The Worst U.S. Cities For Traffic Have Been Revealed—And NYC Didn’t Even Make The Top 5

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Getting around the city on sweltering days like today offers few choices. You can walk (but you’ll end up just as soaked as you were in the shower), ride the train (though we all know the MTA is anything but reliable, especially when it’s hot), or drive (and NYC traffic is, well, maybe the biggest headache of all). However, according to Consumer Affairs’ worst traffic report, NYC is nothing compared to some other U.S. cities…

After holding the title as the worst U.S. city for traffic last year, Los Angeles has officially been dethroned by Washington D.C. in the 2025 report. Drivers in Washington D.C. have to put up with more than 6.5 hours of traffic congestion on an average weekday. NYC, which ranked as the sixth worst U.S. city for traffic, has to deal with 5 hours and 42 minutes of weekday congestion time.

“Congestion is oftentimes a sign of economic prosperity,” said Michael Manville, an urban planning professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. “Because we don’t do anything to regulate access, the roads in an area with a booming economy become overloaded and congested.”

Fortunately, New York’s traffic has actually decreased year over year. In 2025, New Yorkers are facing 1.2% less weekday congestion than they were in 2024, when NYC was the fifth worst U.S. city for traffic. The average commute time in NYC this year comes out to about 31 minutes. For comparison, Washington D.C.’s average commute time is around 33 minutes.

In order to carry out their ranking, Consumer Affairs analyzed 50 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas and their average travel time to work, hours of congestion, and fatal car crashes per 100,000 people. Each metric was weighted differently to provide an overall score out of 100.

10 U.S. cities with the worst traffic

1. Washington D.C.
2. Los Angeles
3. Miami
4. San Francisco
5. Atlanta
6. New York
7. Houston
8. Seattle
9. Baltimore
10. San Jose

The study also took a look at U.S. cities with the least traffic. In fact, New York’s own Rochester proved to have the least amount of traffic for a major metro.

10 U.S. cities with the least traffic

1. Rochester
2. Salt Lake City
3. Cleveland
4. Hartford
5. St. Louis
6. Milwaukee
7. Columbus
8. Fresno
9. Kansas City
10. Buffalo

See the full ranking here.