INRIX, Inc., a prominent transportation data and analytics company, has just released its 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard, which analyzed and ranked congestion and commuting patterns in nearly 1,000 cities across 37 nations around the world. The results indicate that traffic congestion has surged across major cities as workers return to offices and weekend activities increase.
US Cities Rank High for Congestion
A striking ten American cities were named among the top 25 most congested urban areas globally. New York City and Chicago emerged as the worst in the country, tying for second place worldwide, with drivers losing 102 hours in traffic annually. Istanbul claimed the top spot with commuters stuck for 105 hours. Los Angeles trailed closely behind the U.S. leaders, with its drivers enduring 88 hours of gridlock. The country’s biggest jump in congestion came from Denver, which ranked 15th, which showed a 19 percent increase in daily traffic compared with 2023.
“Every year since 2020, we’ve seen traffic gradually rise towards what it was pre-pandemic,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX and author of the 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard. “While the U.S. is still behind pre-2020 levels of traffic, a pullback of remote and hybrid work models, specifically in tech-heavy areas like San Jose, San Francisco, and Seattle, brought a large jump in downtown trips, which is a good sign for metropolitan economies. The data also shows more economic activity Saturday and Sunday evenings as the downtown core returns to life.”
The report estimates that, on average, Americans lost 43 hours to traffic jams over the course of the year, equating to roughly one full workweek. The financial toll of these delays amounted to $771 per driver in lost time and productivity. In the most congested cities like New York and Chicago, that figure climbed to over $1,800 per driver. Nationally, the cumulative time spent idling in traffic totaled over four billion hours, costing the U.S. economy $74 billion.
Revival of Downtown Activity
One of the key takeaways from the scorecard is the revival of city centers, spurred by both returning office workers and a boom in leisure activities. Nine out of the ten largest U.S. metro areas recorded a rise in trips to downtown, with Houston experiencing the largest increase at 25 percent. Chicago followed with a 13 percent rise, while Dallas and Atlanta saw growth of 12 percent and 10 percent respectively.
Weekends, particularly Saturday and Sunday evenings, saw the biggest jumps in traffic, with a 13 percent increase year-over-year. Friday was the busiest day overall in terms of trips throughout the day.
America’s Busiest Corridors
Delays on the nation’s most crowded roadways remain one of the most unpredictable congestion metrics. Roads in Stamford, Connecticut took three of the top 10 spots in 2023. Now, the city’s I-95 corridor holds the distinction of being the most clogged-up roadway in the country. This stretch of highway, heavily trafficked by commuters and freight vehicles, surpassed other high-traffic corridors. In total, roads in New York and California accounted for 12 of the 25 most congested corridors in the U.S.
Top 10 Most Congested Urban Areas in the U.S. in 2024
- New York City, New York
- Chicago, Illinois
- Los Angeles, California
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Miami, Florida
- Houston, Texas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Washington, D.C.
- Seattle, Washington
International Trends Outpace US
Despite the uptick in U.S. congestion, cities outside the country experienced even more dramatic increases. Four international cities in the Global Top 10 reported double-digit growth in traffic delays compared to 2023, a trend seen in only five U.S. cities in the top 25. However, the U.S. did see some success in reducing congestion, with three out of the four cities that experienced year-over-year decreases in delays coming from the U.S.
Top 10 Most Congested Cities in the World in 2024
- Istanbul, Turkey
- New York City, New York
- Chicago, Illinois
- Mexico City, Mexico
- London, England
- Paris, France
- Jakarta, India
- Los Angeles, California
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Brisbane, Australia
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