Which U.S. State Has the Most Personalized License Plates?

Looking out the window and spotting interesting license plates can be a fun way to pass the time during long car journeys. And if you're traveling in Virginia, you're in luck -- more than 16% of all license plates in the state are personalized "vanity" plates that spell out a unique word, phrase, or abbreviation. Virginia vehicles account for almost a tenth of the nation's 9.3 million vanity plates. That's almost certainly because it only costs Virginia drivers $10 USD more to have a personalized plate than a standard-issue one; other states charge additional fees of $50 or even $100 for the personalized option.

Creativity on wheels:

• New Hampshire, Illinois, and Nevada are also notable for having more than 10% of all vehicles with personalized plates. Less than half a percent of Texas plates are personalized.
• Although there are plenty of clever and creative license plates on the state's vehicles, Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) does not allow plates that are obscene or that encourage drug use, violence, or other illegal activities.
• According to the DMV, Virginia also offers its drivers more than 250 specialty plate designs, which allow people to express their support for a cause, hobby, foundation, military branch, university, or community group.