SUV Registrations Nearly Double in Five Years, Census Bureau Reports
19 October 1999
SUV Registrations Nearly Double in Five Years, Census Bureau Reports WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 -- Registrations of sport utility
vehicles (SUVs) nearly doubled between 1992 and 1997, according to data on
trucks and vans released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau.
"Between 1992 and 1997 registrations for SUVs increased 93 percent,"
Kimberly P. Moore, a Census Bureau analyst, said. "And, if we look at
historical data not in the latest report, SUV registrations have more than
tripled since 1987."
"Although SUVs were less than 20 percent of all truck registrations,"
Moore added, "they accounted for almost half of the increase in these
registrations."
The survey estimated a total of 13.8 million SUVs (19 percent of all
registered trucks) in the United States in 1997, up from 7.1 million (12
percent of all trucks) in 1992.
In addition, the number of minivans increased 61 percent (from 6.1 million
to 9.8 million) and the number of pickups, 8 percent (from 33.7 million to
36.2 million) during the same period.
Other highlights from the report, The 1997 Vehicle Inventory and Use
Survey (VIUS), include:
* Total truck registrations in 1997 were estimated at 72.8 million, up 23
percent from 59.2 million in 1992.
* Nationwide, there was approximately 1 registered pickup truck for every
5 licensed drivers and 1 SUV for every 13 licensed drivers. For pickups,
Wyoming was the lead state, with 1 for every 2 licensed drivers; Colorado led
in SUVs, with 1 for every 7 licensed drivers.
* Trucks traveled an estimated 1 trillion miles in 1997, up 33 percent
from 786.3 billion in 1992.
* About 70 percent of all registered trucks were used for personal
transportation, while 28 percent were operated for business, including for-
hire use.
* Approximately 7 percent of all large trucks carried hazardous materials
at some time in 1997.
* An estimated 6 percent of all trucks were leased in 1997, compared with
2 percent in 1992.
* About 1 in 4 registered trucks (25 percent) were equipped with airbags:
26 percent of small trucks and 8 percent of large trucks.
The U.S. summary, along with individual reports and fact sheets for each
state and the District of Columbia, are accessible on the Internet at
http://www.census.gov/econ/www/viusmain.html.
The national survey includes information on fuel efficiency, annual and
lifetime mileage, model year, equipment accessories and other data for each
kind of registered private and commercial truck.
The 1997 VIUS will be available on CD-ROM by early 2000, with detailed
data for each type of truck in the survey, as well as summary data for the
United States and each state. The data are modified to avoid the possibility
of identifying particular vehicles, households or establishments.
The survey is conducted every five years as part of the Economic Census.
Data are used by government agencies, business, industry, academia and the
general public.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey, 1987, 1992
and 1997
The estimates from the VIUS are subject to sampling and nonsampling error.
Sources of nonsampling error include errors of response, nonreporting and
coverage. Measures of sampling variability, presented as relative standard
errors, are shown in the tables in the report.
