Used car prices soared nationally over the past 6 years due to supply chain issues and increased demand, with no area immune to the price inflation. Rhode Island recorded the largest state increase in average 3-year-old used car prices since before the pandemic, while Salt Lake City led the 25 largest metro areas, with both increases approaching 50% and far outpacing the national rate. The iSeeCars analysis found that the nationwide used car price average rose 38.2%, from $23,624 in 2019 to $32,651 in 2026.
The study analyzed the prices of more than 2 million 3-year-old used cars sold from January through June of 2019 and 2026. It found that while the state list is geographically mixed, the metro list shows a much clearer regional divide: metro areas in the South and inland West tended to have the largest increases in pricing.
States with the Largest Price Increases Are Geographically Diverse
The next three states formed a particularly tight Southeastern cluster. Florida ranked third at 44.6%, Georgia was fourth at 44.4% and North Carolina was fifth at 44.2%. Arizona followed at 43.7%.
The top 10 states are split among several regions. Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire give New England three places, while Utah, Arizona and Colorado provide another three from the inland West. Florida, Georgia and North Carolina account for three more from the Southeast, with Minnesota as the remaining state.
| States with the Largest 3-Year-Old Used Car Price Increases, 2019 vs. 2026 - iSeeCars Study | |||||
| Rank | State | Average Price, 2019 | Average Price, 2026 | Change | Compared with National Average |
| 1 | Rhode Island | $22,027 | $32,938 | 49.5% | 1.30x |
| 2 | Utah | $23,421 | $34,866 | 48.9% | 1.28x |
| 3 | Florida | $23,373 | $33,796 | 44.6% | 1.17x |
| 4 | Georgia | $24,117 | $34,825 | 44.4% | 1.16x |
| 5 | North Carolina | $23,210 | $33,469 | 44.2% | 1.16x |
| 6 | Arizona | $23,493 | $33,767 | 43.7% | 1.14x |
| 7 | Minnesota | $24,125 | $34,207 | 41.8% | 1.09x |
| 8 | Colorado | $24,783 | $35,011 | 41.3% | 1.08x |
| 9 | Connecticut | $23,278 | $32,860 | 41.2% | 1.08x |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $23,040 | $32,511 | 41.1% | 1.08x |
| 11 | Nevada | $24,101 | $33,858 | 40.5% | 1.06x |
| 12 | North Dakota | $25,658 | $35,898 | 39.9% | 1.04x |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $23,418 | $32,643 | 39.4% | 1.03x |
| 14 | Tennessee | $23,886 | $33,286 | 39.4% | 1.03x |
| 15 | Illinois | $23,924 | $33,257 | 39.0% | 1.02x |
| 16 | Nebraska | $25,396 | $35,276 | 38.9% | 1.02x |
| 17 | Ohio | $22,221 | $30,825 | 38.7% | 1.01x |
| 18 | Maine | $23,565 | $32,638 | 38.5% | 1.01x |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $23,635 | $32,719 | 38.4% | 1.01x |
| National Average | $23,624 | $32,651 | 38.2% | -- | |
| 20 | Texas | $25,308 | $34,952 | 38.1% | 1.0x |
| 21 | Vermont | $23,547 | $32,410 | 37.6% | 0.99x |
| 22 | South Carolina | $23,815 | $32,726 | 37.4% | 0.98x |
| 23 | Indiana | $23,015 | $31,618 | 37.4% | 0.98x |
| 24 | California | $24,127 | $33,067 | 37.1% | 0.97x |
| 25 | New York | $23,523 | $32,178 | 36.8% | 0.96x |
| 26 | Kansas | $23,750 | $32,448 | 36.6% | 0.96x |
| 27 | Virginia | $23,530 | $32,138 | 36.6% | 0.96x |
| 28 | Kentucky | $23,242 | $31,725 | 36.5% | 0.96x |
| 29 | Alabama | $24,144 | $32,952 | 36.5% | 0.95x |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $23,186 | $31,559 | 36.1% | 0.95x |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $25,155 | $33,985 | 35.1% | 0.92x |
| 32 | Michigan | $23,885 | $32,176 | 34.7% | 0.91x |
| 33 | New Jersey | $24,084 | $32,441 | 34.7% | 0.91x |
| 34 | South Dakota | $27,106 | $36,402 | 34.3% | 0.90x |
| 35 | Idaho | $27,736 | $37,232 | 34.2% | 0.90x |
| 36 | Montana | $28,756 | $38,524 | 34.0% | 0.89x |
| 37 | Washington | $25,734 | $34,310 | 33.3% | 0.87x |
| 38 | Louisiana | $24,740 | $32,834 | 32.7% | 0.86x |
| 39 | Maryland | $23,386 | $30,999 | 32.6% | 0.85x |
| 40 | Missouri | $24,312 | $32,220 | 32.5% | 0.85x |
| 41 | Mississippi | $24,394 | $32,308 | 32.4% | 0.85x |
| 42 | Oregon | $25,448 | $33,649 | 32.2% | 0.84x |
| 43 | Iowa | $25,401 | $33,532 | 32.0% | 0.84x |
| 44 | New Mexico | $25,242 | $33,223 | 31.6% | 0.83x |
| 45 | Arkansas | $25,569 | $33,535 | 31.2% | 0.82x |
| 46 | Wyoming | $30,067 | $38,618 | 28.4% | 0.74x |
| 47 | Alaska | $27,288 | $34,822 | 27.6% | 0.72x |
| 48 | Delaware | $23,864 | $30,411 | 27.4% | 0.72x |
| 49 | West Virginia | $25,251 | $32,002 | 26.7% | 0.70x |
| 50 | Hawaii | $24,022 | $29,566 | 23.1% | 0.60x |
The biggest metro increases closely track their states
| Three-Year-Old Used Car Price Increases in the 25 Largest Metro Areas, 2019 vs. 2026 - iSeeCars Study | |||||
| Rank | Metro Area | Average Price, 2019 | Average Price, 2026 | Change | Compared with National Average |
| 1 | Salt Lake City, UT | $23,535 | $34,901 | 48.3% | 1.26x |
| 2 | Atlanta, GA | $24,183 | $35,435 | 46.5% | 1.22x |
| 3 | Charlotte, NC | $23,164 | $33,845 | 46.1% | 1.21x |
| 4 | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL | $23,690 | $34,578 | 46.0% | 1.20x |
| 5 | Tampa-St Petersburg (Sarasota), FL | $22,852 | $33,017 | 44.5% | 1.16x |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $23,628 | $33,871 | 43.4% | 1.13x |
| 7 | Raleigh-Durham (Fayetteville), NC | $23,159 | $33,162 | 43.2% | 1.13x |
| 8 | Orlando-Daytona Beach, FL | $22,653 | $32,306 | 42.6% | 1.12x |
| 9 | Denver, CO | $25,140 | $35,751 | 42.2% | 1.10x |
| 10 | Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX | $25,392 | $35,774 | 40.9% | 1.07x |
| 11 | Boston, MA-Manchester, NH | $23,686 | $33,269 | 40.5% | 1.06x |
| 12 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | $24,121 | $33,846 | 40.3% | 1.06x |
| 13 | Los Angeles, CA | $23,896 | $33,428 | 39.9% | 1.04x |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $23,710 | $32,811 | 38.4% | 1.0x |
| National Average | $23,624 | $32,651 | 38.2% | -- | |
| 15 | Houston, TX | $25,348 | $34,897 | 37.7% | 0.99x |
| 16 | Cleveland-Akron (Canton), OH | $21,828 | $29,914 | 37.0% | 0.97x |
| 17 | Washington, DC (Hagerstown, MD) | $23,459 | $32,112 | 36.9% | 0.97x |
| 18 | Portland, OR | $25,104 | $34,312 | 36.7% | 0.96x |
| 19 | San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA | $24,903 | $33,989 | 36.5% | 0.95x |
| 20 | Philadelphia, PA | $23,334 | $31,675 | 35.7% | 0.94x |
| 21 | New York, NY | $24,201 | $32,829 | 35.6% | 0.93x |
| 22 | San Diego, CA | $23,502 | $31,526 | 34.1% | 0.89x |
| 23 | Seattle-Tacoma, WA | $25,848 | $34,115 | 32.0% | 0.84x |
| 24 | Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA | $24,347 | $32,086 | 31.8% | 0.83x |
| 25 | Detroit, MI | $24,144 | $31,814 | 31.8% | 0.83x |
METHODOLOGY
iSeeCars analyzed the prices of over 2 million 3-year-old used cars sold from January through June of 2019 and 2026. The difference in price was calculated for each state and for the 25 largest metro areas and also compared to the nationwide average price difference.
