This city has the worst traffic in America - and it isn't LA

When it comes to the worst traffic in the U.S. - one city tops the list, and it isn't Los Angeles, apparently. 

That top honor goes to New York City, according to the annual Traffic Index for 2023 put out by geolocation technology specialist TomTom. The rankings analyzed the time, cost, and CO2 emissions per mile driven to get the results, simulating how long it takes to complete a six-mile trip within a city for cars.

In New York City, commuters apparently spent an average of 24 minutes and 50 seconds driving about six miles in 2023 - that's a 20-second increase over 2022.

Coming in second was Washington, D.C. (21 min/20s), followed by San Francisco (20 min/30s) to round out the top three. 

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Los Angeles ranked No. 9, with an average commute time of 15 minutes - a 30-second increase over 2022. Angelenos lost 89 hours in rush hour in 2023. Compare that to New York, where commuters lost 112 hours.

California was the only state on the list to have two cities rank in the top 10.

Here's the top 10 U.S. cities with the worst traffic:

  1. New York City (24 min/50s)
  2. Washington, D.C. (21 min/20s)
  3. San Francisco (20 min/30s)
  4. Boston (19 min/10s)
  5. Chicago (17 min/50s)
  6. Baltimore (17 min/40s)
  7. Seattle (15 min/50s)
  8. Philadelphia (15 min/40s)
  9. Los Angeles (15 min)
  10. Miami (15 min)

You can see how other cities and countries compared in the study by tapping or clicking here.