Maps and Data - U.S. Light-Duty Fuel Consumption and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)

This chart shows annual per capita average vehicle miles traveled and per capita fuel use from 1970 through 2012 in light-duty vehicles (LDVs). During the past four decades, the number of vehicle miles traveled by the average American has increased relatively steadily, with notable exceptions after the oil price shocks and supply disruptions of 1974, 1979, and 2008. However, the number of vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. has been dropping since the Great Recession. This is the first period of enduring lack of growth in the number of vehicle miles traveled in the past four decades. The overall vehicle miles traveled is affected by a number of factors, including vehicle ownership rates, suburbanization trends, commute distances, and availability of mass transit. Per capita fuel use has fluctuated with oil prices, average vehicle fuel efficiency, and economic conditions.