FHWA’s Highway Statistics table MV-1 reported 97,413,321 U.S. registrations in its AUTOMOBILES category for reporting year 2024. The figures here follow that published category; they are not totals for all motor vehicles or a universal measure of passenger or light-duty vehicles. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
The table separates private and commercial registrations, including taxicabs, from publicly owned automobiles. The selected historical and geographic comparisons below retain FHWA’s category labels and reporting years. Reporting practices and a change from estimates to state-reported data affect how the figures can be compared. Source: FHWA registration guide; Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Contents
- US passenger vehicle registrations statistics: U.S. automobile registrations in 2024: total and ownership
- US passenger vehicle registrations statistics: National automobile registration totals across selected years
- US passenger vehicle registrations statistics: Selected large state automobile fleets in 2024
- US passenger vehicle registrations: Automobile registrations across more U.S. states
- US passenger vehicle registrations: 2024 automobile registrations in selected smaller jurisdictions
- US passenger vehicle registrations: Private and commercial versus publicly owned automobiles in selected states
- Sources
US passenger vehicle registrations statistics: U.S. automobile registrations in 2024: total and ownership
The U.S. total was 97,413,321 automobiles in reporting year 2024. Of these, 96,058,245 were in the private and commercial category, which includes taxicabs, and 1,355,076 were publicly owned. The two ownership figures add to the published total. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
“Private and commercial” does not mean household-owned vehicles alone. The public figure is an aggregate; MV-1 does not supply a federal, state, or local government breakdown in these reported figures. The ownership labels describe how the table groups registrations, not a more detailed account of who uses or controls each automobile. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
MV-1 has separate columns for automobiles, trucks, buses, and motorcycles. This article uses only the published AUTOMOBILES category. It does not treat that category as all motor vehicles or assume it captures every vehicle commonly described as a passenger vehicle or light-duty vehicle. SUV and pickup classification must not be generalized across states and reporting vintages: the published categories and state reporting may differ. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024; Source: FHWA registration guide
US passenger vehicle registrations statistics: National automobile registration totals across selected years
FHWA’s published U.S. automobile totals for selected reporting years are listed below. Each is the table’s reported total for that year, not a count of vehicles newly sold. The sequence omits years, so it is a set of selected observations rather than a complete annual series. Sources: FHWA Table MV-1, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024
| Reporting year | U.S. automobile registrations |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 112,864,228 |
| 2018 | 111,242,132 |
| 2019 | 108,547,710 |
| 2020 | 105,135,300 |
| 2021 | 102,724,349 |
| 2024 | 97,413,321 |
Across these selected entries, each successive listed total is lower than the one before it. That observation describes the values shown, not every intervening year. For example, subtracting the 2024 value from the 2015 value gives a difference of 15,450,907 registrations; it does not, by itself, establish a comparable annual growth rate or explain the difference. Sources: FHWA Table MV-1, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024
FHWA’s registration guide allows calendar-year or state-fiscal-year reporting and discusses the challenge of collecting changing registration records with consistent snapshots. Retain each year as published: the data should not be described as uniform calendar-year snapshots, newly sold vehicles, unique physical vehicles observed on roads, or household ownership. Source: FHWA registration guide
There is a specific comparability caveat around 2024. The 2024 table says it reports state-supplied data without FHWA estimation procedures except where noted. It also identifies a transition from estimated 2022 and 2023 figures to actual state-reported 2024 data. Those estimated years are omitted above; the selected totals do not establish a clean comparable annual trend through 2024. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
US passenger vehicle registrations statistics: Selected large state automobile fleets in 2024
These selected state counts illustrate the scale of reported automobile totals in several states. They are not an exhaustive list or a national top-ten ranking. Each figure is for reporting year 2024 and the MV-1 AUTOMOBILES category. Source for all entries: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
California reported 12,979,522 automobile registrations. Texas reported 7,281,613, and Florida 7,210,114. New York’s count was 6,474,059. These four entries show how the selected counts vary, while preserving the table’s state-reported category and year. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Other selected states reported 3,805,614 in Ohio, 3,514,238 in Illinois, 3,371,581 in Pennsylvania, 3,206,610 in Georgia, 3,005,649 in North Carolina, and 2,494,236 in Michigan. The values are absolute counts; they have not been adjusted for population or differences in state reporting. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Within this selected group, California has the largest published count. Texas and Florida are close in the table: Texas’s reported total exceeds Florida’s by 71,499, calculated by subtracting 7,210,114 from 7,281,613. That arithmetic comparison does not account for population or reporting differences. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
US passenger vehicle registrations: Automobile registrations across more U.S. states
The following 2024 entries extend the geographic comparison beyond the preceding group. They are selected examples, not a complete state ranking. Each value remains an absolute count in the published automobile category, not a per-capita rate or a measure of vehicle ownership by residents. Source for all entries: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Virginia reported 2,833,864 automobile registrations and Washington reported 2,535,919. Arizona’s total was 2,287,531, while Tennessee reported 2,253,028. These pairs are close in scale within the selected examples, but the figures alone do not establish comparable registration rates. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Further selected counts were 1,908,452 in Maryland, 1,791,108 in Indiana, 1,706,714 in Massachusetts, and 1,626,951 in Wisconsin. Louisiana reported 1,370,563, and Colorado reported 1,356,526. Together, these entries show the range within this sample of states; they should not be read as a ranking of residents’ vehicle ownership. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
For a direct arithmetic comparison, Virginia’s published count exceeds Washington’s by 297,945 (2,833,864 minus 2,535,919). Without a population denominator and harmonized reporting definitions, that difference remains a comparison of reported totals only. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
US passenger vehicle registrations: 2024 automobile registrations in selected smaller jurisdictions
Five selected jurisdictions had reported counts between 122,678 and 166,107 in the 2024 automobile category. The group includes the District of Columbia as well as states; it is illustrative, not a complete list of smaller jurisdictions. Source for all entries: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Alaska reported 122,678 registrations, Delaware 148,493, and the District of Columbia 150,476. Vermont’s count was 164,231, while Wyoming’s was 166,107. These values make the range in this selected group visible, but do not measure registrations per resident or show how state vehicle categories map onto one another. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
The figures are absolute counts under MV-1’s published automobile label. As with the state comparisons above, their meaning is limited by category and reporting differences; they should not be taken as a direct measure of relative vehicle ownership. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024; Source: FHWA registration guide
US passenger vehicle registrations: Private and commercial versus publicly owned automobiles in selected states
MV-1 divides each state’s automobile total into private and commercial registrations, including taxicabs, and publicly owned registrations. The table below compares the categories for ten selected states, with the total included to show their relationship to each state’s automobile count. The selection matches the preceding large-state examples; it is not a national ranking. “Private and commercial” is not synonymous with private household ownership. Source for all entries: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
| State | Private and commercial, including taxicabs | Publicly owned | Total automobiles |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,737,763 | 241,759 | 12,979,522 |
| Texas | 7,184,055 | 97,558 | 7,281,613 |
| Florida | 7,113,843 | 96,271 | 7,210,114 |
| New York | 6,452,828 | 21,231 | 6,474,059 |
| Ohio | 3,767,531 | 38,083 | 3,805,614 |
| Illinois | 3,443,638 | 70,600 | 3,514,238 |
| Georgia | 3,154,970 | 51,640 | 3,206,610 |
| North Carolina | 2,963,141 | 42,508 | 3,005,649 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,331,835 | 39,746 | 3,371,581 |
| Michigan | 2,493,266 | 970 | 2,494,236 |
For each state shown, the private and commercial count plus the publicly owned count equals the total in the final column. California’s public count is 241,759, while Michigan’s is 970 in the published table. The table does not break public registrations down by level of government. FHWA notes that some jurisdictions did not report government registrations for one or more vehicle types, so small public counts should not be read as proof of unusually small real government fleets. Source: FHWA Table MV-1, 2024
Sources
- State Motor-Vehicle Registrations — 2024, FHWA Table MV-1
- State Motor-Vehicle Registrations — 2015, FHWA Table MV-1
- State Motor-Vehicle Registrations — 2018, FHWA Table MV-1
- State Motor-Vehicle Registrations — 2019, FHWA Table MV-1
- State Motor-Vehicle Registrations — 2020, FHWA Table MV-1
- State Motor-Vehicle Registrations — 2021, FHWA Table MV-1
- Highway Statistics 2024 — FHWA
- FHWA Highway Finance Data Collection, Chapter 3: Motor-Vehicle Registration and Taxation