Mapped: Passport Ownership by U.S. State

How Passport Ownership Varies Across U.S. States

Key Takeaways

• An estimated 146 million U.S. citizens lacked a valid passport in 2024, representing 46.9% of the citizen population.

• New Jersey leads the nation with the highest passport ownership rate at 79.9%, nearly four times West Virginia’s 20.7%, the lowest rate.

• Utah ranks among the top 10 states for passport ownership, ahead of Florida, Texas, and Illinois.

Passport ownership varies dramatically across the United States, with some states reporting rates more than twice the national average of others. The differences offer a revealing look at where Americans are most likely to hold a passport.

This graphic maps estimated passport ownership in 2024 using U.S. Department of State issuance records and analysis from the Center for American Progress. The estimates use historical passport issuance data to approximate valid passport holdings as a share of U.S. citizens, including children.

Passport Ownership by State

The following table ranks all 50 states by their estimated passport ownership rates in 2024.

RankStateEstimated % with a Valid U.S. Passport (2024)

1New Jersey79.9%

2California71.8%

3Massachusetts71.2%

4New York71.1%

5Connecticut65.1%

6Maryland64.1%

7Colorado62.5%

8Washington61.4%

9Hawaii60.4%

10Utah60.2%

11Virginia60.0%

12Florida59.9%

13Rhode Island59.4%

14Illinois56.6%

15Nevada56.4%

16New Hampshire55.5%

17Minnesota55.4%

18Oregon54.9%

18Alaska54.9%

20Texas54.8%

21Delaware50.6%

22Arizona48.3%

23Vermont48.2%

24Idaho48.0%

25Georgia47.8%

26Pennsylvania46.1%

26Maine46.1%

28Montana45.2%

29Nebraska43.8%

30North Carolina43.7%

31Wisconsin43.1%

32North Dakota40.9%

33Kansas40.8%

34Iowa40.3%

35Wyoming40.0%

36Michigan39.7%

37South Carolina37.7%

38New Mexico37.3%

39Missouri37.2%

39South Dakota37.2%

41Ohio37.0%

42Indiana35.5%

43Tennessee35.4%

44Oklahoma33.1%

45Louisiana30.4%

46Kentucky29.0%

47Arkansas28.4%

48Alabama27.7%

49Mississippi22.1%

50West Virginia20.7%

-- U.S. Total53.1%

The highest ownership rates are concentrated in the Northeast and on the West Coast. California, Massachusetts, and New York all exceed 70%, while Connecticut and Maryland also rank among the national leaders.

But the top 10 includes some surprises. Colorado ranks seventh at 62.5%, while Utah places 10th at 60.2%, ahead of several larger states with major international airports.

At the other end of the ranking, West Virginia and Mississippi have the lowest estimated ownership rates, at 20.7% and 22.1%, respectively. These differences may reflect factors such as household income, international family ties, and demand for overseas travel.

How Americans Became a Nation of International Travelers

Passport ownership has undergone a remarkable transformation. In 1990, roughly one in 20 Americans held a passport, compared with more than half today.

In 2024, international departures by Americans reached a record 107.7 million, including 53.8 million to overseas destinations. Travel to overseas countries was 20% higher than in 2019, with the United Kingdom, Italy, and France among the most popular destinations.

International travel also remains closely tied to income. In 2024, the average U.S. overseas air traveler had a household income of $163,000 and spent $1,907 abroad per trip, excluding international transportation.

These figures help put the state-level differences into perspective. Passport ownership is not simply a measure of interest in seeing the world. It may also reflect the financial resources, family connections, and travel opportunities available to residents of each state.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most powerful passports in 2026.