With the pandemic firmly fixed in the nation’s collective rearview mirror and an increasing number of employees once again returning to the workplace (though not all of their own volition), it should come as no surprise that punishing traffic jams are continuing to plague the nation’s largest cities and most frequently traveled corridors.
That’s according to the just-released 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard study conducted by the connected car services and transportation analytics company INRIX in Kirkland, WA.
Once again, those driving into New York City again spend the most time tangled up in traffic, at an annual 102 hours of time wasted during 2024, which amounts to a sizeable $1,826 per driver lost to congestion. A new program that charges a $9.00 toll to motorists entering Manhattan during peak hours in what’s being called the Congestion Relief Zone is hoped to lessen the city’s most onerous traffic.
At the other end of the ledger, the INRIX study shows that drivers in and out of Cumberland, MD lost a mere $18 to congestion last year.
Overall, commuters in the 25 largest U.S. cities spend an average 43 hours of their lives each year sitting in traffic compared to the rare times when things move freely. That’s about a whole work week, and an average $771 lost to congestion, which translates into an average $74 billion lost on the nation’s highways during 2024. Most big burgs saw sizable year-over-year jumps in traffic delays last year, with five of them enduring double-digit increases.
“While the U.S. is still behind pre-2020 levels of traffic, a pullback of remote and hybrid work models brought a large jump in downtown trips, which is a good sign for metropolitan economies,” says Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX and the author of the Global Traffic Scorecard. “Traffic can be an indicator of economic boon, but ironically it’s a hamper on economies in and of itself, (as) each minute spent in traffic results in money and productivity lost.”
In terms of individual stretches of road, the most clogged artery in the country was determined to be Stamford’s I-95 headed southbound from Westport to Indian Field Road, with drivers each losing an average 151 hours of productivity during 2024. We’re listing the longest travel times for the largest U.S. cities and most-frequented roadways below.
Internationally, INRIX’s data shows that Istanbul commuters face the worst congestion among major world cities with an average 105 hours lost to tie-ups last year. The worst commutes on the planet last year also include Mexico City (97 hours delayed), London (101 hours) and Paris (97 hours).
The Most Traffic-Jammed Cities In The U.S.
- New York City, NY: 102 hours/$1,826 lost per driver during 2024
- Chicago, IL: 102 hours/$1,826 lost
- Los Angeles, CA: 88 hours/$1,575 lost
- Boston, MA: 79 hours/$1,414 lost
- Philadelphia, PA: 77 hours/$1,378 lost
- Miami, FL: 74 hours/$1,325 lost
- Houston, TX: 66 hours/$1,181 lost
- Atlanta, GA: 65 hours/$1,164 lost
- Washington, DC: 62 hours/$1,110 lost
- Seattle, WA: 63 hours/$1,128 lost
- Nashville, TN: 63 hours/$1,128 lost
- San Juan, PR 58 hours/$1,038 lost
- Baltimore, MD: 48 hours/$859 lost
- San Francisco, CA: 46 hours/$823 lost
- Denver, CO: 44 hours/$788 lost
Source: INRIX
The Busiest Rush-Hour Traffic Corridors In The U.S.
- Stamford, CT: I-95 SB from Westport to Indian Field Road; 151 annual hours lost per driver
- Boston, MA: I-93 SB from Charles River to Pilgrim’s Highway; 109 minutes lost
- Dallas. TX: US-80 EB from I-635 to Forney, TX; 88 minutes lost
- New York City, NY: I-278 BQE WB from I-495 Interchange to Tillary Street; 85 hours lost
- Chicago, IL: I-55 SB from O90 to S Cicero Ave; 79 hours lost
- Chicago, IL: I-90 EB from Cicero Ave to W Fullerton Ave; 79 hours lost
- Chicago, IL: I-90 EB from Cicero Ave to Ohio St; 76 hours lost
- New York City, NY: Cross Bronx Expy from Bruckner Expy to Walter Gladwin park; 67 hours lost
- Chicago, IL: I-290 EB from S Wolf Road to Harlem Ave; 66 hours lost
- Chicago, IL: I-90 WB from W Ontario Street to W. Irving Park Rd; 64 hours lost
Source: INRIX
