Which states buy the most American cars?
Buying an American car has long been considered an act of patriotism, although the definition of buying American has become increasingly blurred. There are cars with American nameplates like Buick that are manufactured overseas, while some Volkswagens and Toyotas are assembled in the United States. However, buying a domestic brand versus a foreign one can still signal a sense of pride among proud Americans, even if being made in America isn’t exclusive to American brands.
In honor of Independence Day, iSeeCars analyzed 4.4 million car sales to rank each state by their percentage share of cars with domestic name plates.
States with the Most American Vehicles | ||
Rank | State | % American |
1 | Michigan | 79.6% |
2 | South Dakota | 78.4% |
3 | North Dakota | 70.4% |
4 | Wyoming | 70.4% |
5 | Montana | 65.2% |
6 | Iowa | 63.5% |
7 | Wisconsin | 62.5% |
8 | Indiana | 61.5% |
9 | Idaho | 61.4% |
10 | Oklahoma | 60.4% |
11 | Missouri | 60.4% |
12 | West Virginia | 60.2% |
13 | Alaska | 59.6% |
14 | Nebraska | 59.0% |
15 | Kansas | 58.7% |
16 | Kentucky | 57.8% |
17 | Minnesota | 57.0% |
18 | Arkansas | 56.6% |
19 | Ohio | 55.6% |
20 | Mississippi | 55.0% |
21 | New Mexico | 53.1% |
22 | Maine | 51.7% |
23 | Louisiana | 50.1% |
24 | Illinois | 49.5% |
25 | Tennessee | 47.5% |
26 | Rhode Island | 47.5% |
27 | South Carolina | 46.4% |
28 | Texas | 46.1% |
29 | Delaware | 45.6% |
30 | Pennsylvania | 45.3% |
31 | Alabama | 44.8% |
32 | Arizona | 44.4% |
33 | Vermont | 44.4% |
34 | North Carolina | 44.3% |
35 | Utah | 43.7% |
36 | Colorado | 42.9% |
37 | Georgia | 42.3% |
38 | New Hampshire | 40.9% |
39 | New York | 40.3% |
40 | Washington | 38.9% |
41 | Oregon | 38.7% |
42 | Nevada | 38.2% |
43 | Virginia | 37.8% |
44 | Florida | 36.8% |
45 | Maryland | 36.8% |
46 | Massachusetts | 34.1% |
47 | New Jersey | 32.7% |
48 | Connecticut | 31.4% |
49 | California | 30.4% |
50 | Hawaii | 27.9% |
- Michigan, home of the “Motor City” and headquarters of the Big Three automakers buys the most American vehicles, comprising 79.6 percent of the state’s vehicle share.
- Of the top 10 states with the most American brand cars, seven are in the Midwest with the remaining three in the Rocky Mountain region.
- The state with the fewest American brand vehicles is Hawaii, a state which favors Japanese vehicles likely due to the highly diverse population.
- Nine of the ten states with the lowest proportion of American brand cars are coastal, with Nevada being the exception.
While American cars were once perceived to be inferior to their foreign rivals, today’s American vehicles have caught up to their foreign counterparts in quality and reliability. In fact, many American vehicles made our list of the longest lasting cars, and American pickups are among the most popular cars in the country. Whether you want a dependable truck, an electric vehicle with cutting-edge technology, or even a luxe SUV, there is an American vehicle to suit your needs.
More from iSeeCars.com:
- Most Popular New and Used Cars in Every State
- Fastest-Selling New and Used Cars in May
- Most Popular Car Color in Each State
Methodology:
iSeeCars.com analyzed over 4.4 million model year 2016-2020 used cars sold between January 1st and June 12, 2021. The percentage of cars within each state which came from American brands (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln, Ram, Tesla) was calculated and used to rank the States with the Most American Vehicles.
This article, Which States Buy the Most American Cars? originally appeared on iSeeCars.com.