How Many Motor Vehicles per Capita Does the U.S. Have?

Even with an urbanization rate of more than 80 percent, the United States is still seen as a country that has to rely on transportation via passenger vehicles due to the varying quality of its public transit and long-distance train and bus network. However, the idea that U.S. residents own more than one car is, on average, untrue.

Statista calculations based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Transportation show that only nine U.S. states have a motorization rate, meaning in this case the number of motor vehicles per capita, at or above 1.0. Since the data doesn't disaggregate the pool of motor vehicles by private and commercial use, a higher density of, for example, agricultural businesses or companies relying on larger vehicle fleets might skew the results. Another factor to consider is that not every motor vehicle is classified as a car. This caveat notwithstanding, no state comes close to Montana, with an average of two motor vehicles per capita.

On the low end of the spectrum are some of the country's smallest states like Delaware, the District of Columbia and New Jersey, which are easier to get around in if you don't own a car. One of the exceptions from this rule with a motorization rate of 0.46 is New York, which ranks 30th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of land size. However, it exhibits a high urbanization rate and, for example, a well-connected public transit system in New York City. The state's capital is home to around 43 percent of all residents of New York state, according to the most recent U.S. Census from 2020.