Commuting Chaos
Mandatory return-to-office policies are leading to more people back on the road. And while traffic patterns are changing due to more flexible work schedules, congestion is still on the rise.[1] But not all areas are experiencing this trend as strongly as others. The Zebra set out to find which cities have the worst traffic, analyzing data from the 50 most populous MSAs. Here's what we looked at:
- Congestion: Number of hours spent per year driving due to congestion.
- Average commute time: One-way trips, measured in minutes.
- Fatal crashes per year: Deaths per 100,000 people in each state.
- Increase in rush hour driving time: Comparing increasing commutes from 2022 to 2023.
Here are the 10 worst cities for traffic, plus we'll share the 10 best cities at the end!
Methodology
The Zebra pulled four data points to analyze the top 50 MSAs (by population) in the U.S. related to traffic and commuting. State data was substituted where necessary.