Average Miles Driven Per Year in the U.S.: By State and Age

Vitalii Liashenko

Oct 17, 2026

How many miles does the average person drive in one year? In the United States, most drivers put around 14,263 miles on their cars each year. That averages out to about 1,189 miles every month.

Not everyone drives the same amount. Your number can shift with your location, your age, and your daily routine. In some states, the yearly average is higher than 20,000 miles. In busier areas, the total may be less than 10,000 miles in a year.

What Is the Average Miles Driven Per Year?

Many drivers in the United States rides about 14,263 miles in a year.

So, if you ask how many miles an average person drives each year, the number is roughly 14,000.

Period	Average Miles
Per year	14,263
Per month	1,189
Per week	274
Per day	39

Average Miles Driven by State

Theaverage miles driven per yeardiffer significantly across the United States.

Here is the annual vehicle miles per licensed driver by state:

State	Annual Vehicle Miles (Millions)	Licensed Drivers	Average Miles Driven Per Year
Alabama	71,735	4,026,151	17,817
Alaska	5,881	529,281	11,111
Arizona	70,281	5,369,210	13,090
Arkansas	37,099	2,153,929	17,224
California	340,836	27,213,650	12,524
Colorado	54,634	4,235,384	12,899
Connecticut	31,601	2,608,061	12,117
Delaware	10,245	812,529	12,609
District of Columbia	3,756	535,579	4,623
Florida	226,514	15,560,628	14,557
Georgia	133,128	7,261,266	18,334
Hawaii	11,024	943,173	11,688
Idaho	18,058	1,252,535	14,417
Illinois	107,525	8,546,932	12,581
Indiana	82,719	4,589,405	18,024
Iowa	33,537	2,274,431	14,745
Kansas	31,843	2,154,260	14,781
Kentucky	49,410	3,030,329	16,305
Louisiana	51,360	3,435,168	14,951
Maine	14,871	1,046,129	14,215
Maryland	60,216	4,463,862	13,490
Massachusetts	64,890	4,950,056	13,109
Michigan	102,174	7,141,494	14,307
Minnesota	60,731	3,391,057	17,909
Mississippi	41,091	2,058,036	19,966
Missouri	79,168	4,274,389	18,521
Montana	12,892	811,851	15,880
Nebraska	21,242	1,430,818	14,846
Nevada	28,794	2,054,421	14,016
New Hampshire	13,828	1,195,211	11,570
New Jersey	78,205	6,377,413	12,263
New Mexico	27,772	1,449,711	19,157
New York	123,986	12,194,360	10,167
North Carolina	122,475	7,620,001	16,073
North Dakota	9,826	556,064	17,671
Ohio	114,694	8,032,792	14,278
Oklahoma	44,648	2,522,670	17,699
Oregon	35,808	2,930,701	12,218
Pennsylvania	102,864	8,987,676	11,445
Rhode Island	7,581	761,046	9,961
South Carolina	57,939	3,877,968	14,941
South Dakota	9,922	638,428	15,541
Tennessee	82,892	5,422,429	15,287
Texas	288,227	17,822,760	16,171
Utah	32,911	2,121,099	15,516
Vermont	7,346	564,894	13,004
Virginia	85,432	5,888,196	14,509
Washington	62,530	5,711,136	10,949
West Virginia	19,077	1,130,389	16,876
Wisconsin	66,348	4,296,646	15,442
Wyoming	10,208	424,115	24,069
U.S. Total	3,261,772	228,679,719	14,263

States With the Highest Average Annual Mileage

Some states are well above the national average.

The five states with the highest average miles driven per year are:

Wyoming — 24,069 miles
Mississippi — 19,966 miles
New Mexico — 19,157 miles
Missouri — 18,521 miles
Georgia — 18,334 miles

Longer distances between cities, rural populations, and fewer public transportation options can contribute to higher annual driving mileage.

States With the Lowest Average Annual Mileage

Drivers in densely populated areas and states with extensive public transportation networks tend to drive fewer miles.

The lowest figures include:

District of Columbia — 4,623 miles
Rhode Island — 9,961 miles
New York — 10,167 miles
Washington — 10,949 miles
Alaska — 11,111 miles

The difference between the highest and lowest figures is substantial. A driver in Wyoming averages more than five times the annual mileage of a driver in Washington, D.C.

Average Miles Driven Per Year by Age

Age can also affect how many miles a person drives.

According to theFederal Highway Administration (FHWA), annual mileage varies significantly between age groups. Drivers between 20 and 54 had the highest mileage in the survey, while drivers 65 and older drove substantially fewer miles.

Age Group	Male	Female	Total
16–19	8,206	6,873	7,624
20–34	17,976	12,004	15,098
35–54	18,858	11,464	15,291
55–64	15,859	7,780	11,972
65+	10,304	4,785	7,646
Average	16,550	10,142	13,476

Important:The FHWA age group numbers were taken from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey. These are older records, not a 2026 estimate. They should not be read as the current driving miles. Still, they can help explain how time in the car has changed across age groups.

How Many Miles Does the Average Person Drive Per Month?

If you use the national average of 14,263 miles each year, that comes out to about 1,189 miles in one month.

Your monthly total can shift a lot. If you mostly work from home, you might only put a few hundred miles on your car each month. On the other hand, a person who commutes often, or travels a lot, may end up driving well past 2,000 miles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many miles are driven each year in the United States?
Most estimates put the typical U. S. driver at about 14,263 miles a year. This figure is pulled from state numbers that use Federal Highway Administration data.
How far does the average person drive in a year?
For the average American driver, it is also around 14,263 miles each year. That comes out to roughly 1,189 miles per month.
Do averages change from one state to another?
Yes. Annual mileage differs a lot by state. Wyoming is the top example at about 24,069 miles per driver. Washington, D. C. is the lowest at around 4,623 miles.
Is 15,000 miles per year a normal figure?
It is close. Since the U. S. average is about 14,263 miles per year, 15,000 is in the same general range.