Anyone who has to regularly commute in one of America’s major metropolitan areas knows that heavy traffic during the morning and evening rush hour can be a soul-killer. There’s nothing worse than watching your 8 a.m. meeting time come and go while you’re stuck behind a belching semi. Now, a new study from traffic data firm INRIX tallies just how costly congestion really is in both time and money.
Given their densities, I expected my home city of New York or its West Coast counterpart, Los Angeles, to rank among the worst. Instead, I was surprised to find that another metro, much smaller than the Big Apple and even the City of Angels, claimed the unwelcome title of America’s most congested city. Even more surprising? This city ranked third worst in the world, beating out the likes of notoriously traffic-clogged London and Paris.
Ahead, we’ll discuss the report, and if you live in this major metro, you’re probably already nodding along in solidarity. Read on to find out which cities topped the worst-traffic list, both here and abroad.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more news, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
How were the most congested cities determined?
To compile their Global Traffic Scorecard, INRIX measured and analyzed congestion using anonymized, aggregated GPS trip data along with other sources, such as mobile devices, connected vehicles and fleet data, to track commutes and provide a snapshot of traffic delays in more than 900 cities in 36 countries.
The company identified the most-frequented routes and destinations to calculate commuting patterns, including average travel speeds under both congested and free-flow conditions. To estimate the economic cost of traffic, INRIX applied inflation-adjusted hourly values of time as outlined by the United States Federal Highway Administration.
Which U.S. city has the worst traffic?
Chicago, the Midwest’s largest metro, claimed the unfortunate title of 2025’s most traffic-congested city in the U.S. In fact, traffic was so severe that the Windy City also ranked third worst globally, according to INRIX data.
Chicago drivers lost an incredible 112 hours—almost five days!—sitting in traffic, a 10% increase from the year before. To put that in perspective, the average U.S. driver lost less than half that, 49 hours, though that’s still up six hours from 2024. And those inconvenient delays in Chicago came at a steep price, costing each commuter there an estimated $2,063 in lost time. That’s about a $7.5-billion hit citywide.
How bad is the traffic in Chicago?
During the worst parts of the morning and evening commutes, peak speeds in Chicago dropped to just 21 mph this year, a slight (1 mph) improvement compared with 2024’s speeds. Off-peak driving, between the morning and evening rush, averaged 42 mph, down from 43 mph last year. And for workers headed downtown, speeds during that last painful mile of the morning commute fell from 10 mph in 2024 to a snail’s pace of 9 mph in 2025.
By comparison, drivers in New York, America’s second-worst city for traffic this year, lost 102 hours to congestion, at a cost of $1,879 per driver. Peak speeds there dropped to 15 mph during the worst parts of the morning and afternoon rush hour, rose to 30 mph during off-peak, and averaged 11 mph on downtown last-mile routes during the morning commute.
Chicago’s gridlock is bad news for drivers, but it’s helping to shape the city’s future, hopefully for the better. The persistent issue is influencing long-term transportation planning that now includes several major investments in transit projects and policy changes. The city already adds a congestion surcharge to rideshare fares for passengers heading into and out of downtown, which is aimed at managing traffic while generating revenue.
What other U.S. cities are the worst for traffic?
Traffic nightmares in America spare no region. From north to south and east to west, problem cities are scattered all across the country. Here are the 10 worst, according to INRIX.
- Chicago
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Boston
- Miami
- Atlanta
- Houston
- Washington, D.C.
- Seattle
Which cities have the worst traffic in the world?
Traffic issues are a worldwide problem, with the ugliest bottlenecks often located in some of the world’s most beautiful (and most populated) places. These destinations currently hold the unfortunate distinction of having the world’s worst gridlock.
- Istanbul
- Mexico City
- Cape Town, South Africa
- London
- Paris
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Dublin
- Bangkok
- Brisbane, Australia
- Rome
RELATED:
- New Survey: This Big City Ranks No. 1 in the U.S. Happiness Index—You’ll Never Guess Where It Is
- These Are the Most and Least Stressed States in America—Which May Explain a Lot About How You’re Feeling Right Now!
- This Hidden Smartphone Feature Could Prevent Thousands of Car Crashes, Yet 85% of People Don’t Know How to Use It
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- INRIX: “2025 Global Traffic Scorecard”
- INRIX: “Chicago, Il #3”
- WBEZ Chicago: “Chicago Overtakes New York for Worst Vehicle Congestion in the U.S., Survey Says”
- Independent: “The U.S. City with the Worse Traffic Revealed and It’s Not LA or NYC”
The post This Is the U.S. City with the Worst Traffic—And It’s Not L.A.! appeared first on Reader's Digest.
from Reader's Digest https://ift.tt/XgidsST
Comments
Post a Comment