How Many Miles Does the Average Person Drive a Year? 2026

General driving data

In the U.S., there are more than 235 million licensed drivers. Since 2005, this number has included more female than male licensed drivers. In 2022, there were almost 2.5 times as many registered drivers over the age of 70 (34 million) as there were in 1994 (15 million), the first year for which data is available about older drivers.

As of 2022, just over 94% of the driving-age population in the U.S. has a driver’s license. The average driver takes an average of 2.5 trips  and spends about 60.2 minutes on the road per day. Drivers also report that 30.3% of their trips are for errands, 21.6% involved commuting to and from work, and 19.4% of trips are for social/pleasure purposes.

Miles driven data

In 2022, the average driver in the U.S. drove 13,596 miles. This breaks down to just over 37 miles per day and 1,133 miles each month. The chart below details the number of licensed drivers in the U.S. and the average number of miles driven each year since 2010.

Historical miles driven by year

Historical data from the Federal Highway Administration shows that the total number of miles driven in the U.S. has generally increased year-over-year and decade-over-decade. Vehicle miles traveled increased by 37% over the course of the 1980s, 25% in the 1990s, 8% in the 2000s and another 10% between 2010 and 2019.

However, the total number of miles traveled fell dramatically in 2020 and has not rebounded to 2019 levels. The overall decrease in driving is likely due to a combination of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the subsequent trend toward remote work.

Miles driven by state

Drivers in Wyoming drive more miles than residents of other states — in 2022, the average state resident driver logged 21,588 miles behind the wheel. Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri and New Mexico also ranked in the top five states in terms of average miles driven. Residents of Washington, D.C., New York, Rhode Island and Washington, on the other hand, drove less than 10,000 miles, ranking lowest of the states in terms of average miles driven.

Five states with the highest average annual miles in 2025

The states with the highest average annual miles per driver also tend to be those where more miles are driven on rural roads rather than urban ones. In Wyoming, for example, 78% of vehicle miles are logged on rural roadways. In Indiana and Mississippi, respectively, rural mileage is 65% and 52%. In the vast majority of states, drivers travel more total miles on urban roads.

1. Wyoming: 21,589 miles per year
2. Indiana: 20,560 miles per year
3. Mississippi: 19,517 miles per year
4. Missouri: 18,514 miles per year
5. New Mexico: 17,786 miles per year

Meanwhile, the five states with the lowest average annual miles in 2022 were:

1. New York: 9,548 miles per year
2. Washington: 9,819 miles per year
3. Rhode Island: 9,903 miles per year
4. Alaska: 10,510 miles per year
5. Pennsylvania: 10,950 miles per year

Miles driven by age group

According to the AAA Foundation’s 2023 American Driving Survey, drivers between the ages of 35 and 49 report driving the most miles on a daily basis. Drivers over the age of 75 report driving fewer miles each day than drivers between 16 and 19.

Miles driven by gender

The American Driving Survey also shows that, on average, men report driving more than women, although the gap has narrowed in the three years for which data is available.

Average number of daily miles driven by gender from 2020 to 2022