Santa Clara County has the highest rate of electric vehicle ownership of any county in the United States, according to new 2025 American Community Survey estimates released Oct. 29 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
This is the first time the survey has asked households what kinds of vehicles they have. About 24% of Santa Clara County households reported having at least one all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, Census survey statistician Tricia Holley said. The San Francisco Chronicle, looking only at households with at least one car, put the county's rate at about 26%.
Statewide, about 14% of California households own or lease an EV, more than double the national rate of 5.5%. California leads all states, followed by Washington, Hawaii and Nevada.
The Bay Area dominates the county rankings. Among counties with more than 50,000 households, the Chronicle reported, the top five were Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda and Contra Costa, each with EV rates of 20% or more. San Francisco ranked seventh and Napa eighth. The whole top ten was in California. Outside the state, Boulder County, Colo., and Loudoun County, Va., led at about 13.9%.
Solar is a different story. The survey also asked about solar panels for the first time, and sunny Central California led: Kern County was first in the nation, with about a third of households reporting panels, and Madera County was second at 31%, the Chronicle reported.