How Much Do Americans Drive? State Mileage & FAQs
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Codee Chessher
- Last updated:
Travel is a major component of America’s identity, with free travel between states enshrined in the Constitution’s Article IV. With more sprawling land than Europe, Americans rack up a lot of miles a year—13,474 miles per year, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
That adds up to four cross-country round trips per year, or 3.2 trillion miles a year as a country. That’s an absolutely staggering amount of travel! You’re probably wondering how Americans compare to other countries around the globe. Don’t worry! We’re getting into that below. Read on to find out.
What Country Drives the Most?
You might already have a suspicion, but we’ll just tell you—it’s the US. Other countries drive a lot too, though. Let’s check out how the world compares!
- The US: 13,474 miles per year
- Canada: 9,562 miles per year
- Australia: 8,555 miles per year
- Italy: 8,256 miles per year
- France: 7,424 miles per year
- Germany: 7,209 miles per year
- The UK: 6,987 miles per year
What States Drive the Most?
You might have a broad guess as to what states drive the most, but we bet the actual stats will surprise you. Let’s take a look at what states drive the most miles per year.
What Age Group Drives the Most in the US?
It’s hard to say who should be driving the most out of America’s age groups. There are young people with more time on their hands, busy middle-aged professionals, or retirees who often have both money and time to spend. The answers might surprise you, or you may have guessed right. Let’s check the stats out below.
- 16–19 years old: 7,624 miles per year
- 20–34 years old: 15,098 miles per year
- 35–54 years old: 15,291 miles per year
- 55–64 years old: 11,972 miles per year
- 65+ years old: 7,646 miles per year
It turns out that the young and the old don’t drive that much; it’s mainly in their twenties when a person starts driving a lot. Retirement age sees a steep drop-off in mileage too, so it seems seniors want to relax at home more often, and we can’t blame them.
Do Men or Women Drive More in the US?
Men, as it turns out. On average, American men drive about 16,550 miles per year, while the average American woman drives just 10,142 miles per year. This directly translates to an increased chance of accidents, which isn’t helped by the fact that men are more likely to engage in reckless driving behavior than women.
Ultimately, all that means men pay higher car insurance premiums in the US than women. The gap increases with age, too. It’s important to be aware of factors like gender that can affect your car insurance premiums.
Conclusion
Americans love cars and the ability to travel, and the number of miles they drive per year reflects that. Men drive significantly more than women, and different states have varying miles that they drive, too! With all that said, we don’t expect America’s love affair with driving to end anytime soon.
Featured Image Credit: EZ-Stock Studio, Shutterstock
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