Europeans Have More Cars Than Americans - Say What?

The love affair between Americans and their cars is a well known trope. But according to a new paper from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on worldwide car usage, America's car ownership rate is among the lowest in the developed world.

2 minute read

August 16, 2012, 11:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Max Fisher discusses the data reported in a newly published Carnegie Endowment paper, which upends traditional ideas about car usage. It turns out that car ownership rates are higher in nearly every Western European country than in the United States. "The U.S. is ranked 25th in world by number of passenger cars per person,
just above Ireland and just below Bahrain," observes Fisher. "There are 439 cars here for
every thousand Americans, meaning a little more than two people for
every car."   

So what explains this state of affairs? "The Carnegie paper explains that car ownership rates are closely tied to
the size of the middle class," explains Fisher. "In fact, the paper [titled "In Search of the Global Middle Class: A New Index"] actually measures car
ownership rates for the specific purpose of using that number to predict
middle class size."

So does the data indicate that the US has a disproportionately small middle class? Fisher isn't convinced: "Still, it's also possible that the answer has less to do with
Americans adhering to Carnegie's thesis about car ownership predicting
middle class size and more to do with other, particularly American
factors. Young Americans are spending less of their money on cars, as
Jordan Weissmann explained, as they get driver's licences at lower rates and spend more of their money on, say, high-tech smart phones."

 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 in The Atlantic

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Crowds of people walking and biking along waterfront in Sunset Dunes Park in San Francisco, California on a sunny day.

San Francisco Opens Park on Former Great Highway

The Sunset Dunes park’s grand opening attracted both fans and detractors.

April 22 - Mission Local

Portland Oregon Bus

Oregon Legislature to Consider Transit Funding Laws

One proposal would increase the state’s payroll tax by .08% to fund transit agencies and expand service.

April 22 - KATU.com

Houston, Texas skyline.

Housing Vouchers as a Key Piece of Houston’s Housing Strategy

The Houston Housing Authority supports 19,000 households through the housing voucher program.

April 22 - Urban Edge