New car inventory levels have plummeted as a result of the ongoing chip shortage and supply chain issues. With car buyers looking at empty lots and more and more consumers turning to “online dealers” to find the car, truck, or SUV they’re looking for, we wondered “Do some states have more inventory than others?”
The answer is “Yes.” There are pockets of the country where inventory levels are higher than others. If you’re open to buy a car out of state, then you have options.
Let’s break down the data.
National New Car Inventory Levels
Nationally, new car inventory levels are down 67% from September of 2021 as compared to September 2020. Cox Automotive estimates that new car inventories have fallen to their lowest levels since 1985. They estimate that 915,000 new vehicles are in inventory in the United States right now. Days supply, an industry metric used to measure how many days it would take to sell the current supply of inventory based on the prior month’s sales rate is 30 days.
For perspective, dealers had 1,432,300 vehicles in inventory in the wake of the 2009 Cash for Clunkers program — about 57 percent more than they have this month.
Which States Have the Most Inventory?
This is where things get interesting. Yes, every state is feeling the pain of “chipmageddon”, but the effects are not equal.
| State | Sep 2021 vs Sep 2020 % change |
| Oregon | ▼57% |
| Washington | ▼60% |
| Mississippi | ▼60% |
| Connecticut | ▼60% |
| New York | ▼60% |
| Georgia | ▼61% |
| South Dakota | ▼61% |
| Hawaii | ▼62% |
| Nevada | ▼62% |
| New Jersey | ▼63% |
| Massachusetts | ▼63% |
| All States | ▼67% |
Oregon is the state that has seen the least impact from the chip shortage. With that being said, the state has still experienced a 57% reduction in new car inventory. Washington state, Mississippi, Connecticut, and New York have all experienced 60% declines in new car inventory. Georgia and South Dakota are at 61%. Hawaii, Nevada are at 62%, and New Jersey and Massachusetts have seen a 63% decline in new car inventory levels.
Which States Have the Least Inventory?
On the other end of the spectrum, many states are feeling the pain of the chip shortage much more. Let’s look at the data.
| State | Sep 2021 vs Sep 2020 % change |
| Indiana | ▼74% |
| Delaware | ▼73% |
| North Carolina | ▼72% |
| Arkansas | ▼72% |
| Kansas | ▼72% |
| Ohio | ▼72% |
| Texas | ▼71% |
| Tennessee | ▼71% |
| Missouri | ▼71% |
| West Virginia | ▼71% |
| All States | ▼67% |
Indiana takes first place for the state with the least new car inventory. Inventory levels in Indiana are off 74% year over year. Delaware is in second place with a 73% decline in new car inventory. North Carolina, Arkansas, Kansas, and Ohio have seen 72% decreases in inventory levels, while Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, and West Virginia have each experienced a 71% decline in new vehicles for sale.
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How to Buy A Car In Another State
If you need to buy a car right now you may want to look at states that have more inventory than others. For example, if you live in Indiana and you can find a Subaru you want in Oregon, it may be worth the hassle to buy it out of state and bring it back home.
For more on how to do that we encourage you to read this complete guide: https://caredge.com/guides/buying-a-vehicle-in-another-state/
What about Broken down by Manufacturer?
This section is best viewed on a laptop or desktop!
We’ve got you covered! The team at foureyes put together this incredible data visualization. Scroll to the bottom and hover over a state to see the breakdown of inventory levels for a particular automaker.
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