Do car diagnostic problems track median household income across states?
Car diagnostic complaints run slightly higher where median household income is higherNHTSA owner complaints about car diagnostic run 7% above what the makes sold there would predict in the 10 states with the highest median household income, and 3% below in the 10 with the lowest.
What it shows: States with more median household income (dollars) tend to sit higher on the chart across 51 states: a pattern in the data, not proof of cause.
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2019-2023 (B19013), joined to NHTSA owner complaints, downloaded 2026-10-08 · 51 states. Chart: CalcScrape · calcscrape.com
A moderate pattern, probably real but not certain: chance would produce one this clear about 1 time in 7. Weak spot: hold cost of living index equal and the median household income pattern disappears, so it may be mostly that factor.