How Many Miles Americans Drive per Year

Key Findings

Americans drove a total of 3.29 trillion miles in 2024, across 282 million registered vehicles.
The average vehicle covers 11,327 miles per year, though this varies widely by vehicle type and state.
Wyoming residents drive the most per capita at 16,849 miles per year, while New York residents drive only 5,983.
Nearly 69% of all vehicle miles are driven on urban roads, with only 31% on rural roads.

Sources: FHWA Highway Statistics, Table VM-1 (2022); FHWA Table PS-1: Selected Measures for Identifying Peer States (2024)

Contents

Introduction
The National Average
Miles Driven by State
Miles by Vehicle Type
What Mileage Means for Fuel Cost

01 Introduction

How many miles you drive each year is one of the two primary inputs to your annual fuel cost (the other being your vehicle's fuel economy). Yet most drivers have only a rough sense of their annual mileage. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) tracks vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as one of its core transportation metrics, publishing detailed breakdowns by state, vehicle type, and road classification.

FHWA Highway Statistics Series, published annually by the Office of Highway Policy Information

This article presents the official FHWA numbers: national totals, state-by-state per capita rankings, and vehicle type breakdowns. These figures provide the foundation for understanding how driving patterns translate into fuel spending.

FHWA Table VM-1 (2022) and Table PS-1 (2024). All data published under 17 U.S.C. § 105 (U.S. public domain)

02 The National Average

In 2024, Americans drove a combined 3.294 trillion miles across approximately 282 million registered vehicles. That works out to an average of about 11,327 miles per vehicle per year, or roughly 944 miles per month.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024 data): total VMT 3,294,031 million miles. FHWA Table VM-1 (2022): 282,174,766 registered vehicles, average 11,327 miles per vehicle

This official average of 11,327 miles is notably lower than the commonly cited figure of 13,500 or 15,000 miles that appears in many consumer references. The discrepancy exists because the FHWA figure divides total VMT by all registered vehicles, including those driven infrequently or seasonally. The EPA uses 15,000 miles per year as its standard assumption for annual fuel cost labels on new vehicles.

FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1; EPA FuelEconomy.gov: "Fuel Economy label assumes 15,000 miles per year (55% city, 45% highway)"

Of the 3.29 trillion total miles, about 69% were driven on urban roads and 31% on rural roads. A large share of urban driving consists of daily commutes. This split has shifted steadily toward urban driving over the decades as population has concentrated in metropolitan areas.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024): Urban VMT 2,269,186 million (68.9%); Rural VMT 1,024,845 million (31.1%)

Which number should you use? For calculating your personal fuel cost, use your actual mileage from your odometer. If you do not know it, 12,000 miles per year is a reasonable middle ground between the FHWA's 11,327 average and the EPA's 15,000 assumption. Our calculator defaults to 12,000.

Practical recommendation based on FHWA and EPA reference values

03 Miles Driven by State

Per capita driving varies enormously by state. Residents of rural, sprawling states drive far more than those in dense, transit-rich states. The range is a 3.3x difference: Wyoming at 16,849 miles per person versus the District of Columbia at 5,133.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024 data): VMT per capita calculated as total state VMT divided by 2020 Census population

Fig. 1 Annual vehicle miles traveled per capita by state, top 10 and bottom 10. National average: 9,938 miles per capita. FHWA Table PS-1 (2024 data); 2020 Census population

The top-driving states share common characteristics: low population density, limited public transit, and economies that depend on long-distance driving (ranching, oil and gas, agriculture). Wyoming, with only 5.8 people per square mile, leads the nation. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Mexico also rank high.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024); U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census population density data

The lowest-driving states tend to be densely populated with robust transit systems. New York City alone accounts for a large share of New York state's low per-capita VMT, as millions of residents commute by subway, bus, and walking. DC, Rhode Island, and Hawaii are similarly compact or transit-accessible.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, means of transportation to work

Rank	State	VMT Per Capita	Total VMT (billions)
1	Wyoming	16,849	9.7
2	Alabama	14,510	73.0
3	Mississippi	14,033	41.7
4	New Mexico	13,527	28.4
5	Missouri	13,291	81.5
...
47	Pennsylvania	7,321	94.6
48	Hawaii	7,316	10.5
49	Rhode Island	6,977	7.6
50	New York	5,983	117.2
51	District of Columbia	5,133	3.6

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024). VMT per capita = total state VMT / 2020 Census population. Total VMT in billions of miles.

Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.

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04 Miles by Vehicle Type

Not all vehicles are driven the same amount. Light-duty vehicles (passenger cars and light trucks) average about 10,952 miles per year, while commercial combination trucks average 60,206 miles per year, more than five times as much.

FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1: average annual miles by vehicle type

Fig. 2 Average annual miles per vehicle by type (2022). Light-duty vehicles include passenger cars and light trucks (SUVs, pickups, vans under 10,000 lbs GVWR). FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1

Within the light-duty category, longer wheelbase vehicles (SUVs, full-size pickups, large vans) average 11,177 miles per year, slightly more than shorter wheelbase vehicles (sedans, compact SUVs) at 10,881 miles. This is notable because the vehicles that are driven more are also less fuel efficient, compounding their fuel cost impact by vehicle type.

FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1: Light Duty Short Wheelbase 10,881 mi/yr; Light Duty Long Wheelbase 11,177 mi/yr

Single-unit trucks (delivery trucks, box trucks, dump trucks) average 12,125 miles per year. Motorcycles average 2,259 miles. Buses vary widely from about 8,500 miles (transit buses with short urban routes) to over 26,000 miles (intercity buses).

FHWA Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1: single-unit trucks, motorcycles, and bus VMT averages

05 What Mileage Means for Fuel Cost

Annual mileage is a direct multiplier on fuel cost. A driver covering 15,000 miles per year in a 25 MPG vehicle spends $1,762 on fuel, contributing significantly to average household fuel spending (at $2.937/gallon), while a driver covering 10,000 miles in the same vehicle spends $1,175. That 5,000 mile difference costs $587 per year.

Calculated: 15,000/25 × $2.937 = $1,762; 10,000/25 × $2.937 = $1,175. EIA gasoline price, February 2026

Fig. 3 Annual fuel cost at different mileage levels for three representative vehicles: a 35 MPG sedan, a 25 MPG SUV, and an 18 MPG truck. Gas price: $2.937/gallon. Calculated: Miles ÷ MPG × $2.937. Representative MPG values from EPA class averages

The combination of high mileage and low fuel economy is particularly costly. A Wyoming resident driving 16,849 miles per year in an 18 MPG pickup truck would spend about $2,749 per year on fuel. A New York resident driving 5,983 miles in a 35 MPG sedan would spend about $502. That is a 5.5x difference in annual fuel cost driven entirely by mileage and vehicle choice.

Calculated: Wyoming pickup 16,849/18 × $2.937 = $2,749; NY sedan 5,983/35 × $2.937 = $502. FHWA per-capita VMT; EPA class averages

Fig. 4 Annual fuel cost by state per-capita VMT and vehicle type. Shows how geography and vehicle choice combine to determine total fuel spending. FHWA Table PS-1 per-capita VMT; EPA class averages; EIA gasoline price $2.937/gal