Contents
- Household vehicle ownership statistics: Vehicle availability in U.S. households
- Household vehicle ownership statistics over time: Household vehicle counts and averages
- Household vehicle ownership statistics across metropolitan and rural areas
- Household vehicle ownership statistics by vehicle type
- Household vehicle ownership statistics and vehicle age
- Household vehicle ownership statistics by Census region
- Sources
Household vehicle ownership statistics: Vehicle availability in U.S. households
The 2022 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) counted 127,545 thousand U.S. households. Its vehicle-availability figures describe vehicles available for household use, rather than legal ownership alone. Under the report’s definition, a household vehicle may be owned, leased, rented, or company-owned, if it is available for regular use by a household member. The definition also includes some business vehicles driven home and available for home-to-work travel. Inoperable vehicles and vehicles obtained after the designated travel day are excluded. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends: 2022 National Household Travel Survey, Tables 6-1 and 6-2
| Vehicles available to household | U.S. households, 2022 |
|---|---|
| 0 | 8.4% |
| 1 | 33.1% |
| 2 | 37.9% |
| 3 or more | 20.6% |
Source: FHWA, 2022 NHTS, Table 6-2. Percentages are the survey’s reported shares of U.S. households.
The largest single category was households with 2 vehicles available, at 37.9%. A further 33.1% had 1, while 20.6% had 3 or more. The no-vehicle category accounted for 8.4%. These categories describe the distribution of households, not the distribution of individual vehicles: a household with 3 or more vehicles contributes to one household category regardless of its exact vehicle count. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-2
A separate FHWA summary says an estimated 92% of households had at least 1 vehicle available for personal use in 2022. That narrative figure is reported as a whole-percent estimate, while Table 6-2 presents the no-vehicle share as 8.4%. The two statements use different reported precision; the table’s category is the more precise figure for households with no vehicle available. Source: FHWA, Our Nation’s Highways 2026, “Privately Operated Vehicles”
Household vehicle ownership statistics over time: Household vehicle counts and averages
The NHTS series shows how the average number of vehicles available per household varied across survey years. The reported average was 1.16 in 1969, 1.59 in 1977, 1.89 in 2001, 1.88 in 2017, and 1.83 in 2022. The 1969 figure has a definition limitation: household vehicle counts that year excluded pickups and other light trucks. It should therefore be read in the context of that narrower coverage. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-1 and note
| NHTS year | Average vehicles available per household |
|---|---|
| 1969 | 1.16 |
| 1977 | 1.59 |
| 2001 | 1.89 |
| 2017 | 1.88 |
| 2022 | 1.83 |
Source: FHWA, 2022 NHTS, Table 6-1. The 1969 count excluded pickups and other light trucks.
The survey’s household-count table also gives the number of households with exactly 2 available vehicles: 39,125 thousand in 2017 and 48,347 thousand in 2022. These are counts in thousands of households, not vehicle counts. The average-vehicles-per-household series and the count of 2-vehicle households describe different dimensions of the distribution, so one should not be substituted for the other. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-1
The shares by household vehicle count provide additional points across the series. In 1969, 20.6% of households had no vehicle available, 48.4% had 1, and 4.6% had 3 or more. In 1990, 38.4% had 2 vehicles. For the 3-or-more category, the reported share was 24.4% in 2017 and 20.6% in 2022. These figures track household categories over time, but the 1969 exclusion of pickups and other light trucks matters when interpreting that earliest year alongside later survey years. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-2 and note
Household vehicle ownership statistics across metropolitan and rural areas
In 2022, the share of households with no vehicle available differed across the FHWA table’s metropolitan statistical area (MSA) size categories. It was 6.5% in MSAs with fewer than 250,000 residents, 4.2% in MSAs with 250,000 to under 500,000, 7.4% in MSAs with 500,000 to under 1 million, and 7.5% in MSAs with 1 million to under 3 million. For MSAs with 3 million or more residents, the reported share was 11.9%. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-3
| 2022 area category | Households with no vehicle available |
|---|---|
| MSA under 250,000 residents | 6.5% |
| MSA 250,000 to under 500,000 | 4.2% |
| MSA 500,000 to under 1 million | 7.4% |
| MSA 1 million to under 3 million | 7.5% |
| MSA 3 million or more | 11.9% |
| Rural, not in an MSA | 7.2% |
Source: FHWA, 2022 NHTS, Table 6-3. “Rural, not in an MSA” covers full counties designated as rural.
The table’s “Rural, Not in MSA” category reported 7.2% of households without a vehicle. FHWA defines this category as full counties designated rural; it does not mean that every rural area is outside an MSA, since rural pockets may also lie within MSA boundaries. The category is therefore a specific geographic classification, not a general measure of all rural households. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-3 and note
For the largest MSA category, the no-vehicle share was 12.8% in 2017 and 11.9% in 2022. This is a comparison for households in MSAs of 3 million or more residents, not a national comparison or a measure of vehicle ownership. Across the 2022 categories, the values range from the reported 4.2% for MSAs of 250,000 to under 500,000 to 11.9% for MSAs of 3 million or more. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-3
Household vehicle ownership statistics by vehicle type
The 2022 household-based vehicle fleet included several reported vehicle types. Autos represented 44.6% of the fleet and SUVs 30.2%. Pickups accounted for 16.1%, vans for 4.7%, and motorcycles and mopeds for 2.9%. Other trucks and RVs or motor homes each represented 0.6%. These percentages describe vehicles in the household-based fleet, rather than the share of households that have each type. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-4
| Vehicle type | Share of household-based fleet, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Auto | 44.6% |
| SUV | 30.2% |
| Pickup | 16.1% |
| Van | 4.7% |
| Motorcycle or moped | 2.9% |
| Other truck | 0.6% |
| RV or motor home | 0.6% |
Source: FHWA, 2022 NHTS, Table 6-4. Shares are the table’s household vehicle distribution percentages.
The 2017 comparison figures supplied for autos and SUVs were 49.5% and 23.7%, respectively. In 2022, autos represented 44.6% and SUVs 30.2%. These are fleet-composition shares for the specified vehicle types and survey years. The table’s units are percentages of household-based vehicles; they do not tell how many households had an auto or SUV, or how many of either type were in a particular household. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-4
Household vehicle ownership statistics and vehicle age
The 2022 average age for all household-based vehicles was 10.32 years. By type, the reported averages were 10.67 years for autos, 7.81 years for SUVs, 12.91 years for pickups, and 10.68 years for vans. These are average ages in years for vehicles in the household-based fleet, not the age of the typical household or a measure of how long a vehicle remains in service. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-4
| Household-based vehicle group | Average age in 2022 |
|---|---|
| All vehicles | 10.32 years |
| Autos | 10.67 years |
| SUVs | 7.81 years |
| Pickups | 12.91 years |
| Vans | 10.68 years |
Source: FHWA, 2022 NHTS, Table 6-4. Ages are reported in years.
For 2017, the reported average age was 8.34 years for SUVs, 13.12 years for pickups, and 10.65 years for vans. The corresponding 2022 figures were 7.81 years, 12.91 years, and 10.68 years. The provided age comparisons show averages for these vehicle types in those 2 survey years; they do not establish why the averages differ. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-4
The age distribution adds a different view from the averages. In 2022, 13.8% of household-based vehicles with reported age were 0–2 years old, and 23.1% were 6–9 years old. The 0–5-year category accounted for 47.2%; 44.2% were 10 or more years old, including 30.8% that were 15 or more years old. For autos, 47.0% were 10 or more years old. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 6-5
These distribution figures apply to household-based vehicles with reported age. FHWA notes that total age distributions omit vehicles whose age was unreported, while including vehicle types not shown individually. The report also says motorcycles, mopeds, light electric vehicles, and other privately operated vehicles were excluded from vehicle-age calculations. Thus the age measures do not cover every vehicle type counted in the overall fleet distribution. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Tables 6-4 and 6-5 and notes
Household vehicle ownership statistics by Census region
The 2022 NHTS reported average vehicles per household for each Census region. The Northeast averaged 1.61, the Midwest 1.96, the South 1.80, and the West 1.91 vehicles per household. These are regional averages for households, not regional percentages of households with a vehicle or counts of registered vehicles. Source: FHWA, Summary of Travel Trends, Table 2-7
| Census region | Average vehicles per household, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Northeast | 1.61 |
| Midwest | 1.96 |
| South | 1.80 |
| West | 1.91 |
Source: FHWA, 2022 NHTS, Table 2-7. Values are averages of vehicles per household.