U.S. Commuters Lose 41 Hours Annually to Traffic with New Jersey and Delaware Drivers Facing Over 80 Hours of Delays

"Traffic congestion isn't equal in every state. But knowing where traffic can be the worst is important, as sitting in long lines of cars can slowly damage your vehicle over time. Traffic also contributes to worsening pollution and reduces an area's economic health, as it can make people late for work or school, and lead to other issues down the line. In some areas, though, congestion is hard to avoid because of smaller roadways or population growth without infrastructure improvement."

"To identify the state with the worst traffic congestion in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed libertarian Reason Foundation's 28th Annual Highway Report, which provides data for 2022. The report includes a congestion measure from INRIX's 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard. The measure, annual hours of delay per auto commuter, evaluates "the extra travel time endured throughout the year by auto commuters who make trips during the peak period" in urbanized areas. As of the time of publication, this is the most recent data available."

"Nationwide, commuters spent an average of 41.33 hours driving in congested traffic in urbanized areas in 2022. The congestion problem is naturally primarily concentrated in major cities, and states that have larger metropolitan areas tend to rank lower on the list. While commuters in eleven states spent fewer than 10 hours sitting in peak-hour congestion, and commuters in 37 other states spent less than 40 hours, commuters in New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts spent more than 80 hours of delay per year in traffic congestion."

Nationwide, auto commuters spent an average of 41.33 hours driving in congested traffic in urbanized areas in 2022. A congestion measure of annual hours of delay per auto commuter from INRIX's 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard quantifies extra travel time during peak periods. Libertarian Reason Foundation's 28th Annual Highway Report provided 2022 data used to rank states by peak-hour congestion. Population density per square mile of land correlates highly with congestion and was included from the Census Bureau. Eleven states had fewer than 10 annual delayed hours, 37 states had fewer than 40 hours, while New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts each exceeded 80 hours.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.