How many cars are built in the US?
The American automotive industry builds millions of cars each year and accounted for 2.8% of all nonfarm jobs in the US in 2024.
Automakers produced 12.86 million vehicles in the US in 2022, according to the Department of Energy, which tracks car manufacturing numbers by year and type of car. That number reflects a pandemic-related dip in production trends. From 2015 - 2019, car manufacturers produced 16–17 million vehicles per year.
What types of vehicles are built in the US?
Of the vehicles produced in 2022, SUVs made up the biggest portion at 6.97 million (54% of the total for that year). Cars accounted for 3.41 million (27%). Pickup trucks were at 2.11 million (16%), followed by vans at around 374,000 (3%).
How many jobs does the auto industry create?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the auto industry employed an average of 4,486,300 people in 2024. Overall, the auto industry accounted for 2.8% of all nonfarm jobs in the US in 2024.
Auto industry job categories
Auto industry employment numbers include vehicle and parts manufacturing, wholesale trade (when retailers buy and sell cars at auctions to manage inventory), retail trade (car dealerships and accessory stores), and repair and maintenance services.
From February 2024 to February 2025, employment in all categories grew, except for jobs specifically in manufacturing motor vehicle parts and other motor vehicle retail trade dealers.
Which states have the most automotive manufacturing jobs?
Michigan employs the highest number of people in the auto industry annually in terms of both vehicle manufacturing (48,600 people) and parts manufacturing (118,300).
Michigan is followed by California (28,700 people) and Kentucky (24,000) in vehicle manufacturing employment numbers. For parts manufacturing, Ohio (65,700 people) and Indiana (54,200) employ the second- and third-highest numbers of people in the industry.
Where this data came from
The Department of Energy tracks the number and type of cars produced in the US per year, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (a division of the Department of Labor) tracks employment by industry and state. The Environmental Protection Agency also has data tools that explore vehicle trends and preliminary data for 2024.
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Keep exploring
Page sources
Department of Energy
Light Duty Vehicles Produced in the US
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Automotive Industry: Employment, Earnings, and Hours
