- Wyoming leads the nation at 16,849 VMT per capita, driven by long rural distances and a sparse population.
- Washington D.C. has the lowest per-capita VMT at 5,133 miles, reflecting its dense urban layout and heavy transit use.
- The national average is 9,938 miles per capita per year, according to FHWA data.
- Total U.S. VMT reached nearly 3.2 trillion miles in 2022, up about 2.0% from 2021.
01 States with the Most Miles
States where residents drive the most per capita tend to be rural, spread out, and lack significant public transit. The FHWA tracks vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by state, which can be divided by population to produce per-capita figures.
FHWA, Highway Statistics Series, Table PS-1: Selected Measures for Identifying Peer States, 2024 edition (rural + urban VMT and population by state)| Rank | State | VMT per Capita | Est. Annual Fuel Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 16,849 | $2,346 |
| 2 | Alabama | 14,510 | $2,020 |
| 3 | Mississippi | 14,033 | $1,954 |
| 4 | New Mexico | 13,527 | $1,884 |
| 5 | Missouri | 13,291 | $1,851 |
| 6 | Arkansas | 13,074 | $1,820 |
| 7 | Indiana | 13,003 | $1,811 |
| 8 | North Dakota | 12,874 | $1,793 |
| 9 | Montana | 12,788 | $1,781 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 12,549 | $1,747 |
Wyoming’s top ranking reflects its vast distances between population centers and near-total reliance on personal vehicles. The state has virtually no public transit outside of small local systems, and commute distances are among the longest in the nation for rural workers.
FHWA, NHTS, trip distance by state; Census ACS, mode of transportation data for Wyoming02 States with the Fewest Miles
States and jurisdictions with lower per-capita VMT tend to have dense urban areas, extensive transit systems, or both. New York, with its New York City transit network, and D.C. consistently rank at the bottom.
FHWA, Highway Statistics Series, Table PS-1: Selected Measures for Identifying Peer States, 2024 edition| Rank | State | VMT per Capita | Est. Annual Fuel Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | D.C. | 5,133 | $715 |
| 50 | New York | 5,983 | $833 |
| 49 | Rhode Island | 6,977 | $971 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 7,316 | $1,019 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | 7,321 | $1,019 |
| 46 | Alaska | 7,503 | $1,045 |
| 45 | Washington | 7,859 | $1,094 |
| 44 | Illinois | 8,140 | $1,133 |
| 43 | California | 8,244 | $1,148 |
| 42 | New Jersey | 8,554 | $1,191 |
Estimate your vehicle's driving cost using official EPA fuel economy data.
Use the Calculator03 Total VMT by State
Total VMT (not per capita) is driven by population size. California and Texas, as the two most populous states, generate the most total vehicle miles even though their per-capita rates are comparatively moderate to low.
FHWA, Highway Statistics Series, Table PS-1: Selected Measures for Identifying Peer States, 2024 edition: rural + urban VMT and population by state| State | Total VMT (billions) | Population (millions) | Per Capita VMT |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 326.0 | 39.5 | 8,244 |
| Texas | 308.5 | 29.1 | 10,583 |
| Florida | 249.5 | 21.5 | 11,583 |
| North Carolina | 131.0 | 10.4 | 12,549 |
| Georgia | 122.2 | 10.7 | 11,409 |
California generates the most total VMT (326.0 billion miles) despite ranking 43rd out of 51 in per-capita driving, illustrating how population size dominates total driving volumes. Texas ranks second in total VMT and also drives more per capita than California, reflecting its sprawling geography.
04 Fuel Cost Implications
The combination of driving distance and local gas prices determines each state’s annual fuel cost burden. Wyoming drivers cover the most miles, but relatively low gas prices partially offset the distance. Hawaii drivers cover fewer miles but face the nation’s highest gas prices.
FHWA Table PS-1 VMT data combined with EIA national average gasoline price, 202405 Recent VMT Trends
The most recent full-year FHWA Highway Statistics data available covers 2021 and 2022. Total U.S. VMT across all roads and vehicle types rose from about 3.13 trillion miles in 2021 to nearly 3.20 trillion in 2022, an increase of roughly 2.0%.
FHWA, Highway Statistics Series, Table VM-1: Annual Vehicle Distance Traveled, "Total Rural and Urban" row, all motor vehicles, 2021–2022| Year | Total U.S. VMT (trillions) | Change vs Prior Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3.13 | — |
| 2022 | 3.20 | +2.0% |
The same table also shows the average distance traveled per registered vehicle: 11,327 miles in 2022, up from 11,140 miles in 2021. This is a different measure than the per-capita figures used elsewhere in this article—it divides total VMT by the number of registered vehicles rather than by population, so it is not directly comparable to the state per-capita rankings above.
FHWA, Highway Statistics, Table VM-1: "Average miles traveled per vehicle," all motor vehicles, 2021–202206 Data Sources
- FHWA: Highway Statistics Series, Table PS-1: Selected Measures for Identifying Peer States, 2024 edition (state VMT and population). fhwa.dot.gov
- FHWA: Highway Statistics Series, Table VM-1: Annual Vehicle Distance Traveled, 2021–2022. fhwa.dot.gov
- EIA: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, national average retail gasoline price, 2024. eia.gov
- DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Transportation Energy Data Book, Edition 40, Table 4.3 – on-road fuel economy of the light-duty fleet. tedb.ornl.gov