What Are the Best and Worst US States to Drive In?

Updated: July 30, 2026

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States are spending more on highways than ever, with federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding pushing per-lane budgets to five-year highs in several states. MoneyGeek analyzed Highway Statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation to rank every state's road quality and compare capital outlay per lane mile against actual road conditions.

Even after controlling for traffic volume per lane mile, spending and road quality have no statistical correlation. High-spending states can still rank poorly, and some of the smoothest pavement in the country belongs to states that spend the least.

KEY FINDINGS

Roughly 10% of lane-miles nationwide are in poor condition. Urban roads skew worse: 22% rate as poor, compared with 13% of rural roads.
California has the roughest roads in the country. Its Road Roughness Index is 153.4, and 42% of its lane-miles are in poor condition. The state spends $19,980 per lane mile.
Rhode Island ranks second-worst for road quality, with 36% of its lane-miles in poor condition. At $35,087 per lane mile, it ranks 20th nationally for per-lane spending, outspending states that rank far better on road quality.
New Hampshire has only 5% of lane-miles in poor condition and spends $18,658 per lane mile, ranking 45th for spending. Alabama does even better at 4% poor, spending $19,333 per lane mile and ranking 43rd for per-lane spending.
Alaska spends $103,739 per lane mile, nearly three times the national average, yet ranks 36th for road quality. At $81,566 per lane mile, West Virginia has the second-highest spending in the country and ranks 34th.
Georgia ranks third for road quality and 47th for per-lane spending. At $15,995 per lane mile, it spends 56% less than the national average and still outperforms 45 other states on road quality.
Rough roads cost American drivers an estimated $400 a year in extra vehicle operating costs. Pothole damage alone cost drivers $26.5 billion in repairs in 2021, according to AAA.

States With the Worst and Best Roads

MoneyGeek created a Road Roughness Index from Federal Highway Administration International Roughness Index (IRI) data across Interstate, arterial and collector roads in rural and urban areas. Under FHWA standards, roads with an IRI under 95 inches per mile are rated "good"; those between 95 and 170 are "acceptable"; those above 170 are "poor."

10 Worst States to Drive In

California ranks as the worst state for drivers. It places third for road congestion and fifth for driving costs. Drivers pay $5 a gallon for gas, $416 a year in maintenance and $497 a year in tolls.

Louisiana ranks as the second-worst state for driving. The state recorded nearly 20 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents in 2022, the sixth-highest rate in the country, and only 71% of its roads are in acceptable condition.

Maryland ranks fourth-worst overall and first for driving costs. Its cheapest car insurance option runs $1,191 a year, second-highest in the country for full coverage.

10 Worst States for Drivers

	State	Final Score	Worst Cost Ranking	Worst Congestion Ranking	Worst Safety Ranking	Worst Infrastructure Ranking	Worst Weather Ranking
1.	California	0	5	3	25	12	49
2.	Louisiana	2.7	34	21	3	6	32
3.	Connecticut	4.1	9	9	36	2	29
4.	Maryland	4.8	1	2	40	12	35
5.	Florida	8	4	3	19	35	42
6.	Delaware	8.2	6	11	11	29	44
7.	South Carolina	10.9	27	22	4	22	15
8.	Mississippi	12.2	39	29	8	11	2
9.	New York	13.5	3	6	43	7	45
10.	Texas	15.6	26	12	16	24	28

10 Best States to Drive In

Nebraska ranks as the best state for drivers, with the second-lowest car expenses in the country. Gas costs $3.47 a gallon, and annual insurance premiums rank sixth-lowest at $488.

Nebraska also ranks ninth for infrastructure; more than 90% of its roads and bridges are in acceptable condition.

North Dakota and South Dakota have the least congested roads in the country. North Dakota ranks third overall; South Dakota ranks seventh. Commute times in both states average 20 minutes; the national average is 26.

10 Best States for Drivers

	State	Final Score	Best Cost Ranking	Least Congestion Ranking	Safety Ranking	Best Infrastructure Ranking	Best Weather Ranking
1.	Nebraska	100	2	3	18	9	20
2.	Kansas	93.4	7	6	24	3	14
3.	North Dakota	91.1	5	1	28	8	11
4.	Idaho	89.8	22	9	13	4	40
5.	Minnesota	86.1	18	12	4	13	32
6.	Iowa	83	15	7	16	19	17
7.	South Dakota	71	1	1	36	26	38
8.	Wyoming	69.9	14	3	41	7	26
9.	Utah	69.2	34	17	9	23	24
10.	Montana	66.2	7	3	38	20	35

Going Deeper: Congestion, Cost, Infrastructure, Safety and Weather Rankings

MoneyGeek used five categories of data to rank every state for driving conditions:

Congestion: Average morning commute times and vehicle miles traveled per lane mile (how many vehicles use each mile-long stretch of road annually)
Cost: Gas prices per gallon, annual car maintenance costs, toll expenses per vehicle and average annual premiums for the cheapest full coverage auto insurance in each state
Infrastructure: The percentage of roads and bridges in acceptable condition in each state
Safety: Fatal crashes per 100,000 people and car thefts per 100,000 vehicles
Weather: Fatal car crashes per 100,000 people in snowy and rainy conditions

Best and Worst States for Road Congestion

Least Congested Roads:
1. North Dakota
2. South Dakota
3. Montana
4. Nebraska
5. Wyoming

Most Congested:
1. New Jersey
2. Maryland
3. California
4. Florida
5. Massachusetts

Most and Least Expensive States for Drivers

Most Expensive:
1. Maryland
2. Oregon
3. New York
4. Florida
5. California

Least Expensive:
1. South Dakota
2. Nebraska
3. Wisconsin
4. New Hampshire
5. Tie: North Dakota and Massachusetts

States With the Best and Worst Driving Infrastructure

Best Infrastructure:
1. Alabama
2. Indiana
3. Kansas
4. Idaho
5. Georgia

Worst Infrastructure:
1. Rhode Island
2. Connecticut
3. Massachusetts
4. Washington
5. New Mexico

Safest and Most Dangerous States for Driving

Safest States:
1. Massachusetts
2. New Jersey
3. Hawaii
4. Minnesota
5. Tie: Illinois and Rhode Island

Most Dangerous:
1. New Mexico
2. Tennessee
3. Louisiana
4. South Carolina
5. Tie: Arkansas and Oklahoma

Best and Worst States for Driving in Bad Weather

Best:
1. Nevada
2. California
3. Arizona
4. Rhode Island
5. New Mexico

Worst:
1. West Virginia
2. Mississippi
3. Kentucky
4. Missouri
5. Michigan

Methodology

MoneyGeek analyzed 12 metrics across five categories to rank every state: congestion, cost, infrastructure, safety and weather. Each metric received a weight based on its contribution to the daily driving experience.

The congestion score (25%) draws from vehicle miles traveled per lane mile (2022 Federal Highway Administration data, 12.5%) and average commute times in minutes from the Census Bureau's 2022 one-year American Community Survey (12.5%).
Four pricing inputs determine the cost score (20%): gas prices, annual tolls, auto insurance premiums and maintenance costs. Gas prices per gallon for midgrade gas came from CollectAPI's Gas Prices API, accessed in July 2024 (5%). Annual toll costs per vehicle (5%) came from the 2021 Federal Highway Administration data; the figure divides government highway spending from toll revenue by registered vehicles per state. Delaware's 2021 vehicle registration came from Delaware State Police's Reports/Statistics because FHWA data showed an unexplained drop from 2020 to 2021. Annual auto insurance premiums used the cheapest full coverage option in each state from state insurance departments and Quadrant Information Services; quotes are current as of July 2024 (5%). Annual maintenance costs came from CarMD 2021 data (5%).
Road and bridge conditions drive 20% of the score. The International Roughness Index (IRI) measures road quality; lower values mean smoother roads. Roads rated "Good" or "Fair" in the 2022 Bureau of Transportation Statistics data carry 15% of the score. For bridges, the analysis used 2023 Bureau of Transportation Statistics data on driving surface, deck, superstructure and substructure and counted those scoring at least 5 out of 10 (5%). A score of 7 or higher indicates excellent condition; 4 or below is poor.
Fatal crash rates and vehicle theft data carry 25% of the score. The fatal car crash rate (18.75%) divided crash fatalities by population per the 2022 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. The car theft rate (6.25%) used theft-related arrests per 100,000 vehicles from the FBI's 2022 Crime Explorer.
Weather-related fatality data carries 10% of the score. Rainy-weather and snowy-weather fatality rates (each per 100,000 people) each carry 5%, both from the 2021 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

Full Dataset

Rank	State	Final Score	Cost Score	Congestion Score	Safety Score	Infrastructure Score	Weather Score
1	California	0.0	8.1	5.4	43.7	28.0	96.1
2	Louisiana	2.7	61.0	38.7	1.9	16.9	59.7
3	Connecticut	4.1	18.7	16.1	65.2	10.1	57.1
4	Maryland	4.8	0.0	1.1	77.2	28.0	61.0
5	Florida	8.0	7.3	5.4	31.6	67.2	74.0
6	Delaware	8.2	8.9	20.4	20.9	58.7	75.3
7	South Carolina	10.9	52.0	39.8	3.2	44.4	42.9
8	Mississippi	12.2	65.9	53.8	10.1	24.9	15.6
9	New York	13.5	5.7	9.7	84.8	18.0	76.6
10	Texas	15.6	49.6	23.7	24.7	48.1	55.8
11	New Mexico	16.1	30.1	74.2	0.0	16.4	77.9
12	Missouri	17.5	68.3	62.4	8.9	22.2	23.4
13	Washington	19.2	15.4	36.6	75.9	14.8	40.3
14	Tennessee	21.0	45.5	36.6	0.6	81.5	31.2
15	Colorado	23.0	19.5	51.6	31.6	38.6	63.6
16	Virginia	24.4	35.8	16.1	57.6	52.4	51.9
17	Rhode Island	24.9	35.8	23.7	86.1	0.0	87.0
18	Arizona	25.9	61.0	37.6	12.0	43.9	92.2
19	North Carolina	27.2	35.8	33.3	34.8	58.2	58.4
20	Georgia	28.5	43.1	14.0	31.0	85.7	54.5
21	New Jersey	29.9	25.2	0.0	99.4	38.6	72.7
22	West Virginia	30.2	17.1	49.5	49.4	65.6	0.0
23	Illinois	30.9	23.6	31.2	86.1	28.0	46.8
24	Pennsylvania	31.5	31.7	34.4	85.4	21.2	45.5
25	Oregon	32.2	1.6	72.0	22.8	67.7	29.9
26	Kentucky	33.5	28.5	59.1	28.5	66.1	22.1
27	Hawaii	34.0	53.7	10.8	98.1	19.6	66.2
28	Michigan	35.0	36.6	49.5	58.2	43.9	24.7
29	Maine	37.1	54.5	53.8	43.7	31.2	62.3
30	Massachusetts	37.5	75.6	5.4	100.0	14.3	74.0
31	Alaska	46.9	35.8	89.2	46.8	31.2	28.6
32	Nevada	50.0	19.5	59.1	34.8	68.8	100.0
33	New Hampshire	51.7	77.2	28.0	81.6	46.0	46.8
34	Oklahoma	52.9	56.9	78.5	6.3	73.0	59.7
35	Indiana	53.1	57.7	43.0	40.5	94.2	27.3
36	Arkansas	53.4	71.5	78.5	6.3	76.2	31.2
37	Alabama	54.2	64.2	45.2	20.9	100.0	51.9
38	Wisconsin	59.8	78.0	73.1	60.8	29.6	45.5
39	Ohio	61.2	71.5	48.4	73.4	59.3	32.5
40	Vermont	64.8	47.2	69.9	55.1	69.8	46.8
41	Montana	66.2	74.8	95.7	20.9	60.3	42.9
42	Utah	69.2	31.7	68.8	82.9	58.2	54.5
43	Wyoming	69.9	63.4	95.7	13.3	79.4	53.2
44	South Dakota	71.0	100.0	100.0	24.1	49.7	32.5
45	Iowa	83.0	61.0	89.2	63.3	61.9	59.7
46	Minnesota	86.1	59.3	74.2	86.7	69.3	45.5
47	Idaho	89.8	53.7	83.9	75.3	86.8	31.2
48	North Dakota	91.1	75.6	100.0	39.2	78.3	67.5
49	Kansas	93.4	74.8	91.4	44.9	90.5	62.3
50	Nebraska	100.0	89.4	95.7	59.5	76.2	58.4

About Doug Milnes, CFA

Doug Milnes is a CFA charterholder with over 10 years of experience in corporate finance. He led the Credit Cards vertical at MoneyGeek. At Duff and Phelps, he performed valuations. He later conducted financial planning and analysis at several other companies. His analysis has been cited by U.S. News & World Report, The Hill, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and many other outlets.

Doug holds a master's degree in data science from Northwestern University. He writes about credit card strategy, including debt management and rewards.

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