Nobody loves being stuck in traffic, but it turns out, it’s not just frustrating, it can be bad for our health. Traffic congestion is linked with higher levels of air pollution, which research shows can negatively affect brain health, and raise the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Commuters who sit in their cars longer could be more likely to develop air pollution-associated health issues and new research reveals which cities have it worse.
- ConsumerAffairs is out with their annual traffic rankings, revealing the best and worst cities for traffic.
- It finds that in 2025, Washington, D.C. has dethroned Los Angeles as the city with the worst traffic.
- D.C. has the longest commute to work time in the country at 33.4-minutes.
- The nation’s capital city has an average weekday congestion of 6.5-hours, which is equal to spending 71 days a year stuck in traffic.
- L.A. is number two this year and it still has the longest weekday commute, averaging nearly eight hours of traffic congestion on weekdays. That adds up to 85 full days of congestion on the roads every year.
- The least traffic can be found in Rochester, New York, which also has the shortest average commute at just 21.2-minutes.
- St. Louis, Missouri, has the lowest weekday congestion at one hour and five minutes.
- According to the study, traffic is actually getting better in some places. The greatest year-over-year improvement is in Columbus, Ohio, which cut the time by almost 40% since last year.
- Behind Rochester, the major metros with the least traffic are Salt Lake City, Utah; Cleveland, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; and St. Louis, Missouri.
Cities with the Worst Traffic
- Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles, California
- Miami, Florida
- San Francisco, California
- Atlanta, Georgia
- New York, New York
- Houston, Texas
- Seattle, Washington
- Baltimore, Maryland
- San Jose, California
Source: Newsweek⠀