This city has the worst traffic in the U.S.—and it's not Los Angeles
America is home to some of the most congested cities in the world.
Most agree that sitting in traffic is a massive waste of time, and often cite a frustrating commute to and from work as reason to resist returning to the office. But experts say that congestion is a sign of a good economy because it shows people are going out and likely spending money.
In January, geolocation technology specialist TomTom released its annual Traffic Index for 2023.
The ranking includes the U.S. cities with the worst traffic, and was calculated by assessing the time, cost, and CO2 emission per mile driven and simulating how long it takes to complete a six-mile trip within a city for typical E.V., petrol and diesel cars.
California is the only state that had two cities rank in the top 10: San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The latter is notorious for its bad traffic but still came in way down at the No. 9 spot, while the Bay Area city landed in the top three.
New York City has the worst traffic in the U.S.
New York City is No. 1 on the list of cities with the worst traffic in America. The TomTom report found that, on average, commuters in the heart of the Big Apple spent 24 minutes and 50 seconds driving about six miles in 2023, a 20-second increase over 2022.
The city also ranked as the most congested in the U.S. in a separate TomTom ranking. On average, drivers lost 8 minutes and 2 seconds for a six-mile trip due to traffic. Commuters in New York also lose the most time in rush-hour traffic jams, with an average of one hour to make a typical six-minute trip.
Top 10 U.S. cities with the worst traffic
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Boston
- Chicago
- Baltimore
- Seattle
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Miami
Washington, D.C., ranks No. 2 on TomTom's list. The average travel time for just six miles of driving is 21 minutes and 20 seconds, according to TomTom.
Commuters in the U.S. capital lost 86 hours to rush-hour traffic throughout 2023. Washington D.C. is also the third most congested U.S. city, with an average time of 5 minutes and 37 seconds lost due to traffic for a six-mile trip, according to a separate TomTom ranking.
Some of the country's largest organizations are also based in Washington, D.C., including the American Red Cross, National Geographic Society, and AARP.
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