New Jerseyans registered 402,000 more vehicles in 2004 than in 1997, a rise of 7 percent. That being said, there was a sharp decline in registered vehicles in 2004. The number of registered vehicles fell more than 7 percent from 2003 to 2004, to just above the figure in 1999.
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Source: FHWA. Highway Statistics Series, Table MV-1, 1997-2004. |
Even so, New Jersey has more registered vehicles than it does licensed drivers, and 2 vehicles for every 3 residents (including children). In 2004, there were 1.05 private vehicles for every licensed driver. This rate is higher than in 1997, but significantly lower than the 2003 peak of 1.14.
Pickup trucks, minivans, and SUVs have grown significantly more popular in New Jersey. From 1997 to 2004, traditional passenger car registrations dropped about 6 percent. During that same period, registration of light trucks grew more than 52 percent. But more recent data indicate that 2004 represented the peak year for light truck sales and that higher gasoline prices have caused a slump in SUV sales. We expect 2005 and 2006 vehicle registration data to show declining light truck registrations.
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Source: FHWA. Highway Statistics Series, Table MV-1, 1997-2004. |
The number of vehicle-less New Jersey households has dropped slightly in recent years, and stood at 11.4 percent as of 2004. This is a decline of more than 11 percent since 1990, and a drop even from 2000, when annual data first became available through the Census American Community Survey and showed 11.9 percent of families did not own a car.