These US cities have the worst traffic, says new report: How Chicago ranks

As you may have guessed, rush-hour traffic in some cities is worse than in others. Navigation software company TomTom recently released its annual Traffic Index for 2023, using more than 600 million in-car navigation systems and smartphones to analyze commuting trends.

Of the 387 cities analyzed worldwide, the company found the average traffic speed in 228 decreased compared to 2022, meaning it’s taking longer for drivers to get from Point A to Point B. 

Overall, TomTom found Dublin, Ireland, was the most congested city in the world last year, with commuters spending 153 hours in traffic.

TomTom reviewed 80 cities in the U.S. based on average travel times, congestion and the average speed during rush hour. 

New York City ranked as the worst when it comes to traffic. According to TomTom’s research, on average, commuters in the heart of the city spent nearly 25 minutes driving just about 6 miles (10 kilometers) in 2023, a 20-second increase over 2022. That’s the 20th-longest overall in the world. 

These five U.S. cities had the longest travel average travel times covering about 6 miles, TomTom determined: 

1. New York City: 24 minutes and 50 seconds
2. Washington, D.C.: 21 minutes and 20 seconds
3. San Francisco: 20 minutes and 30 seconds
4. Boston: 19 minutes and 10 seconds
5. Chicago: 17 minutes and 40 seconds

Of those above, only Chicago saw its commute time improve compared to 2022, TomTom found — though it was only by 10 seconds. San Francisco’s commute time didn’t change.

Indianapolis, on the other hand, saw the greatest improvement in commute time over 2022, dropping 2 minutes and 10 seconds. It was not, however, one of the cities with the shortest average travel time of about 6 miles.

Drivers in Oklahoma City needed just 8 minutes and 40 seconds to travel that distance in the heart of the city. Commuting was quickest in these five U.S. cities last year, according to TomTom: 

1. Oklahoma City: 8 minutes and 40 seconds
2. Knoxville, Tennessee: 8 minutes and 50 seconds
3. San Diego: 9 minutes
4. Syracuse and Albany, New York; Detroit; Dayton, Ohio: 9 minutes and 10 seconds
5. Jacksonville, Florida, and Fresno, California: 9 minutes and 20 seconds

So you can either complain about traffic times or you can live in Oklahoma City!