The electric Vehicle is here to stay. As EV sales grow year-over-year in the US and the rest of the world, charging infrastructure is growing with it. In the US specifically, certain states are far better equipped than others to support the rising number of EV drivers on their roads. Below is a breakdown of some of the best states for EV charging along with some of the… less than best.

Table of contents

• Breaking down the US by EV charging
• How data for best states for EV charging was found
• States with the most and least EV charging points
• The data chart (sorted by state)
• States with the most electric vehicles per public charger port
  • 1. Arizona
  • 2. Hawaii
  • 3. Washington State
  • States with the least EVs per charge port
• The best states for public charging points based on mileage
  • 1. Washington, DC
  • 2. California
  • 3. Hawaii
  • States with the most spread-out charging points
• What are the best states to charge your EV?
• Charging infrastructure in the US looking forward

Breaking down the US by EV charging

Anyone who has visited the US can attest that it's a rather large country with 50+ cultural and economic identities. United federally, but still independent locally, these states are responsible for much of their own governing and decisions as it pertains to that specific state. This includes charging infrastructure.

As the number of electric vehicles on roads grows, many states are not equipped with the charging network this zero-emission shift requires. On the flip side, others are much better off to start. Factors such as size, geography, weather conditions, and even culture have all had their affect on how quickly or slowly electrification has been adapted.

Some states are working tirelessly to keep up, and others are not as focused since the number of EV sales remains a small percentage in comparison to ICE vehicles.

Additionally, other states have the foresight to recognize this impending demand, and have already begun implementing charging infrastructure in anticipation of an EV boom.

As you will see below, there is more to this equation than simply how many EVs are on roads in a given state, versus how many chargers are available (although we do share that data as well). Let's break it down.

How data for best states for EV charging was found

To determine which states are truly the best for EV charging, Zutobi released a detailed report using data from US government sites. We then took this same strategy and updated it using the most up-to-date stats.

For example, the number of public charging outlets in each state is sourced from the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Alternative Fuel Station Counts by State report. This report was last updated on November 8, 2021. This number was based on the total number of charging outlets, regardless of charging type (level 1, 2, DC fast charge).

To best determine the number of EVs charging in each state, the DOE's Electric Vehicle Registrations by State was used. The data refers to the number of registered electric vehicles as of June 2021.

To calculate the total number of vehicles registered in each state, we sourced data from the US Department of Transportation's State Motor-Vehicle Registrations 2019. The data used was the number of private and commercially owned automobiles.

Lastly, the number of EVs per mile in each state was calculated using US road data from 2019, gathered by the Institute for Policy & Social Research at University of Kansas. The total length of road (in miles) was divided by the number of EV charger outlets in each state to determine how far apart chargers theoretically are on average.

This is the most up-to-date data from the US government as of the time of this article's publishing. We will update this information from time to time.

States with the most and least EV charging points

As you can see from the data below, the number of registered EVs still pales in comparison compared to the overall number of registered vehicles for each state.

Based on sheer number of charging outlets alone, the top three states in the US are California, New York, and Florida, respectively.

This make sense, given all three states' geographical size and large populations in comparison to other states. Additionally, California and Florida are also the top two states with both the most registered EVs and total vehicles overall. Texas comes in at third.

Conversely, Alaska has the fewest total number of EV charging outlets followed by the Dakotas. We will give Alaska a pass since nearly 50% of the state remains uninhabited, but North and South Dakota have some catching up to do. Wyoming and Montana do, too.

If it wasn't already clear by now, California is leading the pack in nearly every category. But as you will see below, that doesn't necessarily make The Golden State the best to charge your EV in the future.

The data chart (sorted by state)