In one city in Florida, traffic increased by a whopping 2,741%
In one city in Florida, traffic increased by a whopping 2,741%
Less traffic congestion is always nice: it means drivers save time and money on gas and wear and tear on the car.
One of the benefits of living outside the big U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago is not having to sit in traffic.
But maybe not in some places, anymore.
In 2020, many Americans, some with the ability to work remotely, migrated toward less dense, more affordable areas outside big cities, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of U.S. Postal Service permanent change-of-address data. Many suburbs of large metros took much of the outflow.
While the burgeoning populations of these towns can be an economic boon, it can also create traffic headaches.
In 2021, the average U.S. driver spent $564 due to congestion, higher than in 2020 but lower than in 2019, according to the Inrix 2021 Global Traffic Scorecard. Nationally, traffic congestion in the U.S. cost drivers more than $53 billion in 2021, a 41% increase from last year, and the average American driver wasted 36 hours sitting in traffic, according to the report.
Overall, traffic and road congestion in 2021 is still below 2019, and many of more than 1,000 cities scored on the Inrix scorecard are enjoying significant drops in congestion. Lots of big cities have seen a drop in traffic congestion compared with pre-Covid times: New York is down 27%, Chicago is down 28%, Boston dropped 47% and Los Angeles is enjoying a 40% drop in traffic.
But Las Vegas saw a traffic increase of 76%.
Of the large U.S. cities that experience the worst traffic, Vegas is No. 23. And Las Vegans still have it better than New Yorkers and Chicagoans, who are still wasting more than 100 hours a year in traffic, even with the improved conditions.
Here are 30 cities where traffic got worse since the pandemic. They are chosen from 150 U.S. cities overall that have the biggest traffic impact.
Many of these places are outside of the most congested major cities—Lancaster, Pa, is near Philadelphia, and New Bedford, Mass., is outside of Boston. Congestion in one city in Florida north of the Miami area shot up a whopping 2,741%.
To measure traffic, Inrix collects billions of anonymous data points daily from an array of sources, including connected vehicles, mobile devices, navigation units, fleet vehicles, road and garage infrastructure, and publicly available information on incidents to rank 1,000 cities globally on traffic impact.
Based on the 2021 Global Traffic Scorecard, here are 30 U.S. cities where traffic got worse since the pandemic.
Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB / Shutterstock
Las Vegas
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +76%Annual hours lost in congestion: 28Last mile speed: 20 mphTorgado / Shutterstock
Eugene, Ore.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +296%Annual hours lost in congestion: 24Last mile speed: 22 mphShutterstock
Lancaster, Pa.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +28%Annual hours lost in congestion: 22 Last mile speed: 21 mphOceanside, Calif.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +16%Annual hours lost in congestion: 23 Last mile speed: 23 mphSanta Cruz, Calif.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +110%Annual hours lost in congestion: 21 Last mile speed: 24 mphSpokane, Wash.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +10%Annual hours lost in congestion: 20 Last mile speed: 20 mphPensacola, Fla.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +64%Annual hours lost in congestion: 20 Last mile speed: 23 mphNaples, Fla.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +34%Annual hours lost in congestion: 19 Last mile speed: 27 mphSalem, Ore.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +81%Annual hours lost in congestion: 18 Last mile speed: 23 mphGreenville, S.C.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +7%Annual hours lost in congestion: 17 Last mile speed: 23 mphFredericksburg, Va.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +140%Annual hours lost in congestion: 22 Last mile speed: 30 mphShutterstock
Bend, Ore.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +78%Annual hours lost in congestion: 18 Last mile speed: 19 mphGresham, Ore.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +54%Annual hours lost in congestion: 18 Last mile speed: 23 mphGresham is just east of Portland, Ore., where traffic decreased 46%.
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Savannah, Ga.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +38%Annual hours lost in congestion: 17 Last mile speed: 19 mphShutterstock
Reno, Nev.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +35%Annual hours lost in congestion: 16 Last mile speed: 24 mphLakeland, Fla.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +24%Annual hours lost in congestion: 15 Last mile speed: 33 mphJames Kirkikis / Shutterstock
North Charleston, S.C.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +20%Annual hours lost in congestion: 17 Last mile speed: 23 mphSchenectady, N.Y.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +17%Annual hours lost in congestion: 18 Last mile speed: 16 mphMcAllen, Texas
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +58%Annual hours lost in congestion: 14 Last mile speed: 23 mphBob Pool / Shutterstock
Provo, Utah
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +2%Annual hours lost in congestion: 13 Last mile speed: 26 mphDanbury, Conn.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +26%Annual hours lost in congestion: 15 Last mile speed: 25 mphMeriden, Conn.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +11%Annual hours lost in congestion: 16 Last mile speed: 24 mphShutterstock
Charleston, S.C.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +13%Annual hours lost in congestion: 12 Last mile speed: 20 mphFrederick, Md.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +65%Annual hours lost in congestion: 15Last mile speed: 36 mphWaterbury, Conn.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +126%Annual hours lost in congestion: 14 Last mile speed: 28 mphGainesville, Ga.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +16%Annual hours lost in congestion: 13 Last mile speed: 28 mphFort Pierce, Fla.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +2,741%Annual hours lost in congestion: 14 Last mile speed: 21 mphOgden, Utah
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +182%Annual hours lost in congestion: 11 Last mile speed: 35 mphNew Bedford, Mass.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +47%Annual hours lost in congestion: 13 Last mile speed: 21 mphBrick, N.J.
Traffic increase from pre-Covid: +62%Annual hours lost in congestion: 13 Last mile speed: 27 mph