One specialty license plate earned nearly 30% of Utah’s license plate revenue in two years — Can you guess which one?

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — How much do those specialized license plates earn for the Beehive State? The answer might surprise you, especially when you learn that one license plate earned nearly 30% of the total revenue — can you guess which one?

The Office of the Utah State Auditor (OSA) put together a report on the earnings from the Special Group License Plate program over a five-year period that ended on June 30, 2024. The OSA found that special license plates’ revenue totaled over $15 million during those five years.

The majority of the revenue came from state agency license plates, including the black and white historic plate, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) plates, and veteran plates. The total revenue for state agency plates came out to more than $7.7 million.

Collegiate license plates weren’t too far behind in earnings for the state. Overall, license plates that featured Utah’s colleges and universities generated over $5.4 million during a five-year period.

The category of license plates that produced the least overall revenue was private non-profit plates. You might recognize the Boy Scouts, Utah Jazz, and Honoring Heroes plates from this category. Just over $2.5 million of revenue was earned by these license plates over five years.

Place your guess for the highest-earning plate now, because the answer is revealed below.

State agency plates

The highest-earning license plate across every category is the historic black and white license plate, provided by the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement (CCE), which is over the Utah Historical Society. This license plate was reintroduced in 2023, calling back to the license plate culture of Utah’s earliest cars.

When Utahns purchase the popular black and white license plate, $2 of the $25 fee goes to the Utah Historical Society, and the rest to the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005. The revenue generated over a five-year period by the plate totalled over $4.4 million, 28.51% of the total revenue generated by all special license plates.

“While each plate serves its purpose, it’s no surprise that the newest addition — the retro black and white Historic Utah plate — has quickly emerged as the top revenue generator, producing nearly $4.5 million in just two years. This underscores the growing influence and success of these specialty plates, which not only provide Utahns a unique way to demonstrate their interests but also contribute funds to supporting deserving causes and organizations,” Utah State Auditor Tina M. Cannon stated in a press release.

The third-highest-grossing set of all specialty license plates is also from a Utah State agency: the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is over DWR. Earnings from the four wildlife license plates — elk, kestrel, mule deer, and trout — support the Division of Wildlife Resources.

12.19% of the total revenue generated by special license plates was earned by the four DWR plates featuring wildlife. Just under $2 million was earned over five years, making it the third-most popular type of license plate one can get in Utah.

The Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs (UDMVA) currently has 10 license plates that support veterans. A specialty license plate is available for the Air Force, American Legion, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, Air Force Combat Action Medal, Army Combat Action Badge, Army Combat Infantry Badge, and Marine and Navy Combat Action Ribbon.

Proceeds generated by license plates from the UDMVA directly support the department and the veterans that it assists. Over a five-year period, just over $1 million was earned by the several license plates that the UDMVA has available through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Other state agency license plates also generated some revenue, but were not nearly as popular. The Department of Commerce’s realtor license plate earned $153,570. The Utah Department of Transportation’s “Share the Road” plate earned $135,925 over five years. Lastly, the “Donate Life” license plate from the Department of Health and Human Services generated $32,650 in revenue.

Collegiate license plates

The second-highest earning specialty license plate and most popular collegiate plate in the Beehive State is actually a set of two plates that are provided by the University of Utah. Over a five-year period ending in June 2024, the U’s license plates generated nearly $3 million.

According to CollegeRaptor, the University of Utah has the third-highest enrollment in the state. Although it’s not the school with the most students, the connection to the University of Utah Hospital and other large employers in the state provides a great reason for plenty of Utahns to invest in a U license plate.

The next most popular collegiate license plates are Utah State University plates. This university earned just over $1 million over five years. USU has the sixth-highest enrollment in the state, and CollegeRaptor says that it has roughly 28,000 enrolled students currently.

Brigham Young University takes third place for the most popular collegiate license plate and earned more than $812,000 during the five-year period. CollegeRaptor says it is the fourth-highest enrolled college in the state. Due to its high enrollment numbers and popularity among football fans, it’s not surprising that BYU has popular plates.

A few of Utah’s collegiate license plates surpassed $100,000 in earnings. Southern Utah University earned $281,872. Utah Valley University generated $113,850 in revenue. Weber State University earned a total of $101,575.

If your alma mater hasn’t been listed yet, here’s how much revenue the rest of Utah’s colleges generated. If your school still isn’t listed, it likely did not earn enough to be part of the report. Westminster University earned $80,250. Utah Tech University earned $19,225. Salt Lake Community College generated $2,900. Ensign College earned $2,378, and Western Governors University earned $,1925.

Private non-profit license plates

Out of all types of specialty license plates, private non-profits generate the least revenue, and all proceeds must go to charitable purposes. According to the OSA, three of the non-profits that sponsor specialty license plates generate so little income from them that they do not track them separately from general funds, which means they are not included in the report.

The most popular private non-profit license plate in the Beehive State is the Utah Firefighters’ Association license plate. This license plate is only available to current or retired firefighters in Utah, according to the DMV’s website. $840,337 was earned by this license plate over five years.

The Honoring Heroes Foundation provides a license plate that shows the Utah Highway Patrol trooper badge with a black line through it and has earned roughly $700,000. It’s available to anyone who makes the required contribution, and earnings go directly to support the families of fallen UHP and Department of Public Safety employees.

The Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake license plates were relatively popular and supported Utah’s national sports teams. The Utah Jazz plates earned $380,427 over five years and support NBA programs for women and children. Real Salt Lake earned about $202,050, and those funds go to youth soccer and environmental sustainability charities from the National Men’s Soccer organization.

Other private non-profit license plates also generated some revenue. The Utah Autism Council’s awareness license plates earned $167,025. The Utah Law Enforcement Memorial’s license plates earned roughly $125,000 over the five years. The Huntsman Cancer Institute’s license plates for cancer research earned $50,985. License plates supporting public education earned $39,075. Lastly, the Boy Scouts of America plates generated $15,945 for their non-profit.