The latest VMT data reveals significant fluctuations by city, state and region, while driving at the national level remains constant through the fall. Though national VMT figures have not changed significantly, we see a large variation among states and metropolitan areas.The South saw increases in VMT while Northern, Mid West, and the Pacific Northwest saw decreases in driving throughout September and October. Driving, it appears, has slowed down in colder climates like Montana, Alaska and Wyoming, while picking up in warmer weather, especially in places like Hawaii, Arizona, and Georgia. Hawaii saw a large surge over the past 2 months, with state VMT surging 28% and its capital city increasing 20%. The nationwide map below highlights VMT changes by state, between September 5 through October 23.
The dark purple indicates a deep VMT slide from early September. We can see the northern half of the United States is seeing a significant decline, along with colder weather coming in.
Of the Metropolitan Areas, Honolulu saw the largest gains, with Southern metro’s also seeing significant upward trends, with the exception of some metropolitan areas in Florida and Texas.
