California households are 10 times as likely as North Dakota's to own an EV
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About one in seven California households has an electric vehicle, the highest share in the country and more than 10 times the rate in North Dakota. The U.S. Census Bureau asked about electric vehicles for the first time in its 2025 American Community Survey, and the results, released October 29, put California at 13.8 percent and North Dakota at 1.3 percent.
Nationwide, about 7.3 million of the country's 134 million households, 5.5 percent, had at least one electric vehicle. The count includes both all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Households with at least one vehicle kept at home were asked whether they owned or leased one. Among only the households that have a vehicle, the EV share is 6.0 percent.
After California come Washington at 8.9 percent, Hawaii at 8.5 percent, Nevada at 8.2 percent, and Vermont and Colorado at 7.7 percent each. The bureau said Washington, Hawaii, Nevada, and Vermont were not statistically different from one another, except that Washington's share was higher than Vermont's.
| Rank | State | Households with an EV | Share of households | Owners | Renters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,922,629 | 13.8% | 17.7% | 8.9% |
| 2 | Washington | 282,512 | 8.9% | 11.2% | 4.9% |
| 3 | Hawaii | 42,364 | 8.5% | 10.6% | 4.9% |
| 4 | Nevada | 101,665 | 8.2% | 9.7% | 5.7% |
| T5 | Vermont | 21,899 | 7.7% | 9.4% | 2.9% |
| T5 | Colorado | 190,012 | 7.7% | 9.6% | 3.9% |
| 7 | Oregon | 129,808 | 7.4% | 9.7% | 3.5% |
| 8 | Utah | 82,361 | 6.8% | 8.4% | 3.2% |
| 9 | New Jersey | 235,535 | 6.6% | 8.4% | 3.4% |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 182,635 | 6.5% | 8.4% | 3.2% |
| 11 | Maryland | 149,818 | 6.2% | 7.5% | 3.4% |
| 12 | Arizona | 185,773 | 6.1% | 7.5% | 3.4% |
| 13 | Florida | 540,811 | 5.8% | 6.7% | 3.8% |
| 14 | District of Columbia | 18,509 | 5.6% | 10.8% | 2.3% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 78,274 | 5.4% | 6.7% | 2.8% |
| 16 | Virginia | 181,543 | 5.2% | 6.1% | 3.4% |
| 17 | Delaware | 21,515 | 5.1% | 5.2% | 4.7% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 22,457 | 5.0% | 6.1% | 3.0% |
| T19 | New York | 362,503 | 4.6% | 6.6% | 2.3% |
| T19 | Illinois | 236,270 | 4.6% | 5.5% | 2.7% |
| 21 | Georgia | 193,229 | 4.5% | 5.4% | 2.7% |
| 22 | Texas | 492,700 | 4.2% | 5.1% | 2.9% |
| T23 | North Carolina | 186,816 | 4.1% | 4.7% | 2.9% |
| T23 | New Hampshire | 23,496 | 4.1% | 4.8% | 2.2% |
| 25 | Minnesota | 95,383 | 4.0% | 4.7% | 2.1% |
| T26 | Michigan | 148,819 | 3.6% | 4.1% | 2.2% |
| T26 | Idaho | 27,326 | 3.6% | 4.0% | 2.5% |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | 190,857 | 3.5% | 4.1% | 2.2% |
| T29 | Maine | 21,058 | 3.4% | 3.9% | 2.1% |
| T29 | New Mexico | 28,993 | 3.4% | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| 31 | Wisconsin | 83,655 | 3.3% | 3.7% | 2.3% |
| T32 | South Carolina | 73,759 | 3.2% | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| T32 | Nebraska | 26,269 | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| T32 | Tennessee | 93,158 | 3.2% | 3.6% | 2.1% |
| 35 | Ohio | 153,193 | 3.1% | 3.5% | 2.2% |
| 36 | Missouri | 79,406 | 3.0% | 3.4% | 2.2% |
| 37 | Kansas | 34,431 | 2.9% | 3.5% | 1.6% |
| 38 | Alaska | 7,862 | 2.8% | 3.6% | 1.4% |
| T39 | Indiana | 74,470 | 2.6% | 3.0% | 1.7% |
| T39 | Montana | 12,475 | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.3% |
| T41 | Kentucky | 46,363 | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1.8% |
| T41 | Oklahoma | 39,635 | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1.8% |
| T43 | Alabama | 48,492 | 2.3% | 2.4% | 2.1% |
| T43 | Iowa | 30,515 | 2.3% | 2.6% | 1.4% |
| 45 | Arkansas | 27,943 | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| 46 | West Virginia | 14,733 | 2.0% | 2.4% | 0.7% |
| T47 | Mississippi | 21,608 | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.2% |
| T47 | South Dakota | 6,796 | 1.8% | 2.3% | 0.6% |
| T49 | Louisiana | 30,341 | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.4% |
| T49 | Wyoming | 4,163 | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| 51 | North Dakota | 4,532 | 1.3% | 1.6% | 0.8% |
The lowest shares are in the Plains and the Deep South. North Dakota is last at 1.3 percent, behind Wyoming and Louisiana at 1.6 percent and South Dakota and Mississippi at 1.8 percent.
Homeowners were nearly twice as likely as renters to have an EV, 6.4 percent compared with 3.6 percent. Owners led renters in every state except Arkansas, where the two were essentially even. In California the gap was 8.8 points, 17.7 percent of owners compared with 8.9 percent of renters. In the District of Columbia, owners were nearly five times as likely as renters to have one, 10.8 percent compared with 2.3 percent.
Among cities with at least 50,000 households, Irvine, in Orange County, had the highest share: 30.1 percent, or 35,708 households. Fremont was second at 28.2 percent and Santa Clara third at 24.9 percent. Bellevue, Washington, at 22.3 percent, was the highest outside California.
The largest cities vary widely. San Diego was at 16.1 percent and Los Angeles at 14.6 percent, while Seattle was at 11.8 percent and Austin at 8.9 percent. In New York City, where many households don't have a car at all, the share was 3.1 percent.
The top nine counties were all in California, led by Santa Clara County at 24.1 percent, or about 163,000 households, and Marin and San Mateo at 21.4 percent. Outside the state, Boulder County, Colorado, and Loudoun County, Virginia, were each at 13.9 percent, and King County, home to Seattle, was at 13.4 percent. The 1-year survey covers only counties with 65,000 or more people.
The question is new, so there is no earlier survey to compare with yet. The Sacramento Bee noted that California's push for EV sales, including rebates of up to $3,500 for first-time buyers that began in August, is playing out against a federal court fight over the state's zero-emission vehicle rules. Household income by county is in the richest counties in America.
Sources
Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, tables B25147 (vehicles available by electric vehicles) and B25148 (tenure by vehicles available by electric vehicles), and the bureau's story "Electric Vehicles" by Tricia Holley and Christopher Mazur, October 29, 2026. Shares are of all occupied households unless noted. City figures cover incorporated and census-designated places. Survey estimates have margins of error, and states or cities a few tenths of a point apart may not be statistically different.
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Which state has the most electric vehicles?
California has the highest share of households with an electric vehicle, 13.8 percent, according to the Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey. That is about 1.9 million households. Washington is second at 8.9 percent, followed by Hawaii and Nevada.
How many U.S. households have an electric vehicle?
About 7.3 million of the country's 134 million households, or 5.5 percent, had at least one electric vehicle in 2025, counting all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids. It was the first year the American Community Survey asked the question.
Which state has the fewest electric vehicles?
North Dakota has the lowest share of households with an electric vehicle, 1.3 percent. Wyoming and Louisiana are at 1.6 percent, and South Dakota and Mississippi are at 1.8 percent, according to 2025 American Community Survey estimates.
