How many registered voters were on the rolls in 2024, and how do registration totals compare state-by-state?

1. National headline: 174 million registered, 154 million voted

The Census Bureau’s 2024 Current Population Survey Voting and Registration Supplement reported that 73.6% of the citizen voting‑age population—interpreted by the agency as about 174 million people—were registered to vote for the 2024 presidential election, and that 65.3% (about 154 million people) actually voted, making the CPS the most comprehensive national social‑demographic snapshot of registration and turnout in 2024 ^[1]. For context, private data aggregators point back to about 161.4 million registered voters in 2022, underscoring growth in the registered pool over recent election cycles, though methodologies differ between sources ^[5].

2. State‑by‑state comparisons: variation in rates, not a single national pattern

Registration intensity differs widely across states, driven by demographics, registration systems (automatic registration, same‑day, online), and state outreach or purge policies; the Census provides detailed state tables (Table A‑5a and companions) for reported registration and voting by state for 1972–2024 that analysts use to compare totals and rates across jurisdictions ^[2]. Independent trackers and health‑policy data portals publish state‑level registration shares and counts—KFF maintains a state dataset of “Number of Voters and Voter Registration as a Share of the Voter Population,” and third‑party aggregators like World Population Review synthesize state office releases—so the pattern is best read as a patchwork of high‑registration states (many above 85% in past cycles) and states with lower shares in the low‑to‑mid 60s ^{[3] [4] [6]}.

3. Illustrative state examples and partisan dynamics

Concrete snapshots in the reporting show wide differences: World Population Review’s compilation (using state office and IVP estimates) lists Florida at roughly 67.1% of eligible residents registered—an estimated 10.495 million people—while Arkansas appears near the low end of registration share at about 62.0% in that compilation, though the site cautions these are estimates derived from mixed sources ^[4]. California’s official election reporting documents dramatic growth in registration totals in recent cycles—its reports noted total voter registration increasing from roughly 20.33 million to 22.11 million in a recent presidential primary reporting window—illustrating how populous states dominate raw totals even when their registration rates are similar to other large states ^[7]. Analysts at MIT Election Lab documented month‑to‑month and party‑by‑party shifts (for example, notable changes in Florida’s party registration breakdown in 2024) that affect how registration totals translate into electoral advantage, and they stress that registration totals alone do not predict turnout or partisan outcomes ^[8].

4. Data quality, caveats, and where to find the full state list

The single best national headline—174 million registered—comes from the Census CPS supplement, but state officials publish their own official registration rolls and cut‑dates that can differ depending on when the count is run; post‑election adjustments, removals, and differences in definitions (citizen vs. voting‑age population, active vs. inactive status) produce mismatches between sources ^{[1] [2] [9]}. For a complete state‑by‑state table, the Census’s historical and 2024 voting and registration tables (Table A‑5a and related files) are the authoritative starting point ^[2]; KFF’s state indicator and state secretary of state reports provide convenient state‑level counts and percentages, while aggregators like WorldPopulationReview and Ballotpedia summarize registration law differences that help explain the variation ^{[3] [4] [10]}. Reporting here is limited to the sources provided; if a precise, line‑by‑line table of every state’s 2024 registered‑voter count is required, those Census and state election office files must be consulted directly ^{[2] [7]}.