So much has been written, and continues to be written, about the growing popularity of the electric vehicle (EV) around the nation. However, in large parts of the United States, millions of people are left scratching their heads, saying to themselves, “I just don’t get it. I never see any EVs around here.” And, in some ways, these people are correct. EV popularity is definitely a state by state thing.

While there is data available to report the total number of EVs in each state in the nation, of more interest to readers here is data on the number of public charging stations (aka “EV infrastructure”).

According to new research published by Forbes Advisor, based on data from the U.S. Department of Energy and all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Vermont is the easiest state in America to charge an electric car. Forbes Advisor used the data to establish how many electric charging stations there are in each state, per million people.

Easiest States to Charge an Electric Vehicle

The study found that Vermont is the easiest place to charge an EV, with 484.84 charging stations per million people across the state – the most of any state in America. This is based on a total number of 313 total charging stations in the state with a population of 645,570.

Meanwhile, Washington D.C. has the second most EV charging stations per million people (376.09), with 252 charging stations and a population of 670,050.

The third easiest state to drive an EV is California, which has 347.32 charging stations per million people. The state has 13,628 charging stations, the highest number of stations in any state, with a population of 39 million.

Massachusetts ranks fourth, with 304.66 charging stations per million people. The state has 2,128 total charging stations and a population of 6.9 million.

Colorado is in fifth place, with 261.52 charging stations per million.

In sixth place is Utah, with 252.85 charging stations per million people.

Hawaii is in seventh place, with 246.96 charging stations per million people.

Eighth place belongs to Rhode Island, with 230.92 charging stations per million people.

Maine is in ninth place, with 220.81 charging stations per million people.

And rounding out the top ten is Oregon, with 212.66 charging stations per million people.

Most Challenging States to Charge an Electric Vehicle

The most challenging state in the nation to drive an EV is Louisiana, with only 30.49 electric charging stations per million people. The state has a population of 4.6 million and only 141 charging stations across the state.

Mississippi is the second most challenging state in the nation for EV owners to charge their vehicles, with 32.88 charging stations per million people. Mississippi has a population of 2.9 million people, and only 97 total charging stations across the state.

Alabama has the third-lowest rate of charging stations for EV owners, with 39.29 charging stations per million. The state has a population of 5 million and 198 total charging stations.

Indiana takes fourth place, with 45.84 charging stations per million people.

Kentucky is the fifth most challenging state for driving an EV, having 48.57 charging stations per million people.

West Virginia is sixth, with 52.72 stations per million people.

Arkansas is seventh, with 53.54 stations per million people.

Idaho is in eighth place, with 54.71 charging stations per million people.

Wisconsin is in ninth place, with 64.45 stations per million people.

And, South Dakota is in tenth place, with 67.01 charging stations per million people.

Commenting on the study, a spokesperson from Forbes Advisor said, “The electric car industry is growing at a rapid pace for numerous reasons, including rising gas prices, as well as electric vehicles being an eco-friendlier mode of transport. However, these findings offer a fascinating insight into the disparity between states when it comes to accessibility for drivers of electric vehicles.”

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