For writers, editors, and curious travelers who need a clean starting point. Every number below links to its original publisher and includes the date of the underlying data.
3.247 trillion
vehicle-miles were traveled on U.S. roads in 2023
Rounded from the Federal Highway Administration's published total of 3,246,817 million vehicle-miles.
Federal Highway Administration, Table VM-1 2023 data, updated March 2025284.6 million
motor vehicles were registered in the U.S. in 2023
Rounded from the published total of 284,614,269 vehicles; the table also reports an average of 11,408 miles per vehicle.
Federal Highway Administration, Table VM-1 2023 data, updated March 20255.104 trillion
person-miles were traveled in U.S. motor vehicles in 2023
Rounded from the published total of 5,103,815 million person-miles.
Federal Highway Administration, Table VM-1 2023 data, updated March 202561.4 million
Americans were projected to travel by car over the 2026 Independence Day week
AAA said driving would account for 85% of people traveling at least 50 miles from home during the nine-day holiday period.
AAA Independence Day travel forecast June 17, 2026323 million
recreation visits were recorded across the National Park System in 2025
Visitors also logged 1.39 billion recreation hours and more than 13 million overnight stays.
National Park Service visitor-use statistics 2025 data, published March 2026$26.3 billion
in value added came from RVing in the U.S. outdoor recreation economy in 2023
The Bureau of Economic Analysis identified RVing as the second-largest conventional outdoor recreation activity nationally.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account 2023 data, released November 20243.03%
of U.S. GDP came from travel and tourism in 2023
The sector's real output increased by $81 billion that year, reaching its pre-pandemic level.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account 2023 data, released February 20250.6% per year
is the Federal Highway Administration's baseline forecast for total U.S. driving growth through 2053
The agency expects light-duty vehicle travel to grow 0.5% a year across the same 30-year period.
Federal Highway Administration, 2025 VMT forecast October 2025Sources and method
Built for a quick, accurate citation.
This page uses public figures from U.S. government agencies and AAA. Annual figures are kept in the year published by the original source; holiday figures are forecasts for the stated travel period, not annual totals.
- Federal Highway Administration, Table VM-1 2023 data, updated March 2025
- Federal Highway Administration, Table VM-1 2023 data, updated March 2025
- Federal Highway Administration, Table VM-1 2023 data, updated March 2025
- AAA Independence Day travel forecast June 17, 2026
- National Park Service visitor-use statistics 2025 data, published March 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account 2023 data, released November 2024
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Travel and Tourism Satellite Account 2023 data, released February 2025
- Federal Highway Administration, 2025 VMT forecast October 2025
Blue Sea Glass. “U.S. Road Trip Statistics.” Updated July 22, 2026. Blue Sea Glass reference page.
For the stories behind the numbers, take a ride with Prelude to a Groovy Road Trip.