How Many Miles Does the Average Person Drive a Year?

Key Findings

The average licensed driver logs about 13,735 miles a year; the average vehicle covers 11,327 miles a year, two different, both-correct numbers depending on whether you're asking about people or cars.
Americans drove a total of 3.29 trillion miles in 2024, across 282 million registered vehicles and 239.8 million licensed drivers.
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
Data Sources

01 Introduction

The average American vehicle travels 11,327 miles per year, and Americans drove a combined 3.29 trillion miles in 2024, according to FHWA data. 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. FHWA's most recent registered-vehicle count (282 million, from 2022) paired with that year's 3.196 trillion-mile VM-1 total works out to an average of about 11,327 miles per vehicle per year, or roughly 944 miles per month, a 2022 figure, since FHWA's vehicle-registration count isn't available for 2024 yet.

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

The FHWA average of 11,327 miles is per registered vehicle, including cars driven infrequently or seasonally, while the average licensed driver actually logs about 13,735 miles a year, computed by dividing 2024's 3.294 trillion total VMT by the 239.8 million licensed drivers FHWA counted that year. A driver-level figure comes out higher than a vehicle-level one because it isn't dragged down by second cars, work trucks, and other vehicles that see little use. Separately, EPA's annual fuel cost estimate for a vehicle assumes 15,000 miles a year and 55% city driving, which is a planning assumption rather than a measured average.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024): total VMT 3,294,031 million miles. FHWA Table DL-22 (2024 data, published February 2026): 239,824,944 total licensed drivers nationally. 3,294,031,000,000 ÷ 239,824,944 = 13,735 miles per licensed driver. 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, our calculator defaults to 12,000 miles a year, between the FHWA per-vehicle average (11,327) and per-driver average (13,735).

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

Wyoming, with 5.9 people per square mile in the 2020 Census, leads the nation. Alabama (14,510), Mississippi (14,033) and New Mexico (13,527) follow.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024): per-capita VMT and 2020 population per square mile

The lowest per-capita figures are the District of Columbia (5,133), New York (5,983), Rhode Island (6,977), Hawaii (7,316) and Pennsylvania (7,321). New York's total of 120.9 billion vehicle-miles is among the largest in the table, so its low per-capita figure reflects its population, not low total driving.

FHWA Table PS-1 (2024)

Rank	State	VMT Per Capita	Total VMT (billions)
1	Wyoming	16,849	9.7
2	Alabama	14,510	72.9
3	Mississippi	14,033	41.6
4	New Mexico	13,527	28.6
5	Missouri	13,291	81.8
...
47	Pennsylvania	7,321	95.2
48	Hawaii	7,316	10.6
49	Rhode Island	6,977	7.7
50	New York	5,983	120.9
51	District of Columbia	5,133	3.5

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.

Use the Calculator

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 60,205 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.

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 12,328 miles per year. Motorcycles average 2,587 miles. Buses average about 19,300 miles per year.

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 vehicle averaging 29.2 MPG (the EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide average for midsize cars, model years 2024–2025) spends $1,592 on fuel at $3.10 per gallon (the 2025 EIA average for regular gasoline), while a driver covering 10,000 miles in the same vehicle spends $1,061. That 5,000 mile difference costs $531 per year.

Calculated: 15,000 ÷ 29.19 × $3.097 = $1,592; 10,000 ÷ 29.19 × $3.097 = $1,061. MPG: EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide database (vehicles.csv), midsize cars, non-electric, model years 2024–2025. Price: EIA weekly U.S. regular gasoline, 2025 mean (pswrgvwall.xls).

Fig. 3 Annual fuel cost at different mileage levels for three vehicle groups: midsize cars (29.2 MPG), standard SUVs (19.6 MPG) and standard pickups (18.3 MPG). Gas price: $3.10/gallon. Calculated: miles ÷ MPG × $3.097. MPG: EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide database, class averages for model years 2024–2025 (see how much a road trip costs in gas).

The combination of high mileage and low fuel economy is particularly costly. A Wyoming resident driving 16,849 miles per year in a standard pickup (18.3 MPG) would spend about $2,858 per year on fuel. A New York resident driving 5,983 miles in a midsize car (29.2 MPG) would spend about $635. That is a 4.5x difference in annual fuel cost driven by mileage and vehicle choice.

Calculated: Wyoming 16,849 ÷ 18.26 × $3.097 = $2,858; New York 5,983 ÷ 29.19 × $3.097 = $635. FHWA Table PS-1 per-capita VMT; EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide class averages; EIA 2025 mean price.

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/DOE Fuel Economy Guide class averages; EIA 2025 mean price $3.10/gal

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

Use the Calculator

06 Data Sources

Federal Highway Administration: Highway Statistics 2022, Table VM-1: Annual Vehicle Distance Traveled in Miles and Related Data. fhwa.dot.gov
Federal Highway Administration: Table PS-1: Selected Measures for Identifying Peer States, February 2026. fhwa.dot.gov
U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Census Population Data. census.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration: Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices. eia.gov

Disclaimer. This article is for informational purposes only. All data is sourced from U.S. government agencies as cited. VMT per capita uses 2020 Census population with 2024 VMT data; actual per-driver figures would be higher since not all residents drive. The FHWA average of 11,327 miles per vehicle includes all registered vehicles, some of which are driven infrequently. Individual driving patterns vary significantly by occupation, commute distance, and lifestyle.