Average Miles Driven Per Year In The U.S.

The average miles driven per year have started to dip since the pandemic, although several fluctuating factors since then have contributed to changes and rebounds in these figures since 1971, namely changes to work and school commutes, and the number of delivery services providing household goods.

This page will provide key statistics around the number of miles which Americans drive.

Average Number Of Miles Driven By Americans Per Year

Commuting represents over 20% of all individual trips made by drivers each year, with the average American driving 14,000 miles, twice what insurance companies consider low mileage.

The table below shows the average annual mileage per year from 2000 to 2023:

Factors That Determine How Many Miles You Will Drive

There are several factors that determine how many miles Americans will drive each year. The biggest factor is work; those who are still employed or go to school are more likely to drive compared to people who are retired.

Location also plays a role in this, with those who go to school or work close to home being able to reduce the number of miles they drive.

Beyond that, other factors that determine how many miles you drive include monthly fluctuations, namely the time of year, what your flexible work from home or going to school from home schedule might be, and deliveries.

Monthly Fluctuations

There are also fluctuations from month to month that determine how many miles Americans will drive each year.

Below are the 6 months with the lowest number of miles driven in descending order:

1. February
2. January
3. November
4. December
5. April
6. March

The table below shows the average monthly figures for the vehicle miles traveled in the billions for the 6 months that have the lowest level of activity from 2010 through 2023:

Of course the converse is true with July having the highest number of average monthly vehicles driven per vehicle followed closely by August, June, and May.

• 276: July has an average of 276 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 275: August has an average of 275 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 270: June has an average of 270 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 270: October has an average of 270 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 269: May has an average of 269 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 259: March has an average of 259 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 257: September has an average of 257 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 254: December has an average of 254 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 254: April has an average of 254 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 250: November has an average of 250 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 235: January has an average of 235 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.
• 222: February has an average of 222 billion monthly vehicle miles traveled.

Work/School-From-Home

Another factor that influences how many miles you will drive has to do with changes in your work or school travel since the pandemic.

• 38%: 38% of all workers were impacted by the pandemic and continued to be influenced to some degree.
• 30%: 30% of workers report that they travel less to work now than they did before the pandemic.
• 26%: 26% of students change their travel to school since the pandemic with fewer miles driven.
• 15%: 15% of students travel to school less often with fewer miles driven.
• 70%: 70% of workers in 2022 had a permanent change in the number of miles they drove to and from work.
• 55%: 55% of students in 2022 had a permanent change to the number of miles they drove to and from school.
• 30%: Since 2022, 30% of employees have had a temporary change in the number of miles they drive to and from work.
• 45%: Since 2022, 45% of students have had a temporary change in the number of miles they drive to and from school.
• 38%: 38% of workers say they use public transit including transit buses less than they did before the pandemic.

Driving to and from work/school, or using public transit is not the only way in which the number of miles the average American drives has changed.

Deliveries

In 2022 the average household had food delivery from things like doordash or UberEats between 1 and 2 times per month.

Groceries were delivered from places like Amazon fresh or instacart at least once per month with service deliveries for homeschooling or Healthcare an average of once per month.

These rates of deliveries increased based on the household type, with households that had older children using deliveries to the home twice as frequently as households with no children.

That said, those who take up secondary or primary jobs delivering these items to households are more likely to increase the number of average miles each month.

• 1,200: Walmart delivery drivers will drive an average of 1,200 miles per month with higher mileage for high population areas and lower mileage for rural areas.
• 800: An UberEats driver will typically drive an average of 800 miles per month depending on the location and the hours worked.
• 100: An Amazon Flex driver working seasonally might drive an average of 100 miles per work day.
• 850: The average food delivery service, like a pizza delivery using your own vehicle, adds 850 miles per month.

Since the pandemic millions of Americans have switched to things like online grocery delivery and continued to use these services and this has led to a surge in the number of independent contractors who use their personal vehicles to make deliveries.

Depending on the type of service, the primary hours could be evenings where there is a higher risk of traffic, weekends when the roads are busier, and during inclement weather when other households don’t want to be out on the road. This results in a higher average number of miles put on your vehicle and a higher insurance risk.

Average Commute To Work

The average commute time has remained around 25.6 minutes, increasing steadily before the pandemic, then dropping, and resuming after the pandemic.

• 22%: In 2024, 22% of people reported a daily commute of less than 15 minutes.
• 29%: In 2024, 29% of people had a commute between 15 and 29 minutes.
• 19%: 19% of people reported a commute between 30 and 59 minutes in 2024.
• 5%: 5% of Americans in 2024 had a daily commute between 60 and 119 minutes.
• 3%: Another 3% in 2024 reported a daily commute over 120 minutes.

The table below presents the data on the average time every year, since 2006:

Private vehicle’ has remained the most popular means of transport to work since the 1980s with figures increasing every decade. In the 1980s, we had the highest number of people carpooling and the lowest respective number of people driving alone, although that has changed every year since with today representing the biggest gap between driving alone and carpooling.

• 96,616: In 1980, only 96,616 people commuted to work.
• 115,069: 1990 had an average of 115,069 people commuting to work annually.
• 128,279: 2000 had a total of 128,279 commuters.
• 139,256: There was an average of 139,256 total workers commuting to work in 2010.
• 152,737: There were 152,737 total workers commuting to work in 2019 (pre-pandemic).
• 84%: 84% of workers in 1980 commuted to work with a private vehicle.
• 86%: 1990 had 86% of all workers commuting to work with a private vehicle.
• 87%: 2000 had the highest average of commuters driving to work at 87% of all workers.
• 86%: In 2010 86% of workers commuted to work by driving.
• 85%: In 2019 only 85% of workers commuted with a private vehicle.
• 23%: In 1980 23% of all drivers carpooled to work.
• 15%: In 1990 only 15% of drivers carpooled to work.
• 13%: In 2000, carpooling figures dropped to 13% annually.
• 11%: In 2010 only 11% of people who commuted to work carpooled.
• 10%: Pre-pandemic, figures for commuting dropped to 10% in 2019.
• 77%: In 1980, 77% of drivers drove alone for their daily commute.
• 85%: 85% of drivers in 1990 drove a private vehicle alone for their commute to work.
• 87%: In 2000, 87% of all drivers commuted to work annually with a private vehicle, on their own.
• 89%: 89% of drivers in 2010 commuted to work with a private vehicle on their own.
• 90%: Pre-pandemic, 2019 represented the highest number of average commutes with a private vehicle driving alone, at 90% of all workers.

Average Mileage By Vehicle Type

The average mileage differs by vehicle type. Semi trucks represent the highest average of all vehicle miles traveled, followed by transit bus, demand responses, delivery and garbage trucks, school buses, and then personal vehicles.

Personal vehicles account for an average 23,000 vehicle miles traveled per vehicle each year compared to transit buses which average 42,940 vehicle miles traveled per vehicle per year.

While transit buses travel twice as many miles per year per vehicle compared to personal vehicles, they represent a comparatively small percentage of the commuter workforce:

• 0.06%: In 1980, a comparatively high 0.06% of commuters used public transport like transit buses.
• 0.05%: In 1990 only 0.05% of the commuter population used public transport including transit buses.
• 0.04%: 2000 had a low of only 0.04% of the commuter population using public transport including transit buses.
• 0.04%: In 2010, only 0.04% of the commuter population used public transport.
• 0.05%: Pre-pandemic 2019 only 0.05% of the commuter population used public transport including transit buses.

If you look at the average use of buses exclusively for commuters, each of the figures above are cut in half, meaning an average of 0.02%- 0.03% of commuters use a transit bus to commute to work compared to the average 87% who drive a private vehicle and yet commuter buses travel more than twice the number of vehicle miles per vehicle compared to private vehicles.

Average Miles Driven By Age

Age demographics relate to the average miles driven for both men and women. For example:

• 65: Women age 65 and older drive the most out of all female age groups.
• 30-54: Men between the ages of 30 and 54 drive the most out of all male age groups.
• 15,195: The average American between the age of 20 and 54 drives 15,195 miles per year, every year that they are employed.
• 7,624: New drivers are very close to what insurance companies consider low mileage drivers, averaging 7,624 per year which is just 20 miles less than what retired age groups drive each year.
• 21%: Americans who are near retirement age, between 55 and 64, but haven’t retired yet drive an average of 21% less compared to drivers between the ages of 20 and 54.

Below is a table for the average annual miles for by age group:

Average Mileage By Gender

Gender has a direct impact on the number of miles the average American drives per year.  Evidence suggests that for working age Americans, those between the ages of 20 and 64, men drive 59% more than women.

• 17.4: Women commute an average of 17.4 minutes.
• 25.3: Men commute an average of 25.3 minutes.
• 61%: Men drive 61% more miles annually compared to women.

Below is a table for the average annual miles for males and females by age group:

Average Mileage By State

The average number of miles driven by an American each year varies based on state with larger, more rural states having higher levels of mileage as well as big cities.

Below is a table showing the average mileage for each state:

States Where Americans Have The Highest Annual Mileage

So what are the 10 states where Americans drive the most? The Midwest and South with large areas of rural land and limited public transportation are directly correlated to the highest annual mileage per driver. This is likely attributed to the need to travel longer distances to commute to work and school, as well as to obtain essential household goods. Below is the top ten list with respective average annual mileage per driver:

1. Wyoming: 21,588
2. Indiana: 20,560
3. Mississippi: 19,517
4. Missouri: 18,514
5. New Mexico: 17,786
6. Alabama: 17,523
7. Georgia: 17,508
8. Oklahoma: 17,432
9. Arkansas: 16,702
10. Louisiana: 16,612

But what about the lowest mileage?

States Where Americans Have The Lowest Annual Mileage

The lowest mileage is directly correlated to states that have better public transportation, no doubt owing to large cities that use public transit to connect not only within the state but outside of the state. The majority, seven, are located in the Northeast with exceptions made to Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington state.

The 10 States where Americans drive the least are as follows:

1. Washington, D.C.: 6,695
2. New York: 9,548
3. Washington: 9,819
4. Rhode Island: 9,904
5. Alaska: 10,510
6. Pennsylvania: 10,950
7. Hawaii: 10,980
8. Connecticut: 11,285
9. New Hampshire: 11,305
10. New Jersey: 11,349

And why is low mileage important? It directly impacts your insurance premiums.

What Do Insurance Companies Consider Low Mileage?

Car insurance providers typically consider driving fewer than 7,500 miles per year as a low mileage driver.

If you have a vehicle that you do not use more than 7,500 miles per year, you can typically get driver discounts with what is called a low mileage policy or add-on to your standard car insurance policy.

People who are retired, go to college, work from home, walk or use public transit frequently, or have a second vehicle that is rarely used can get quotes from car insurance companies about mileage-based discounts.

How Does Your Annual Mileage Affect Your Insurance Rate?

High mileage can lead to increased rates and vice versa.

Why?

1. The more miles you drive the more likely you are to get involved in a car accident.
2. The more likely you drive the more likely you are to have regular wear and tear on your car and an increased risk of mechanical failure-related car insurance claims.

Conversely, the less you drive, the less likely you are to be involved in an accident and the lower the amount of damage on your vehicle as well as the subsequent number of claims you might submit.

For this reason, car insurance companies use your average annual mileage to determine your premiums.

Consider this:

The majority of people who use a personal vehicle for a primary or secondary job making deliveries of any kind will cite damage and wear and tear to their vehicles as the biggest problem.

77% of drivers have wear and tear on tires, need increased oil changes, and have to deal with other damage to their personal vehicle.

Moreover, delivery drivers are more likely to drive during months with low average mileage for the typical American, like February and January when weather is poor and conditions are dangerous.

This equates to a higher risk on the road not just of accidents but of damage to your vehicle leading to higher insurance rates.