Which Cities Have the Best and Worst Commutes In America?

American commutes can range from 15-minute drives in Jacksonville, North Carolina, to 41-minute crawls through New York traffic. Location determines whether workers face minimal delays or real headaches from crash risks, fuel costs and gridlock that add 50% to travel times during peak hours.

We crunched the numbers across major U.S. cities using composite scores that factor in travel time, crash rates, fuel expenses and traffic congestion levels. The results show California cities claiming seven of the 10 worst spots, while small Southern and Midwestern markets consistently deliver the most manageable commuting experiences, with Travel Time Indexes around 1.1.

California dominates the list of cities with the most challenging commutes, claiming seven of the top 10 spots. Los Angeles leads with a composite score of 0.72, driven by high morning crash rates and significant traffic congestion that pushes the Travel Time Index to 1.5. This means trips take 50% longer during peak hours than free-flowing traffic.

San Francisco and Long Beach aren't far behind. California's traffic problems come from different issues across cities: San Francisco faces the highest annual fuel costs at $848. San Jose has the highest morning crash rate at 1.0 per 100,000 commuters.

The concentration of California cities happens because of sprawling metropolitan areas, high gas prices and dense traffic patterns. But traffic nightmares aren't limited to the West Coast.

Chicago ranks sixth nationally with the longest average commute time, at 34 minutes, while Newark, New Jersey, rounds out the top 10 with notably high crash rates during morning rush hours. These crash rates impact the average cost of car insurance for local drivers. Insurance rates vary by location, driving record, coverage levels and other factors. Compare quotes from multiple insurers for accurate pricing.

Interestingly, some cities with shorter commute times still rank poorly overall: San Jose's average commute is just 28 minutes, but high crash rates raise its composite score, while Honolulu's 27-minute average commute is offset by moderate crash rates and traffic delays that extend travel times by 41% during peak hours.

New York leads the nation in commute agony, with drivers spending 41 minutes crawling through traffic that slows to just 22 mph during rush hour. Chicago (34 minutes at 25 mph) and Philadelphia (32 minutes at 27 mph) round out the top three worst cities for gridlock.

These cities far exceed the national average commute time of 26.6 minutes, which creates daily frustration for millions of American workers.

The worst speed drops typically occur between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. during evening rush hour, though Baltimore stands out as the only exception, with its worst slowdown happening during the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. morning commute.

For drivers in these gridlocked cities, the combination of extended travel times and crawling speeds translates to higher fuel costs, increased vehicle wear and potentially higher insurance premiums from greater accident exposure. However, rates depend on individual driving records, coverage choices and insurer underwriting guidelines.

Commuting doesn’t just waste time; it can also strain your wallet. Vallejo-Fairfield, California, has the highest average fuel cost for commuters at $886 annually. Unsurprisingly, other major California metro areas like San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles-Long Beach dominate the top 10, joined by high-cost metros such as New York and Chicago.

These fuel expenses reflect long commute times and higher-than-average gas prices in densely populated urban hubs.

Despite nationwide fluctuations in fuel prices, smaller cities in Nebraska, Texas and the Midwest consistently offer the lowest fuel costs. These areas tend to have shorter average commute times, often under 20 minutes, and cheaper gas prices, which keep annual commuting fuel expenses well below $250 in many cases.

Memphis, Tennessee, has the most dangerous commute in America, with 4.33 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents during morning rush hours. Albany, Georgia, (4.13) and Tucson, Arizona, (3.98) round out the top three most dangerous metropolitan areas for commuters.

The most congested roads in the U.S. are primarily located in major metropolitan areas such as Chicago, New York City and Stamford. INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard ranks these routes based on the total hours drivers lost to congestion over the year. In Stamford, Connecticut, drivers on southbound I‑95 lost an average of 151 hours in 2024, making it the most congested road in the country.

While Stamford ranks first, Chicago appears five times in the top 10, highlighting its expressways' widespread and persistent congestion. Several of these corridors experience peak slowdowns during morning and late afternoon rush hours, with some segments losing over 30 minutes of travel time daily. These delays add up quickly for commuters, especially in areas with limited alternative routes or transit options.

If you're tired of long, stressful commutes, there's hope. Small and mid-sized cities across the South and Midwest deliver the nation's most manageable commutes. Columbia, South Carolina, and Jackson, Michigan, share the top spot with a composite score of 0.08. These cities have different approaches to commute efficiency: Jackson achieves its low score through an exceptionally brief 16-minute commute, while Columbia balances a slightly longer 17-minute commute with lower annual fuel costs at $290.

The top performers share common characteristics: Travel Time Indexes around 1.1, meaning rush hour adds just 10% to travel times, and moderate crash rates rarely exceeding 0.5 per 100,000 morning commuters.

While Jacksonville, North Carolina, offers the shortest commute at just 15 minutes, cities like Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Buffalo, New York, manage 19-minute commutes but face annual fuel costs exceeding $360, still earning top-10 rankings due to minimal traffic delays and manageable crash rates.

Springfield, Missouri, breaks the pattern with the highest morning crash rate (1.21) among the best commute cities. Yet its combination of affordable fuel costs and minimal traffic congestion keeps it competitive, demonstrating that no single factor determines commute quality. Many of these locations also rank among the most affordable cities in the U.S., making them attractive for commuting ease and overall cost of living.

From rush hour gridlock to smooth suburban drives, your daily commute depends heavily on where you live and work. These questions explore which states and cities offer the easiest travel times and the most frustrating traffic conditions.

MoneyGeek ranked 124 metropolitan statistical areas with labor forces of 200,000 people or more for transportation quality using four equally weighted factors.

We analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data for commute times, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data for morning hours (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.), AAA gas prices for fuel costs and U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data for traffic congestion.

A higher composite score indicates worse transportation conditions. The score combines four equally weighted factors, with each contributing 25%:

• Morning crash rate: The average yearly number of fatal crashes during morning commute hours (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) from 2019 to 2023 per 100,000 residents. This shows the safety risk during peak morning travel.
• Average commute time: How long a one-way commute to or from work takes. This represents the time burden on commuters in each metro area.
• Annual fuel cost: The estimated yearly cost of fuel for commuting. We calculate this using average commute distance (from commute time and speed), vehicle efficiency of 24 miles per gallon and local gas prices to capture the economic burden of transportation on households.
• Travel time index: A congestion measure that compares peak-period travel time to free-flow travel time. A TTI of 1.30 means a trip takes 30% longer during peak periods than under ideal conditions. Higher values mean more severe congestion.

Each metric is normalized on a zero-to-one scale using min-max normalization before we combine them into the composite score.

Rankings are based on precise composite score calculations to multiple decimal places, so cities with identical displayed scores may have different ranks due to rounding.