• Twitter
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
premier google partner agency microsoft partner advertising agency(234) 380-1650 Contact Us
Hedges & Company
  • Our Work
    • Case Studies
    • Blog Articles
    • About Us
    • Results
  • Digital Marketing
    • Digital Marketing Overview
    • Pay Per Click PPC
    • SEO Plans
    • Programmatic Advertising
    • Website Audit
    • Results
  • Research
    • Automotive Market Research
    • Vehicle Registration Statistics
    • Vehicle Registration FAQs
  • Mailing Lists
    • Automotive Mailing Lists
    • Buy a Motorcycle Mailing List
    • Automotive B2B Lists
    • Automotive SIC, NAICS Codes
    • Mailing List FAQs
    • Mailing Lists >
      • BMW Owners Mailing List
      • Camaro Mailing List
      • Corvette Owners List
      • Electric Car Companies and Hybrid EV Lists for Direct Mail
      • Ford F-Truck Mailing List
      • Ford Mustang List
      • Harley-Davidson Mailing List
      • Jeep Owners Mailing List
      • Volkswagen Audi Recall List
      • Dodge Chrysler Jeep Recall List
      • Kia Recall List
  • Email Services
    • Email Prospecting
    • Email Lists
  • Careers
  • Menu Menu
4.1
(37)

How many licensed drivers are there in the US?

Table of Contents hide
1) Statistics on number of drivers in the US
2) Percentage of Americans with drivers’ licenses by age
3) Driver’s licenses by men and women
4) Percentage of Americans with a driver’s license vs. population
5) Number of drivers in the world
6) How many Uber drivers are there? How many Uber drivers in the US?
7) How many Lyft drivers in the USA?
8) How many CDL drivers in the USA?

Need to know how many drivers are in the USA? What’s the percentage of Americans with driver’s licenses? This information isn’t always easy to find, so we put some stats together on the number of licensed drivers in the USA in 2021 and how many Americans drive. This is a forecast of licensed drivers through 2023.

We pulled data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and we pulled additional data. We then added our own analysis and projections to answer the question, “how many drivers are in the USA?” and many other related questions.

Note: click for even more automotive aftermarket trends and stats on this page.

YearLicensed Drivers in US
2023 (proj.)241,041,000
2022 (proj.)238,183,000
2021 (proj.)234,895,000
2020231,652,000
2019228,680,000
2018225,721,700
2017223,707,325
2016221,711,918
2015218,084,465
2014214,092,472
2013212,159,728
2012211,814,830
2011211,874,649
2010210,114,939
2009209,618,386

Statistics on number of drivers in the US

How many Americans drive? In the 1950s, the number of drivers in the USA increased an average of 3.6% every year. In the next decade, the 1960s, the number of drivers in the USA increased at a lower average of 2.51% each year. The 1970s saw the annual increase rise slightly to 2.84%, but we’ve never seen an annual growth rate like we had in the 1950s.

The 1980s were much slower in terms of annual growth, with an average of a 1.46% increase in the number of licensed drivers in the US. In the 1990s that continued to drop, to an average annual increase of 1.24%.

The 2000s saw a continued slowdown with an average annual growth of 1.14%. The 2010s had the lowest growth since the 1950s, at 0.81%.

2012 was the first year with a decline in licensed drivers in the US from the previous year.

We don’t yet know the full impact of coronavirus on licensing of new drivers. Miles driven was down in 2020 and that has a negative impact. On the other hand, in 2021 use of public transportation hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. We’ll update this as more data comes in.

Percentage of Americans with drivers’ licenses by age

We looked at how many drivers are in the USA by age. Here is the percentage of Americans with driver’s licenses compared to the total population, with population estimates from the Bureau of the Census.

Across all age groups, 84.1% of all Americans have a driver’s license.

The lowest percentage of total licensed drivers is among 16- to 19-year-olds, where just 34.8% of the population has a driver’s license.

Statistics are based on 2019 population estimates.

Age Group% Licensed Drivers
All ages84.1%
16 to 1934.8%
20 to 2480.8%
25 to 4990.1%
50 to 6993.5%
70 to 8484.9%
85 and older60.1%

Driver’s licenses by men and women

new car buyer demographicsThe question, “how many drivers are in the USA?” often also leads to gender questions. The split between driver’s licenses held by male licensed drivers and female licensed drivers is very even. Based on 2019 data, 49.4% of all licensed drivers are male and 50.6% are female. Part of the reason the percentage is higher for female licensed drivers is related to life expectancy. In a younger age bracket, ages up to 24, that ratio becomes the opposite. 50.7% of all 24-year-old and under licensed drivers are male, 49.3% are female.

Percentage of Americans with a driver’s license vs. population

Overall there are more licensed drivers in California than any other state, with more than 26 million licensed drivers. 84% of the population of California that is of driving age is a licensed driver. The second highest state of licensed drivers is Texas, with nearly 16 million, followed by Florida with over 14.6 million licensed drivers.

The state with the highest percentage of licensed drivers vs. the driving age population is Vermont. The state with the lowest percentage of licensed drivers vs. the driving age population is Kansas.

Number of drivers in the world

It is estimated there are about 1.4 billion drivers in the world, but the number may be higher and closer to 2 billion. Here’s why it is difficult to come up with a number: Although about 84.1% of the US population is a licensed driver, the percentage of drivers around the world is closer to 16% to 17%. It is nearly impossible to determine how many licensed drivers there are in the world because different countries enforce driving differently. Some third-world countries may not enforce licensing or testing very much, or at all. The total number of drivers in the world is easier to determine than the number of licensed drivers in the world.

How many Uber drivers are there? How many Uber drivers in the US?

If you need to know how many Uber drivers there are, Uber claims 5 million worldwide as of the 4th quarter of 2020. Drivers are in 69 countries. That’s up from 2018 when Uber said there were 3 million Uber drivers around the world, in 65 countries.

The Ride Share Guy estimated there were between 1.5 and 2.5 million Uber drivers in the US in 2019. Cnet estimated 1 million Uber drivers in the US in 2019.

According to CNN there were 750,000 Uber drivers in the US in 2017. Business Insider claimed there were 327,000 Uber drivers in the US in 2015.  Ride sharing declined significantly with the impact of coronavirus but seems to be recovering. If you need the NAICS code for Uber drivers follow this link.

How many Lyft drivers in the USA?

It has been claimed that there are 700,000 Lyft drivers in the United States and 1.5 million around the world. CNet cites a report of 1.4 million Lyft drivers in the US. If you need the NAICS code for Lyft drivers follow this link.

How many CDL drivers in the USA?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) there were 2,029,900 heavy-duty truck and tractor-trailer drivers in the US in 2019. That’s up from 1,871,700 in 2016. This is projected at 2,060,500 by 2029. These drivers must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

The BLS is forecasting an increase in 30,600 jobs through 2029 with a 2% growth rate.

Sources for this article, including number of licensed drivers, are the US Census Bureau, the Federal Highway Administration and Department of Transportation, with additional analysis by Hedges & Company.

Number of Licensed Drivers in USA 2021 was last modified: February 4th, 2021 by admin

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 4.1 / 5. Vote count: 37

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Since you thought this post was useful...

Follow us on social media!

We are sorry that this post wasn't useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Hedges & Company blog

BLOG HOME

Driven by results.
Powered by knowledge.

Blog Categories

  • Aftermarket Analysis (126)
  • Market Research (103)
  • Marketing Articles (111)

Our Latest Articles

  • Jeep Demographics: Income, Age, Gender and MoreMarch 10, 2021 - 2:17 pm
  • In With Audience Buying and Audience Planning. Out With Media Buying and Media PlanningJanuary 21, 2021 - 4:25 pm
  • Automotive Email Marketing Trends 2021January 14, 2021 - 4:11 pm

Location

Hedges & Company
5603 Darrow Road, Suite 100
Hudson OH 44236-5015
(234) 380-1650
Hours: 8:30am-5:00pm EST Mon.-Fri.
All company names, brand names, trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. BuyerZoom™ and BrandZoom™ are trademarks of Hedges & Company. Copyright 2021 Hedges & Company.

Our Services

  • Digital Marketing
  • Research
  • Mailing Lists
  • Email Services
  • Vehicle Recall Lists
  • In-Market Lists
  • Automotive Direct Mail Advertising

About Us

  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Careers
  • Case Studies
  • News
  • Privacy & Legal

Our Blog

  • Blog Home Page
  • Aftermarket Trends & Analysis
  • Automotive Market Research
  • Aftermarket Marketing Articles
Digital Marketing for Car Dealers 2021 SEMA Show: How Big is SEMA?
Scroll to top
Digital Marketing Quote


    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on Google or BingPaid Search (PPC) on Google or BingDisplay ads & banner adsEmail marketingGoogle ShoppingNot sure (You can describe what you need at the bottom of the page)


    Immediate! Please get back to me right awayWithin a month1 or 2 monthsJust gathering information for now


    Not being managed, or not doing online marketingManaging in-houseOutside agency


    Having positive ROI: sales vs. budgetIncreasing traffic to my websiteIncreasing brand awarenessCompeting with Amazon or eBayOther (please explain below)

    This form uses Akismet, reCAPTCHA and this quiz to prevent spam and bot submissions.

    Automotive SEO Services Quote


      Base SEO PlanSEO Leader Plan


      Immediate! Please get back to me right awayWithin a month1 or 2 monthsJust gathering information for now

      This form uses Akismet, reCAPTCHA and this quiz to prevent spam and bot submissions.

      Fast Quote


        Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on Google or BingPaid Search (PPC) on Google or BingDisplay ads & banner adsEmail marketingGoogle ShoppingNot sure (You can describe what you need at the bottom of the page)


        Immediate! Please get back to me right awayWithin a month1 or 2 monthsJust gathering information for now


        Not being managed, or not doing online marketingManaging in-houseOutside agency


        Having positive ROI: sales vs. budgetIncreasing traffic to my websiteIncreasing brand awarenessCompeting with Amazon or eBayOther (please explain below)


        $5,000 or less$5,000 to $7,500$7,500 to $10,000$10,000 or more

        This form uses Akismet, reCAPTCHA and this quiz to prevent spam and bot submissions.

        Website Audit


          Website SEO AuditDigital Marketing Audit


          Immediate! Please get back to me right awayWithin a month1 or 2 monthsJust gathering information for now

          This form uses Akismet, reCAPTCHA and this quiz to prevent spam and bot submissions.

          Mailing List Quote


            Postal listEmail listOnline digital audience

            This form uses Akismet, reCAPTCHA and this quiz to prevent spam and bot submissions.

            Paid Search


              Google Shopping PlanBasic Paid Search PlaneCommerce LeaderNative or Programmatic Advertising


              Immediate! Please get back to me right awayWithin a month1 or 2 monthsJust gathering information for now

              This form uses Akismet, reCAPTCHA and this quiz to prevent spam and bot submissions.