---
title: "How Many People Drive Without Insurance in America?"
canonical: "https://www.simplyinsurance.com/how-many-people-drive-without-insurance/"
description: "When it comes to driving without insurance in America, the numbers are surprisingly high."
silo: "business"
published: "2026-05-21"
updated: "2026-05-21"
author: "sa-el"
source: "Simply Insurance"
---
When it comes to driving without insurance in America, the numbers are surprisingly high. In fact, an estimated **one in eight drivers, or 13% go without car insurance** coverage. This means there are some **32 million people driving** on the roads today **without insurance**. And when you consider that over [1.6 Million crashes happen yearly because of cell phone use while driving](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/how-many-people-die-from-texting-and-driving-statistics/), it don’t seem that people realize the risks they’re taking. If you are one of these drivers you need to drop everything and get some car insurance now. If not, let’s take a closer look at the **uninsured motorist trends in the U.S.** today.

## **Top Uninsured Motorists Statistics:**

- **13% of all drivers** in the U.S. don’t have **car insurance.**

- There are some **32 million uninsured drivers in America** today.

- **Mississippi has the highest percentage** of drivers without insurance in the country **(29.4%)**

- **New Jersey has the lowest rate** of uninsured motorists in the country **(3.1%)**

- **Uninsured/Underinsured motorist coverage** costs insured drivers about **$13 billion in the U.S.** (IRC)

## **Percentage Of Uninsured Americans Driving (2022)**

### **What Percentage Of Drivers Are Uninsured In The United States?**

In 2021, according to the Insurance Research Council (IRC), **13% of drivers, or about one in eight drivers, were uninsured**. The rate was at a nine-year high of 13.1% in 2017 but declined to 12.6% in 2018 and 2019.

### Which State Has The Highest Percentage Of Uninsured Americans?

**Mississippi** has the highest rate of **uninsured motorists in the country** at a whopping **29.4%**. The uninsured rate has been in double digits since 2012 and reached this new height in 2019. The uninsured rate was 28.9% in 2018 and 27.5% in 2017.

### What State Has The Lowest Percent Of Uninsured Drivers In The U.S.?

**New Jersey has the lowest** rate of uninsured motorists in the country at a low **3.1%** uninsured rate. The uninsured rate was 3.2% in 2018 and 3.3% in 2017.

### What States Require Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

**21 states and the District of Columbia require uninsured motorist coverage**. This sort of insurance covers motorists if they get into a collision with an uninsured driver, but it also places a financial burden on policyholders. If you’re in an accident with an uninsured motorist and the at-fault driver doesn’t have insurance, your insurance policy will cover medical expenditures, repairs, expenses, and other charges.

Below is a list of the **states that require this coverage:**

- Connecticut

- District of Columbia

- Illinois

- Kansas

- Maine

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Minnesota

- Nebraska

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New York

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- Oregon

- South Carolina

- South Dakota

- Vermont

- Virginia

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

### What Are The Top 10 Highest & Lowest Uninsured States? (By Percent)

**Mississippi, Michigan, and Tennessee** top the list of states with the highest uninsured drivers. **New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York** all come in as the states with the lowest percentage of uninsured drivers.

**Top 10 Highest States Of Uninsured Drivers**

STATE | UNINSURED MOTORIST PERCENTAGE
--- | ---
Mississippi | 29.4%
Michigan | 25.5%
Tennessee | 23.7%
New Mexico | 21.8%
Washington | 21.7%
Florida | 20.4%
Alabama | 19.5%
Arkansas | 19.3%
District of Columbia | 19.1%
California | 16.6%

**Top 10 Lowest States Of Uninsured Drivers**

STATE | UNINSURED MOTORIST PERCENTAGE
--- | ---
New Jersey | 3.1%
Massachusetts | 3.5%
New York | 4.1%
Maine | 4.9%
Wyoming | 5.8%
Pennsylvania | 6.0%
New Hampshire | 6.1%
Connecticut | 6.3%
Utah | 6.5%
South Dakota | 7.4%

## Percentage Of Uninsured Motorists By State (In The U.S.)

### **How Many People Drive Without Insurance In America?**

There are **32 million uninsured drivers in the United States**, with one in eight drivers (12.6%) having no auto insurance. Due to population growth among licensed drivers, there were over 460,000 more uninsured drivers in 2019 than in 2015.

### **Uninsured Motorist Rates By State**

STATE | PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED MOTORISTS
--- | ---
Alabama | 19.5%
Alaska | 16.1%
Arizona | 11.8%
Arkansas | 19.3%
California | 16.6%
Colorado | 16.3%
Connecticut | 6.3%
Delaware | 8.5%
District Of Columbia | 19.1%
Florida | 20.4%
Georgia | 12.4%
Hawaii | 9.3%
Idaho | 13.2%
Illinois | 11.8%
Indiana | 15.8%
Iowa | 11.3%
Kansas | 10.9%
Kentucky | 13.9%
Louisiana | 11.7%
Maine | 4.9%
Maryland | 14.1%
Massachusetts | 3.5%
Michigan | 25.5%
Minnesota | 9.9%
Mississippi | 29.4%
Missouri | 16.4%
Montana | 8.5%
Nebraska | 9.3%
Nevada | 10.4%
New Hampshire | 6.1%
New Jersey | 3.1%
New Mexico | 21.8%
New York | 4.1%
North Carolina | 7.4%
North Dakota | 13%
Ohio | 13%
Oklahoma | 13.4%
Oregon | 10.7%
Pennsylvania | 6%
Rhode Island | 16.5%
South Carolina | 10.9%
South Dakota | 7.4%
Tennessee | 23.7%
Texas | 8.3%
Utah | 6.5%
Vermont | 8.8%
Virginia | 10.5%
Washington | 21.7%
West Virginia | 9.2%
Wisconsin | 13.3%
Wyoming | 5.8%

### **Uninsured Motorist Percentages Nationwide By Year**

YEAR | NATIONAL UNINSURED MOTORIST PERCENTAGE
--- | ---
1992 | 15.6%
1993 | 16.0%
1995 | 14.2%
2000 | 13.4%
2005 | 14.6%
2010 | 12.3%
2015 | 11.3%
2016 | 12.2%
2017 | 13.1%
2018 | 12.6%
2019 | 13.0%

## Concluding Thoughts

### **Taking Action**

Shockingly, **some 32 million people are riding around without insurance**. However, we can’t stress enough how important [it is to have uninsured motorist coverage](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/compare-small-business-insurance-quotes-online/).

In the event of a car accident, you will be able to recover from financial loss and make sure that your family’s livelihood isn’t put at risk because someone else was driving without insurance.

Now that we know about the[How Many Pets Are In The World & The US?](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/how-many-pets-are-in-the-world/)**different rates of uninsured motorists in each state**, it’s time to take action.

There is no time to waste if you don’t have car insurance, and you can [get an instant car insurance quote](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/compare-car-insurance-quotes-online/) and get covered today!

**Sources:**

[III](https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-uninsured-motorists) | [Wallet Hub](https://wallethub.com/edu/ci/uninsured-motorist-coverage/9647) | [Money Geek](https://www.moneygeek.com/insurance/auto/resources/uninsured-motorist-facts/) | [Bank Rate](https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/uninsured-motorist-statistics/) | Value Penguin |