You might be surprised by which state ranked the best for teen drivers
Despite its reputation for erratic city traffic surrounded by congested metro areas, data from WalletHub has ranked New York as the safest state in the U.S. for teen drivers. All 50 states were evaluated in three primary categories: safety, economic environment, and driving laws. These categories used 23 relevant metrics, with each metric graded on a 100-point scale where 100 indicated the most favorable conditions. For example, safety included, but wasn’t limited to, metrics such as teen driver fatalities per 100 teens, the quality of roads, and the number of driving schools per capita. Economic environment consisted of metrics like a premium increase after adding a teen to a car insurance policy, while driving laws evaluated data like the presence of red-light and speeding cameras.
A closer look at the top three states
A few driving forces behind New York’s number-one ranking as the safest state for teen drivers include its second-fewest teen driver fatalities per capita, the fourth-lowest percentage of drivers using phones while driving, and the third-lowest frequency of poor turning. The Empire State also has the highest number of driving schools per capita, the fifth-fewest DUI arrests per capita, and the seventh-lowest rate of teens texting while driving. Having almost all of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s recommended driving laws and the seventh-highest car insurance premiums for teens didn’t hurt New York, either.
Oregon ranked second among the states with the highest fines in the U.S. for running a red light or not buckling up. According to WalletHub, 96% of teen drivers in Oregon report always wearing a seatbelt. Additional factors influencing Oregon’s position behind New York were having the seventh-best road conditions in the nation, the second-lowest percentage of drivers using phones while driving, and more. While many might’ve expected New Jersey to be near the bottom of this study’s list, New Jersey ranked third, partly due to having the third-most driving schools per capita, pricey insurance premiums with the sixth-highest increases in the U.S., and the third-lowest teen driver fatality rate.
The remaining states rounding out the list of top ten safest states for teen drivers, from best to worst, included:
- West Virginia (4)
- Kentucky (5)
- Rhode Island (6)
- Indiana (7)
- Massachusetts (8)
- Washington (9)
- California (10)
States like Missouri struggled, while others, such as Florida, improved
Missouri was one of the lowest-ranked states, placing 49th with a total score of 27.64 out of 100. More specifically, Missouri had the 47th-lowest safety rating, the 40th-lowest economic rating, and the worst driving laws for teen motorists. Other states like Florida ranked toward the middle at 23, but saw their ranking rise from last year. In 2024, Florida ranked 33rd on the list of best states for teen drivers. Florida’s improved metrics included fewer teen DUIs and a lower average premium rate increase when adding a teen driver. The Sunshine State also maintained its number-one rank for the presence of distracted-driving/texting-while-driving laws.
Final thoughts
WalletHub’s data indicates that a state’s conduciveness to teen driving isn’t significantly diminished by factors such as congestion, contrary to many people’s belief. Instead, the states that ranked 41 through 50 were among the most rural in America, and those that performed best scored high across combined safety, economic environment, and driving law dimensions.
Below are the remaining states, 40, ranked from best to worst, in WalletHub’s list of the best states for teen drivers:
- Maryland (11)
- Connecticut (12)
- Georgia (13)
- Alaska (14)
- Utah (15)
- Illinois (16)
- Minnesota (17)
- Hawaii (18)
- Louisiana (19)
- South Carolina (20)
- Kansas (21)
- Delaware (22)
- Florida (23)
- Texas (24)
- Pennsylvania (25)
- North Carolina (26)
- Vermont (27)
- Maine (28)
- Michigan (29)
- Arizona (30)
- Tennessee (31)
- Virginia (32)
- Ohio (33)
- Nevada (34)
- Iowa (35)
- Wisconsin (36)
- Colorado (37)
- New Hampshire (38)
- Oklahoma (39)
- New Mexico (40)
- Arkansas (41)
- South Dakota (42)
- Idaho (43)
- Alabama (44)
- Nebraska (45)
- North Dakota (46)
- Mississippi (47)
- Wyoming (48)
- Missouri (49)
- Montana (50)
