Our Nation’s Highways 2026
Travel
Whether for commuting to work, moving freight, or taking a vacation, Americans make significant use of our 4.2 million miles of public roads, especially the 221,568 miles on the NHS. Americans rely heavily on motor vehicles for travel on these roads. Motor vehicles accounted for 91 percent of trips. Most motor vehicle trips were in private cars, SUVs, pick-ups, or vans. Smaller portions of motor vehicle trips took place in buses, in taxicabs and other ride-sharing services, in recreational vehicles, and on motorcycles. Walking and biking accounted for only 8 percent of people’s trips. Other modes of transportation, including rail and air, accounted for the remaining 1 percent.
Share of Passenger Travel Trips by Mode, 2022
| Travel Mode | Percent of Trips |
|---|---|
| Car | 40% |
| SUV | 30% |
| Pickup truck | 10% |
| Walking | 7% |
| Van | 6% |
| School bus | 3% |
| Bicycle | 1% |
| Public or commuter bus | 1% |
| Taxicab, limo, or other ride-sharing | 1% |
| Rail, air, and other modes | 1% |
Drive Through History
April 2020
While the 1973 oil embargo was the first major break in VMT growth, the COVID-19 Pandemic holds the record for the most significant statistical event in VMT history. In April 2020 alone, U.S. VMT plummeted to 40 percent compared to the same month the previous year — a drop unprecedented in history, far surpassing the drops seen during the 1970s or the 2008 Great Recession.
Road Usage
Road usage is measured in Vehicle-Miles of Travel (VMT). We calculate VMT for a given roadway segment by multiplying its length (in miles) by the number of vehicles (traffic volume) on the segment for a given time period. For example, on a 10-mile road segment traveled by 1,000 vehicles each day, VMT is 10,000 vehicle-miles per day. The annual VMT on the same segment is 3,650,000 vehicle-miles per year (10,000 vehicle-miles per day times 365 days per year). In addition, vehicle-miles times the number of occupants in the vehicles gives person-miles of travel. An annual VMT of 3,650,000 vehicle-miles with an average of two occupants per vehicle is 7,300,000 person-miles. Another commonly used measure for traffic volume is the Annual Average Daily Travel or AADT. AADT is the total volume of vehicle traffic on a segment for a year, divided by 365 days. It represents the "typical" daily traffic load while smoothing out the spikes caused by weekends, holidays, and seasonal fluctuations.
In 2024, usage on public roads in the 50 States and D.C. was 3.3 trillion vehicle-miles (3,300,000,000,000). Person-miles of travel was 5.2 trillion person-miles. With a population of 339 million residents, VMT was 9,714 vehicle-miles per person. Travel was 15,289 miles per person.
Annual VMT on Public Roads, 1900-2024
| Year | Vehicle-Miles Traveled (in billion miles) |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.1 |
| 1901 | 0.2 |
| 1902 | 0.3 |
| 1903 | 0.5 |
| 1904 | 0.8 |
| 1905 | 1.0 |
| 1906 | 1.2 |
| 1907 | 1.4 |
| 1908 | 1.9 |
| 1909 | 2.6 |
| 1910 | 3.6 |
| 1911 | 5.0 |
| 1912 | 7.4 |
| 1913 | 10 |
| 1914 | 14 |
| 1915 | 20 |
| 1916 | 26 |
| 1917 | 31 |
| 1918 | 37 |
| 1919 | 44 |
| 1920 | 48 |
| 1921 | 55 |
| 1922 | 68 |
| 1923 | 85 |
| 1924 | 105 |
| 1925 | 122 |
| 1926 | 141 |
| 1927 | 158 |
| 1928 | 173 |
| 1929 | 198 |
| 1930 | 206 |
| 1931 | 216 |
| 1932 | 201 |
| 1933 | 201 |
| 1934 | 216 |
| 1935 | 229 |
| 1936 | 252 |
| 1937 | 270 |
| 1938 | 271 |
| 1939 | 285 |
| 1940 | 302 |
| 1941 | 334 |
| 1942 | 268 |
| 1943 | 208 |
| 1944 | 213 |
| 1945 | 250 |
| 1946 | 341 |
| 1947 | 371 |
| 1948 | 398 |
| 1949 | 424 |
| 1950 | 458 |
| 1951 | 491 |
| 1952 | 514 |
| 1953 | 544 |
| 1954 | 562 |
| 1955 | 606 |
| 1956 | 628 |
| 1957 | 645 |
| 1958 | 665 |
| 1959 | 700 |
| 1960 | 719 |
| 1961 | 737 |
| 1962 | 767 |
| 1963 | 805 |
| 1964 | 846 |
| 1965 | 888 |
| 1966 | 926 |
| 1967 | 964 |
| 1968 | 1,016 |
| 1969 | 1,062 |
| 1970 | 1,110 |
| 1971 | 1,179 |
| 1972 | 1,260 |
| 1973 | 1,313 |
| 1974 | 1,281 |
| 1975 | 1,328 |
| 1976 | 1,402 |
| 1977 | 1,467 |
| 1978 | 1,545 |
| 1979 | 1,529 |
| 1980 | 1,527 |
| 1981 | 1,555 |
| 1982 | 1,595 |
| 1983 | 1,653 |
| 1984 | 1,720 |
| 1985 | 1,775 |
| 1986 | 1,835 |
| 1987 | 1,921 |
| 1988 | 2,026 |
| 1989 | 2,096 |
| 1990 | 2,144 |
| 1991 | 2,172 |
| 1992 | 2,247 |
| 1993 | 2,296 |
| 1994 | 2,358 |
| 1995 | 2,423 |
| 1996 | 2,500 |
| 1997 | 2,568 |
| 1998 | 2,645 |
| 1999 | 2,707 |
| 2000 | 2,764 |
| 2001 | 2,813 |
| 2002 | 2,874 |
| 2003 | 2,909 |
| 2004 | 2,982 |
| 2005 | 3,009 |
| 2006 | 3,034 |
| 2007 | 3,049 |
| 2008 | 2,993 |
| 2009 | 2,976 |
| 2010 | 2,985 |
| 2011 | 2,965 |
| 2012 | 2,969 |
| 2013 | 2,988 |
| 2014 | 3,040 |
| 2015 | 3,110 |
| 2016 | 3,174 |
| 2017 | 3,225 |
| 2018 | 3,255 |
| 2019 | 3,276 |
| 2020 | 2,917 |
| 2021 | 3,154 |
| 2022 | 3,211 |
| 2023 | 3,262 |
| 2024 | 3,309 |
VMT has increased steadily since 1900 with a steep increase from 1946 through 2007. The occasional decreases were associated with global events: the Great Depression in the 1930s, World War II in the 1940s, the OPEC oil embargo and an economic recession in the 1970s, the Great Recession in the 2000s, and the global pandemic in 2020. VMT first passed 1 trillion vehicle-miles in 1968, surpassed 2 trillion in 1988, and surpassed 3 trillion in 2005.
Annual VMT on Rural and Urban Interstates, 1957-2024
| Year | Rural Interstate VMT (in million miles) |
Urban Interstate VMT (in million miles) |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| 1958 | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| 1959 | 10 | 10 |
| 1960 | 13 | 14 |
| 1961 | 17 | 17 |
| 1962 | 22 | 22 |
| 1963 | 28 | 28 |
| 1964 | 34 | 34 |
| 1965 | 40 | 40 |
| 1966 | 49 | 50 |
| 1967 | 55 | 56 |
| 1968 | 62 | 64 |
| 1969 | 72 | 73 |
| 1970 | 80 | 82 |
| 1971 | 90 | 90 |
| 1972 | 99 | 101 |
| 1973 | 107 | 108 |
| 1974 | 105 | 109 |
| 1975 | 112 | 118 |
| 1976 | 118 | 133 |
| 1977 | 126 | 142 |
| 1978 | 136 | 157 |
| 1979 | 134 | 159 |
| 1980 | 135 | 161 |
| 1981 | 139 | 166 |
| 1982 | 143 | 176 |
| 1983 | 145 | 192 |
| 1984 | 149 | 204 |
| 1985 | 154 | 216 |
| 1986 | 159 | 232 |
| 1987 | 170 | 245 |
| 1988 | 181 | 259 |
| 1989 | 191 | 271 |
| 1990 | 200 | 279 |
| 1991 | 205 | 285 |
| 1992 | 206 | 303 |
| 1993 | 208 | 317 |
| 1994 | 216 | 331 |
| 1995 | 223 | 342 |
| 1996 | 233 | 352 |
| 1997 | 240 | 361 |
| 1998 | 252 | 375 |
| 1999 | 260 | 383 |
| 2000 | 268 | 393 |
| 2001 | 274 | 400 |
| 2002 | 281 | 409 |
| 2003 | 270 | 433 |
| 2004 | 266 | 456 |
| 2005 | 257 | 471 |
| 2006 | 258 | 477 |
| 2007 | 256 | 483 |
| 2008 | 243 | 476 |
| 2009 | 245 | 478 |
| 2010 | 246 | 480 |
| 2011 | 244 | 477 |
| 2012 | 246 | 485 |
| 2013 | 234 | 505 |
| 2014 | 231 | 520 |
| 2015 | 236 | 541 |
| 2016 | 247 | 558 |
| 2017 | 253 | 567 |
| 2018 | 257 | 571 |
| 2019 | 262 | 576 |
| 2020 | 232 | 495 |
| 2021 | 264 | 546 |
| 2022 | 275 | 559 |
| 2023 | 269 | 574 |
| 2024 | 272 | 583 |
In 1957, vehicle-miles for rural and urban areas were similar (3.2 billion versus 3.6 billion). However, as seen in Table 3-2, rural VMT rose more slowly than urban VMT from 1957 through 2000. Rural VMT reached a peak of 281 billion in 2002 and has decreased slightly since. Urban VMT continued to increase after 2002, although at a slower rate, and reached a peak of 583 billion vehicle-miles in 2024. Because of these diverging patterns, urban areas now account for about two-thirds (68 percent) of the Interstate System VMT.
The 6.8 billion vehicle-miles of interstate travel in 1957 comprised 1 percent of all VMT. By 2024, the 854 billion vehicle-miles of interstate travel comprised 26 percent of all VMT. Travel on the Interstate System followed similar patterns seen in overall travel, reflecting the same global events. The percentage of travel on the Interstate System rose rapidly from 1957 and reached 20 percent in 1981. The percentage has risen more slowly since the 1980s and appears to have plateaued at 26 percent in recent years.
Travel by Functional Class
Table 3-4 shows the VMT by functional class for the 50 States and D.C. As discussed in the previous chapter, arterial roads, which include interstates, are designed to provide high mobility but lower access. As a result, arterials should carry a disproportionate amount of travel compared to roads with lower mobility. This is indeed the case because arterials carried 73 percent of the VMT in 2024 even though they only comprised 11 percent of road miles. On the other hand, local roads, which provide high access with lower mobility, accounted for only 13 percent of VMT even though they were 69 percent of the road miles. Collectors, which balance mobility and access, carried 14 percent of the VMT and accounted for 20 percent of road miles.
Annual VMT by Functional Class, 2024
| Roadway Classification | Percent of VMT |
|---|---|
| Arterials | 73% |
| Collectors | 14% |
| Local Roads | 13% |
Freight Travel
The movement of freight along public roads, primarily via trucking, remained the backbone of the U.S. supply chain, accounting for the vast majority of freight movement. According to FHWA’s Freight Analysis Framework Data Visualization, in 2023, trucks carried 13.1 billion tons of freight within the U.S., which accounted for 65 percent of freight traveled domestically by weight. Trucks carried 2,483.9 billion ton-miles of freight, which was 45 percent of domestic freight travel by ton-miles. The value of this freight was $18.3 trillion (adjusted to 2023 USD), which accounted for 72 percent of freight by value.
Share of Freight Weight by Transportation Mode, 2023
| Transportation Mode | Tons (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Truck | 13,139 |
| Rail | 1,489 |
| Water | 914 |
| Air | 7 |
| Multi-mode and mail | 719 |
| Pipeline | 3,808 |
| Other | 227 |
Share of Freight Value by Transportation Mode, 2023
| Transportation Mode | Dollars (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Truck | $18,254 |
| Rail | $699 |
| Water | $373 |
| Air | $848 |
| Multi-mode and mail | $3,655 |
| Pipeline | $1,263 |
| Other | $113 |
Travel by Time and Purpose
Not only does travel vary by the total mileage, it also varies by the hour of the day, the day of the week, and the month of the year. The FHWA’s Travel Monitoring Analysis System (TMAS) provides data used to report VMT on all U.S. public roads monthly. As seen in Table 3-7, hourly travel volumes illustrate the differences in travel patterns for urban and rural interstate highways during weekday and weekend periods. Weekday travel on urban interstates showed morning (7:00 to 7:59 AM peak) and afternoon (4:00 to 4:59 PM peak) commuting peaks. Weekday travel on rural interstates, however, showed a different pattern with only one peak. The peak for weekday travel on rural interstates occurred at 4:00 PM, the same as the afternoon peak for urban interstates. Weekend travel by hour appears similar on rural and urban interstates. The weekend peak for rural interstates occurred at 12:00 PM, and the peak for urban interstates was 1:00 PM.
Interstate Traffic Volume Distribution Pattern by Hour of Day, 2023
| Hour of Day | Rural Weekday (Percent of Trips) |
Rural Weekend (Percent of Trips) |
Urban Weekday (Percent of Trips) |
Urban Weekend (Percent of Trips) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.6% |
| 1:00 AM | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.1% |
| 2:00 AM | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| 3:00 AM | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| 4:00 AM | 1.5% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
| 5:00 AM | 2.6% | 1.3% | 3.0% | 1.4% |
| 6:00 AM | 4.1% | 2.0% | 5.1% | 2.2% |
| 7:00 AM | 5.2% | 3.0% | 6.4% | 3.0% |
| 8:00 AM | 5.2% | 4.2% | 6.0% | 4.1% |
| 9:00 AM | 5.4% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.3% |
| 10:00 AM | 5.8% | 6.8% | 5.3% | 6.3% |
| 11:00 AM | 6.1% | 7.5% | 5.5% | 6.9% |
| 12:00 PM | 6.3% | 7.6% | 5.8% | 7.2% |
| 1:00 PM | 6.5% | 7.6% | 6.0% | 7.2% |
| 2:00 PM | 6.8% | 7.6% | 6.5% | 7.2% |
| 3:00 PM | 7.1% | 7.4% | 7.0% | 7.1% |
| 4:00 PM | 7.2% | 7.1% | 7.2% | 6.9% |
| 5:00 PM | 6.8% | 6.5% | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 6:00 PM | 5.4% | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.9% |
| 7:00 PM | 4.2% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 5.0% |
| 8:00 PM | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.2% |
| 9:00 PM | 2.7% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.5% |
| 10:00 PM | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| 11:00 PM | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 2.0% |
As seen in Table 3-8, patterns in traffic volume throughout the week show that Friday is the busiest travel day on both rural and urban interstates with Thursday being the second busiest. Comparing rural to urban travel, rural travel is more similar across the days of the week while urban travel shows disproportionately more travel on weekdays and less travel on weekends. In fact, Tuesday is the least busy day on rural interstates, but Sunday is the least busy day on urban interstates.
Interstate Traffic Volume Distribution Pattern by Day of Week, 2023
| Day of Week | Rural (Percent of Trips) | Urban (Percent of Trips) |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 13.8% | 11.8% |
| Monday | 13.5% | 14.1% |
| Tuesday | 13.3% | 14.5% |
| Wednesday | 13.8% | 14.9% |
| Thursday | 14.7% | 15.2% |
| Friday | 16.5% | 15.9% |
| Saturday | 14.3% | 13.6% |
Table 3-9 shows the proportion of travel occurring each month for urban and rural interstates, illustrating typical travel patterns. Summer is the busiest time of year with July as the peak month for rural interstates and August for urban interstates. Comparing rural to urban travel, rural travel is less spread out across the months with disproportionately more travel in the summer (particularly June and July) and less in the winter (particularly January and February) than travel on urban interstates.
Interstate Traffic Volume Distribution Pattern by Month of Year, 2023
| Month | Rural (Percent of Trips) |
Urban (Percent of Trips) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7.3% | 7.8% |
| February | 6.8% | 7.4% |
| March | 8.3% | 8.5% |
| April | 8.2% | 8.4% |
| May | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| June | 9.0% | 8.7% |
| July | 9.3% | 8.8% |
| August | 8.9% | 8.9% |
| September | 8.4% | 8.3% |
| October | 8.7% | 8.5% |
| November | 8.2% | 7.9% |
| December | 8.0% | 7.9% |
According to the 2022 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), there were almost 161 billion trips by privately operated vehicles, regardless of the number of persons in the vehicle. Drivers made 72 percent of these trips on weekdays and the remaining 28 percent on weekends. On weekdays, the most common time drivers started trips was 7 AM, which represented a morning peak. A second peak occurred in the afternoon between 3 and 5 PM. About one-third (31 percent) of the weekday trips were commuting and followed the same pattern as overall travel. Another 39 percent of trips were for family and personal reasons, including shopping and medical appointments. These trips were spread out during the day with peak start times from 7 AM and then again from 2 through 3 PM. Social and recreational trips, which accounted for 20 percent of weekday trips, generally started later in the day with a peak at 5 PM. As seen in Table 3-10, commuting, family, and personal trips dominated the morning peak while the afternoon peak included social and recreational trips. School and church-related trips were a small part of overall travel (3 percent) but did show a peak at 7 AM and a second peak at 3 PM.
Trip Start Times by Purpose: Weekdays, 2022
| Start Time | Family/ Personal Trips (in millions) |
Social/ Recreation Trips (in millions) |
Commuting Trips (in millions) |
School/ Church Trips (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 6 | 32 | 138 | |
| 1:00 AM | 24 | 22 | 10 | 10 |
| 2:00 AM | 51 | 42 | 85 | |
| 3:00 AM | 48 | 52 | ||
| 4:00 AM | 80 | 151 | 483 | 17 |
| 5:00 AM | 89 | 291 | 2,026 | 2 |
| 6:00 AM | 636 | 574 | 3,380 | 121 |
| 7:00 AM | 4,239 | 1,012 | 5,242 | 502 |
| 8:00 AM | 3,150 | 1,014 | 3,419 | 267 |
| 9:00 AM | 2,674 | 1,372 | 1,250 | 305 |
| 10:00 AM | 3,404 | 1,800 | 807 | 241 |
| 11:00 AM | 4,087 | 1,544 | 858 | 184 |
| 12:00 PM | 3,860 | 1,686 | 1,046 | 181 |
| 1:00 PM | 3,570 | 1,683 | 893 | 166 |
| 2:00 PM | 4,399 | 1,532 | 1,635 | 255 |
| 3:00 PM | 4,466 | 1,777 | 2,712 | 344 |
| 4:00 PM | 3,765 | 2,106 | 3,916 | 166 |
| 5:00 PM | 3,115 | 2,554 | 3,722 | 214 |
| 6:00 PM | 1,543 | 1,563 | 1,682 | 304 |
| 7:00 PM | 963 | 1,154 | 813 | 163 |
| 8:00 PM | 590 | 853 | 646 | 198 |
| 9:00 PM | 409 | 481 | 443 | 94 |
| 10:00 PM | 145 | 242 | 474 | 8 |
| 11:00 PM | 75 | 184 | 286 | 4 |
As seen in Table 3-11, weekend trips tend to start later than weekday trips. The most common start time for weekend trips was 1 PM with another peak at 6 PM. Most travel was for social and recreational (40 percent) or for family and personal (37 percent) reasons. However, family and personal trips tended to start earlier in the day with a peak at 11 AM than social and recreational trips, which had a peak at 6 PM. The early afternoon peak for all travel was mostly family, personal, social, and recreational trips, but the early evening peak included some commuting. Commuting accounted for 12 percent of weekend travel with peaks at 2 and 6 PM. School and church trips were 6 percent of weekend travel and showed a peak at 9 AM.
Trip Start Times by Purpose: Weekends, 2022
| Start Time | Family/ Personal Trips (in millions) |
Social/ Recreation Trips (in millions) |
Commuting Trips (in millions) |
School/ Church Trips (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 84 | 92 | ||
| 1:00 AM | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2:00 AM | 4 | 47 | 18 | |
| 3:00 AM | 15 | |||
| 4:00 AM | 33 | 44 | 81 | |
| 5:00 AM | 28 | 149 | 145 | 2 |
| 6:00 AM | 346 | 174 | 208 | 22 |
| 7:00 AM | 314 | 409 | 370 | 54 |
| 8:00 AM | 434 | 613 | 151 | 266 |
| 9:00 AM | 845 | 743 | 225 | 557 |
| 10:00 AM | 1,163 | 940 | 235 | 355 |
| 11:00 AM | 1,975 | 1,060 | 66 | 298 |
| 12:00 PM | 1,286 | 1,447 | 150 | 375 |
| 1:00 PM | 1,687 | 1,548 | 196 | 163 |
| 2:00 PM | 1,484 | 1,270 | 477 | 182 |
| 3:00 PM | 1,417 | 1,177 | 291 | 105 |
| 4:00 PM | 1,521 | 1,123 | 369 | 81 |
| 5:00 PM | 1,207 | 1,547 | 258 | 92 |
| 6:00 PM | 1,034 | 1,841 | 523 | 99 |
| 7:00 PM | 699 | 1,458 | 454 | 51 |
| 8:00 PM | 579 | 906 | 132 | 34 |
| 9:00 PM | 487 | 674 | 206 | 55 |
| 10:00 PM | 101 | 276 | 269 | 6 |
| 11:00 PM | 77 | 277 | 334 |