* Number of cars: The number of registered vehicles in the US fluctuates.
* Number of parking spaces: This is incredibly difficult to quantify. It includes:
* On-street parking: Varies wildly by city and location.
* Off-street parking: Includes spaces in private lots, garages associated with residences, businesses, shopping malls, and stadiums. Data on the total number of these spaces is not publicly available in a comprehensive way.
* Parking space utilization: Many spaces are empty for significant portions of the day or week. The ratio of spaces to cars actively needing them is not constant.
* Types of parking: Some spaces are designed for specific vehicle types (e.g., handicapped, oversized vehicles), impacting the effective space-to-car ratio.
While various studies attempt to estimate parking space availability in specific areas, a nationwide, accurate figure per car is elusive. You would likely find a wide range of estimates depending on the assumptions made and data sources used, but none would be definitively correct.