These cities had the worst traffic in 2023

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, August 14, 2024

By Ali Hickerson

These cities had the worst traffic in 2023

Few things are more frustrating than sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. You’re late, you’re stuck, and you’re wasting time and gas. The average U.S. driver lost 42 hours to traffic delays in 2023, according to Inrix’s latest Global Traffic Scorecard. While that’s more than the average 40-hour workweek, it’s a marked improvement from recent years. It’s 18% lower than the 51 hours lost on average in 2022 and less than half of the 99 hours lost before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

Still, trends across the country after the pandemic continue to contribute to congestion. Remote work has led to a longer stretch of high-traffic hours instead of the usual pre-9 a.m. and post-5 p.m. rush hour surges—and less predictable peaks at that. “On any given day, everybody might be going into the office and no one is expecting it,” David Schrank, a senior research scientist at Texas A&M Transportation Institute, told The Hill in June 2024. “What if next Monday everybody gets called in? Then boom—it’s gridlock.” On top of that, truck-related congestion has increased with the continued rise of e-commerce and home delivery, with one truck equaling two to three cars on the road.

City planning plays a major role in managing traffic. Some have explored using tolls to unclog roadways. The famously congested arteries of New York City worsened post-pandemic with less space due to increased bike lanes and the rise of rideshare and outdoor dining. A $15 toll for daytime drivers heading into a portion of Manhattan was scheduled to go into effect in June 2024, aimed to reduce traffic by 17%. However, the plan was halted indefinitely amid competing political pressures to ease the sky-high cost of living. The notoriously congested Los Angeles is also considering congestion pricing, projecting to put a plan into practice by 2028. Though the City of Angels has a new mass transit system and is increasing bicycle lanes, its roads remain swollen.

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To see where congestion is the biggest problem nationwide, Stacker ranked the 25 cities in the U.S. with the most time lost per driver due to congestion, according to data from Inrix. Stacker’s analysis includes how much delays cost drivers based on median hourly wages in each metro area, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and comparisons to pre-COVID-19 pandemic hours lost, measured in 2019. Inrix calculated commute times by looking exclusively at the time it takes to get to and from major employment centers based on anonymized GPS data. Downtown speed is the speed at which a commuter should expect to travel 1 mile into the city’s downtown or central business area during peak morning hours, and the first quarter of 2024 versus the first quarter of 2023 metric is the change in travel times during those two periods.

Read on to find out which city topped 100 hours lost on average per driver and how traffic patterns have started to take shape in 2024.

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Several highways intersecting in the foreground with aerial view of a city in the background.

Canva

#25. San Antonio

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 35 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +17%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: +1%
– 2023 cost per driver: $607
– 2023 city-wide cost: $625 million
– Average downtown speed: 19 mph

An aerial view of a city by a river with a road running along its banks.

GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#24. New Orleans

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 37 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +9%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -2%
– 2023 cost per driver: $641
– 2023 city-wide cost: $329 million
– Average downtown speed: 14 mph

A highway overpass with two sets of green road signs.

Khairil Azhar Junos // Shutterstock

#23. King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 53 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -18%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -5%
– 2023 cost per driver: $918
– 2023 city-wide cost: $9 million
– Average downtown speed: 22 mph

A highway with multiple lanes cuts through landscape with tall snowy mountaiuns in the distance.

Sean Xu // Shutterstock

#22. Denver

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 37 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -11%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -4%
– 2023 cost per driver: $640
– 2023 city-wide cost: $831 million
– Average downtown speed: 14 mph

A busy city street with the building visible in the center background, with a distinctive dome. Various modern skyscrapers and high-rise buildings in the city skyline.The street is filled with vehicular traffic, with cars densely packed and people walking along the sidewalks.

GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#21. Austin, Texas

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 38 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -14%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -3%
– 2023 cost per driver: $663
– 2023 city-wide cost: $632 million
– Average downtown speed: 16 mph

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An aerial view of a city with a large red brick building in the center.

arbsimages // Shutterstock

#20. Stamford, Connecticut

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 41 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +12%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -8%
– 2023 cost per driver: $706
– 2023 city-wide cost: $265 million
– Average downtown speed: 13 mph

An aerial view of a city with a mix of modern and historic buildings. The city is surrounded by hills covered in greenery.

Hrach Hovhannisyan // Shutterstock

#19. Portland, Oregon

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 39 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -8%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -2%
– 2023 cost per driver: $679
– 2023 city-wide cost: $665 million
– Average downtown speed: 15 mph

City skyline dominated by tall skyscrapers in the background. A wide, multi-lane highway cuts through the city, filled with traffic.

Theodore Trimmer // Shutterstock

#18. Honolulu

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 42 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -3%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -1%
– 2023 cost per driver: $739
– 2023 city-wide cost: $270 million
– Average downtown speed: 17 mph

City skyline is dominated by tall skyscrapers in the center, with a mix of shorter buildings and structures spreading out towards the edges of the image. A network of highways and roads crisscrossing the city.

travelview // Shutterstock

#17. Dallas

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 38 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +12%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -3%
– 2023 cost per driver: $658
– 2023 city-wide cost: $2.2 billion
– Average downtown speed: 16 mph

An aerial view of a complex highway interchange. Multiple levels of roads crisscross each other, with cars and trucks traveling in various directions.

Grindstone Media Group // Shutterstock

#16. Charlotte, North Carolina

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 41 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -10%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -2%
– 2023 cost per driver: $711
– 2023 city-wide cost: $794 million
– Average downtown speed: 17 mph

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Aerial view of a city with a river flowing through it. The city has a mix of modern and historic buildings, with skyscrapers dominating the skyline. There is a large bridge crossing the river, with cars and trucks driving on it.

4kclips // Shutterstock

#15. Pittsburgh

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 43 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -14%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -9%
– 2023 cost per driver: $749
– 2023 city-wide cost: $724 million
– Average downtown speed: 20 mph

Aerial view of a city with a mix of modern and historic buildings, with skyscrapers dominating the skyline. A large body of water is visible in the foreground with several boats and ships docked.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#14. Baltimore

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 44 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -24%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -7%
– 2023 cost per driver: $762
– 2023 city-wide cost: $905 million
– Average downtown speed: 13 mph

A steep, narrow street lined with colorful houses climbs uphill with cars parked along the road and cable car tracks running through the street and bridge spanning the bay,

seand67 // Shutterstock

#13. San Francisco

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 45 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -6%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -6%
– 2023 cost per driver: $787
– 2023 city-wide cost: $1.3 billion
– Average downtown speed: 12 mph

An aerial view of city with river flowing through the city. Several bridges cross the river.

Marcus E Jones // Shutterstock

#12. Nashville, Tennessee

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 56 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -8%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: +1%
– 2023 cost per driver: $985
– 2023 city-wide cost: $852 million
– Average downtown speed: 20 mph

Colorful modern and historic buildings with pastel hues line the streets with traffic.

Nina Henry // Shutterstock

#11. San Juan, Puerto Rico

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 57 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +14%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -2%
– 2023 cost per driver: $994
– 2023 city-wide cost: $802 million
– Average downtown speed: 20 mph

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City skyline dominated by a cluster of tall skyscrapers in the center, with a mix of shorter buildings and structures spreading out towards the edges of the image. A network of roads crisscross the city.

meunierd // Shutterstock

#10. Seattle

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 58 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -11%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -1%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,010
– 2023 city-wide cost: $1.6 billion
– Average downtown speed: 17 mph

City skyline dominated by modern, gklass skyscrapers of varying heights. A multi-lane highway with heavy traffic with cars and trucks in the foreground.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#9. Atlanta

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 61 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -3%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -4%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,066
– 2023 city-wide cost: $2.6 billion
– Average downtown speed: 16 mph

City skyline is dominated by a cluster of tall skyscrapers in the center, with a mix of shorter buildings and structures spreading out towards the edges of the image.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#8. Houston

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 62 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +1%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -1%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,082
– 2023 city-wide cost: $3.2 billion
– Average downtown speed: 17 mph

City skyline with a mix of shorter buildings and structures spreading out towards the edges of the image. A network of highways and roads can be seen crisscrossing the city.

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#7. Washington DC

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 63 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -9%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -4%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,095
– 2023 city-wide cost: $2.7 billion
– Average downtown speed: 11 mph

A large, red-brick building with traditional, ornate details. A busy street in the foreground.

f11photo // Shutterstock

#6. Philadelphia

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 69 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +2%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -9%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,209
– 2023 city-wide cost: $2.9 billion
– Average downtown speed: 11 mph

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Tall, modern skyscrapers dominate the skyline. A large body of blue water stretches across the right side of the image.

Bilanol // Shutterstock

#5. Miami

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 70 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +18%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -1%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,219
– 2023 city-wide cost: $3.1 billion
– Average downtown speed: 14 mph

City skyline dominated by a cluster of tall skyscrapers in the center, with a mix of shorter buildings and structures spreading out towards the edges of the image with a bridge spanning the river.

f11photo // Shutterstock

#4. Boston

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 88 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -1%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -10%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,543
– 2023 city-wide cost: $2.9 billion
– Average downtown speed: 10 mph

A multi-lane highway with heavy traffic. The road is divided by a concrete barrier, and there are several overpasses visible in the background. The sky is clear blue, and there are mountains in the distance.

JW.photography31 // Shutterstock

#3. Los Angeles

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 89 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: -4%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -5%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,545
– 2023 city-wide cost: $8.3 billion
– Average downtown speed: 19 mph

A multi-lane road lined with trees and streetlights. The road is filled with cars, creating a traffic jam. In the background, there are several tall buildings.

Dennis MacDonald // Shutterstock

#2. Chicago

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 96 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +18%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -8%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,672
– 2023 city-wide cost: $6.1 billion
– Average downtown speed: 11 mph

Skyline dominated by several skyscrapers of varying heights with glass facades.

Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB // Shutterstock

#1. New York City

– Time lost per driver due to congestion, 2023: 101 hours
— Change from pre-COVID: +11%
— Change from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024: -11%
– 2023 cost per driver: $1,762
– 2023 city-wide cost: $9.1 billion
– Average downtown speed: 11 mph

Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.

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