There is no question that hybrid cars are becoming more popular – both from an environmental as well as an economical standpoint.  Up until that past few years, concrete numbers were hard to find as hybrid cars just didn’t draw the media attention that they do in this day and age.  Statistics gathered by R.L. Polk & Co. explore the United States’ hybrid car population by state and population area.

California is Hybrid Heaven
It comes as no surprise that the State of California has the most hybrid vehicles registered.  What did surprise me is that in 2007, California’s hybrid registrations accounted for more than 25% of hybrids in the entire United States.  Coming in with a 26.1% of total hybrid registrations, California had almost five times more than the second state, Florida.

When looking at hybrid registrations by metropolitan areas, Los Angeles topped the list.  The second metropolitan area on the hybrid volume list was San Francisco.  Out of the top ten major metropolis’, two California cities topped the list.  Not surprising since California leads the country with its tough emissions standards.

Rounding Out the Top Ten
The nine other states that had the most hybrid registrations in 2007 are (in order from second to tenth) Florida, New York, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey.  When looking at the remaining eight cities on the list, New York City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Sacramento and Phoenix round out the top ten.

Texas is a Popular Hybrid State
Now I wasn’t surprised to see California on the list but I was most definitely surprised to see Texas on the top ten states list.  In 2007 there were 17,196 new hybrid vehicles registered in Texas which was an increase of 37% over 2006.  The state that is known for its vast oil fields is actually on a top ten hybrid list.

I am sure that when the 2008 numbers are available next spring, we will see many of the same states/cities on the list however the growth over 2007 might be significant.  I know that every day I get on the road to drive I see at least 10-15 Toyota Prius’.  I don’t have a long commute either – I drive maybe 20 miles a day.  I definitely notice the increase in hybrids, at least in my little neck of the woods.

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