevada

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 27.54 billion
---Per capita: 8,666.1

A city skyline over highways.

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#38. Massachusetts

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 62.12 billion
---Per capita: 8,897.6

A city skyline with a bridge over a river at sunset.

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#37. West Virginia

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 16.35 billion
---Per capita: 9,211.6

A city traffic with tall buildings along the road.

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#36. Maryland

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 57.68 billion
---Per capita: 9,355.9

An aerial view of a city and highways at dusk.

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#35. Colorado

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 54.67 billion
---Per capita: 9,361.6

Busy traffic on the highway at dusk.

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#34. Virginia

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 83.20 billion
---Per capita: 9,580.9

Main roads in the city with the skyline in the background.

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#33. Ohio

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 113.94 billion
---Per capita: 9,692.2

Highway surrounded by green fields and tall trees.

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#32. New Hampshire

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 13.61 billion
---Per capita: 9,753.9

A tall suspended bridge over the river with city views.

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#31. Delaware

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 10.02 billion
---Per capita: 9,839.0

City downtown traffic and historic buildings.

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#30. Michigan

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 99.17 billion
---Per capita: 9,883.6

City skyline and a road in the city.

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#29. Texas

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 299.85 billion
---Per capita: 9,985.0

A few cars on a highway surrounded by yellow fields.

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#28. Idaho

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 19.47 billion
---Per capita: 10,043.2

Skyline of the city at dusk with a bridge over the river in the foreground.

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#27. Minnesota

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 57.78 billion
---Per capita: 10,106.9

Traffic on a highway with the snowy mountain peaks in the background.

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#26. Utah

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 34.35 billion
---Per capita: 10,161.5

Skyline view of the city with city traffic.

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#25. Iowa

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 33.15 billion
---Per capita: 10,356.1

A congested highway.

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#24. Arizona

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 77.38 billion
---Per capita: 10,514.5

Interstate highway leading downtown.

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#23. Florida

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 234.29 billion
---Per capita: 10,532.4

A highway in the middle of green fields and trees passing over a river.

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#22. Nebraska

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 20.86 billion
---Per capita: 10,598.5

A city downtown surrounded by green hills.

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#21. South Dakota

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 9.75 billion
---Per capita: 10,718.6

A highway with little traffic surrounded by green woods.

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#20. Vermont

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 6.97 billion
---Per capita: 10,774.8

A pickup truck driving on foggy morning rural highway.

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#19. Maine

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 14.93 billion
---Per capita: 10,780.0

An aerial view of highways with the city skyline.

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#18. Kansas

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 31.67 billion
---Per capita: 10,782.2

An aerial view of a suspended highway.

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#17. Kentucky

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 50.26 billion
---Per capita: 11,138.4

Downtown view of a city.

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#16. North Carolina

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 119.59 billion
---Per capita: 11,178.1

An aerial view of a large highway interchange.

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#15. Wisconsin

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 65.88 billion
---Per capita: 11,179.9

A city skyline with roads around it.

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#14. Oklahoma

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 45.20 billion
---Per capita: 11,243.3

A city downtown with a raised road in the center.

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#13. South Carolina

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 60.26 billion
---Per capita: 11,407.8

City skyline with roads leading to the city in the foreground.

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#12. Georgia

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 125.48 billion
---Per capita: 11,498.3

A city view with the roads in the foreground.

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#11. Indiana

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 80.70 billion
---Per capita: 11,810.9

An aerial view of city skyline at dusk.

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#10. North Dakota

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 9.33 billion
---Per capita: 11,978.0

Main road in a small town with tree-covered mountains surrounding it.

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#9. Tennessee

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 84.72 billion
---Per capita: 12,014.5

Downtown traffic in small town with mountains in the background.

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#8. Montana

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 13.53 billion
---Per capita: 12,045.1

Signs on freeway in New Orleans.

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#7. Louisiana

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 55.33 billion
---Per capita: 12,054.7

Traffic in a town decorated for holidays.

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#6. Arkansas

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 38.25 billion
---Per capita: 12,560.3

Traffic in St. Louis on 7th Street.

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#5. Missouri

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 80.59 billion
---Per capita: 13,045.1

Long stretch of highway with mountains in the background.

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#4. New Mexico

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 27.62 billion
---Per capita: 13,068.4

An high-angle view of cars driving on the interstate.

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#3. Mississippi

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 40.49 billion
---Per capita: 13,771.5

An aerial view of a city and highways leading to it.

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#2. Alabama

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 77.64 billion
---Per capita: 15,300.3

Traffic jam on roads with drifting snow.

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#1. Wyoming

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 10.69 billion
---Per capita: 18,378.7

Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.

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