See where Austin ranks among cities in the U.S. with the worst traffic

Ryan Maxin, Austin American-Statesman
Traffic flows on Interstate 35 through downtown Austin in August. The city envisions building large decks over a lowered I-35 with pedestrian walkways, bike paths and green space.

A new ranking places Austin among the U.S. cities with the worst traffic, though not as high as some might think.

Financial news website 24/7 Wall St. used data from INRIX, a traffic analytics company, to compile a list of the top 32 cities with the worst traffic. The cities were ranked by the average commute time lost to traffic delays in 2022, the change in traffic delays from 2021, the average commute time in each city and the number of commuters who drive or carpool to work:

Austin landed at 19th on the list. Commuters lost 53 hours each waiting in traffic in 2022, and traffic delays in Austin increased by 65% since 2021, according to the data. The average commute time in Austin is around 25 minutes, and the report found just over 400,000 people — or more than 90% of commuters —drive or carpool to work.

More: Hundreds rally against TxDOT's plans to expand I-35 through Central Austin

Where do other Texas cities fall in the list?

Though Austin's traffic isn't ideal, it's better than a couple cities in Texas. Overall, cities in the state claim four of the top 32 spots on the list.

Houston has the worst traffic in the state and the 11th worst traffic in the country. The average commuter lost 74 hours waiting in traffic in 2022, according to INRIX data, and the average commute in the city is longer than 27 minutes.

Dallas is also ahead of Austin on the list at 14th. Each commuter there lost 56 hours due to traffic in 2022, and the city experienced a 28% increase in traffic delays from 2021.

More: Segments of two new highways open to drivers in eastern Williamson County

San Antonio barely snuck in the top 32 at 28th. Traffic delays caused commuters there to lose 32 hours each in 2022.

How do other cities in the U.S rank?

  1. Chicago, Ill.

  2. Boston, Mass.

  3. New York, NY

  4. Philadelphia, Pa.

  5. Miami, Fla.

  6. San Francisco, Calif.

  7. Los Angeles, Calif.

  8. Washington, D.C.

  9. New Orleans, La.

  10. Atlanta, Ga.

  11. Houston, TX

  12. Stamford, Conn.

  13. Portland, Ore.

  14. Dallas, TX

  15. Baltimore, MD

  16. Concord, Calif.

  17. Denver, Co.

  18. San Diego, Calif.

  19. Austin, TX

  20. Seattle, Wash.

  21. Providence, RI

  22. Las Vegas, Nev.

  23. Nashville, Tenn.

  24. Sacramento, Calif.

  25. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.

  26. Pittsburgh, Pa.

  27. Framingham, Mass.

  28. San Antonio, TX

  29. Milwaukee, Wis.

  30. Tampa, Fla.

  31. Lawrence, Mass.

  32. Hartford, Conn.

Texas cities also among worst places to drive

A separate report from 24/7 Wall St. in April named three Texas cities as some of the worst places to drive in the U.S. The list looked at the average traffic delays per commuter in 2020, the number of deadly crashes per 100,000 people from 2011-2020, the share of deadly crashes caused by weather or road design/conditions and the share of driving deaths involving alcohol.

More: One dead in accident on Texas 71 headed to Austin airport; traffic being diverted to US 183

The greater Austin area placed 21st on that list, well behind Odessa at 10th and the greater Houston area at fourth.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin ranks top 20 for worst traffic in the country, new report says

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