More people from Mississippi should visit Europe

I think we should send them back. At least for a month each year.

How many US passports are in circulation?

Thinking about planning a trip abroad now that you know the safest way to travel? Don’t forget your passport! More and more US passports are in circulation, but there are differences when it comes to which states have the most passport holders.

The total number of valid passports in circulation has grown from 7.3 million in 1989 to 160.7 million in 2023 — a 22-fold increase. The valid passport rate (including passport books and cards) increased from 0.03 per person in 1989 to 0.48 in 2023.

From 2013 to 2023 alone, the number of valid US passports in circulation rose 36.8%.

Map of passports issued

In fiscal year 2023, Washington, DC, residents were issued 37.6 passports per 100 people. New Jersey residents were issued about 8.3 per 100 people, followed by Massachusetts (7.7), Hawaii (7.6), and New York (7.5).

US residents made 80.7 million international trips in 2022, up 65.7% from 2021. However, that’s 18.7% lower than the 2019 total of 99.3 million trips abroad.