10 Cities With the Worst Traffic Congestion
The average American spent a total of 28 hours sitting in traffic last year, according to INRIX, a traffic information group. But residents in some of the nation’s most congested cities spent nearly double that—an average of 42 hours a year—sitting in traffic.
In its 2012 Traffic Scorecard, INRIX compared the average of the drivers’ actual speed on the road during peak hours with the average speed of drivers when there was no congestion.
Here are the 10 cities with the worst traffic, according to the study:
1. Los Angeles
Congestion score: 28.8
Average commute time: 28.6 minutes (15th highest)
2. Honolulu
Congestion score: 26
Average commute time: 27 minutes (the 27th highest)
3. San Francisco
Congestion score: 23.5
Average commute time: 29.2 minutes (tied for 10th highest)
4. Austin
Congestion score: 20.7
Average commute time: 25.8 minutes (45th highest)
5. New York
Congestion score: 19.9
Average commute time: 34.9 minutes (the highest)
6. Bridgeport, Conn.
Congestion score: 19.1
Average commute time: 28.3 minutes (18th highest)
7. San Jose, Calif.
Congestion score: 17.6
Average commute time: 24.8 minutes (65th highest)
8. Seattle
Congestion score: 17.6
Average commute time: 27.6 minutes (22nd highest)
9. Washington, D.C.
Congestion score: 16.4
Average commute time: 34.5 minutes (2nd highest)
10. Boston
Congestion score: 14.7
Average commute time: 29.2 minutes (tied for 10th highest)
Source: “10 Cities With the Worst Traffic,” USA Today (May 4, 2013)