The average American drives 14,300 miles per year which equals out to 3.2 trillion miles driven per year in the United States. That’s a lot of driving! And believe it or not, professional truck drivers are doing almost double that amount in driving at around 26,000 miles per year.
In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how many miles Americans drive each year, month and day, as well as average driving statistics by age, state, and gender.
Top Average Miles Driven Per Year Statistics:
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Every year, Americans drive approximately 3.2 trillion miles.
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The typical American driver drives 14,300 miles each year.
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Americans drive on average 1,000 miles every month.
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The average driver drives only 39 miles round trip per day.
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Roughly 229 million Americans have valid driver’s licenses in the United States.
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Professional Truckers drive double the distance of personal car drivers at an average of about 26,000 miles per year.
Average Miles Driven Per Year In America
How Many Total Miles Do Americans Drive Per Year?
Every year, Americans drive approximately 3.2 trillion miles.
How Many Miles Does The Average American Drive Per Year?
The typical American driver drives 14,300 miles each year.
How Many Miles Does The Average American Drive Per Month?
Americans drive on average 1,000 miles every month.
How Many Miles Does The Average American Drive Per Day?
The average driver drives only 39 miles round trip per day.
How Many Miles Do Professional Truckers Drive Per Year?
Professional Truckers drive double the distance of someone driving a personal car at an average of about 26,000 miles per year.
Key Statistics:
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Teens are driving less and obtaining fewer licenses in the U.S.
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The fastest-growing consumer group is drivers aged 85 and older.
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The typical American spends around $1,262 on gasoline each year.
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86.6 percent of Americans have an driver’s license
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The number of miles driven by Americans has been increasing steadily since 2015.
You should also have an affordable car insurance policy so that you are protected all around.
Average Annual Miles per Driver by Age Group
| Age | 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 |
Key Statistics:
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The second-highest annual mileage occurs among those between the ages of 20 and 34 years.
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Teens drive the fewest miles on average each year.
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Middle-aged drivers drive the most kilometers.
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Every year, drivers aged 55 to 64 travel 11.972 miles behind the wheel.
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On average, 7,646 miles are driven by Americans over the age of 65 each year.
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In some US states, including Montana and Idaho, the minimal driving age is as low as 16 years old.
Average Annual Miles Driven Per Year by State
| STATE | Average Miles Per Driver |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 17817 |
| Alaska | 11111 |
| Arizona | 13,090 |
| Arkansas | 17,224 |
| California | 12,524 |
| Colorado | 12,899 |
| Connecticut | 12,117 |
| Delaware | 12,609 |
| District of Columbia | 7,013 |
| Florida | 14,557 |
| Georgia | 18,334 |
| Hawaii | 11,688 |
| Idaho | 14,417 |
| Illinois | 12,581 |
| Indiana | 18,024 |
| Iowa | 14,745 |
| Kansas | 14,781 |
| Kentucky | 16,305 |
| Louisiana | 14,951 |
| Maine | 14,215 |
| Maryland | 13,490 |
| Massachusetts | 13,109 |
| Michigan | 14,307 |
| Minnesota | 17,909 |
| Mississippi | 19,966 |
| Missouri | 18,521 |
| Montana | 15,880 |
| Nebraska | 14,846 |
| Nevada | 14,016 |
| New Hampshire | 11,570 |
| New Jersey | 12,263 |
| New Mexico | 19,157 |
| New York | 10,167 |
| North Carolina | 16,073 |
| North Dakota | 17,671 |
| Ohio | 14,278 |
| Oklahoma | 17,699 |
| Oregon | 12,218 |
| Pennsylvania | 11,445 |
| Rhode Island | 9,961 |
| South Carolina | 14,941 |
| South Dakota | 15,541 |
| Tennessee | 15,287 |
| Texas | 16,172 |
| Utah | 15,516 |
| Vermont | 13,004 |
| Virginia | 14,509 |
| Washington | 10,949 |
| West Virginia | 16,876 |
| Wisconsin | 15,442 |
| Wyoming | 24,069 |
Average Miles Driven Per Year By Gender
How Many Miles Per Year Do Men & Women Drive?
Overall, men drive 6,000 more miles each year than women. Men aged 34 to 54 travel the greatest distance each year — almost 19,000 miles. Women over the age of 65 travel the least kilometers per year (about 5,000).
Key Statistics:
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Men drive 19% longer than women on average.
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In the United States, men put in 63% more kilometers each year than women.
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People who are married or cohabit with a partner spend, on average, 12% more time driving than those who are not.
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Drivers aged 75 and older spend, on average, 8 minutes each day behind the wheel, a 23 percent increase from 2014.
Conclusion
Taking Action
I wonder how much driving 3.2 trillion miles a year in the U.S. adds to the 6 million car accidents every year?
With about 32 million people driving around uninsured it’s probably a safer bet to drive a lower amount of miles and to take a distracted driving course.
Sources:
FHWA | The Zebra | Policy Advice |