Sport utility vehicle (SUV) registrations in Iowa increased 97 percent between 1997 and 2002, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. SUV registrations jumped from 137,600 in 1997 to 271,200 in 2002.

     The 2002 Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) report for Iowa includes information on fuel efficiency, annual mileage, primary range of operation, permanent equipment and other physical and operational characteristics. Data are for pickup trucks, SUVs, minivans, and all other single-unit trucks and truck-tractors.

     State reports are being released on a flow basis. A U.S. summary report will be issued later this year.

     Estimates in this report are based on data from the 2002 VIUS. They contain sampling and nonsampling errors. To keep the identity of an individual respondent confidential, some estimates may be suppressed. Users who make their own estimates based on survey estimates should cite the U.S. Census Bureau as the source of the original estimates only. See <http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/02vehinv.html> for measures of sampling variability and other survey information.

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