ConsumerAffairs has released a study this summer examining the worst cities in the nation for traffic — and it turns out that one of the top picks is right here in Florida.
Of course, when it comes to defining the “worst traffic,” the study looks at three main factors:
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- Average travel time to work (45%)
- Hours of congestion (45%)
- Fatal car crashes per 100,000 people (10%)
Overall, the worst-ranked city in the nation turned out to be Washington, D.C., which managed to hold onto its No. 1 spot from last year’s ranking.
But the No. 3 pick was revealed to be Miami, which actually rose nine spots from its No. 12 slot in 2024.
According to the study, Miami’s commute times have remained largely the same, and the number of fatal crashes per capita dropped by over 18%.
However, the study shows that weekday congestion time sat at over six hours — a nearly 50% increase from last year.
“Miami ranks third worst for traffic, a significant leap from No. 12 in our 2024 analysis. The average daily commute is just over 29 minutes, the 12th highest among the cities we compared. The duration of congestion in Miami is even worse: more than 6.5 hours on the average weekday. That’s the equivalent of 70 full days each year, the third-worst total for congestion in the country.
Studies indicate that, generally, traffic congestion tends to decrease the likelihood of fatal crashes during peak morning and evening times. (More congestion tends to force vehicles to travel at lower speeds, which makes crashes less likely to be fatal.) However, our analysis indicates a more complex relationship in Miami: The city ranks 11th worst for the rate of fatal car crashes. Among the 10 cities with the worst traffic overall, Miami is the only city that scores worse than the national average for this metric. Fatal crashes can be a cause of increased traffic congestion, as officials block off streets or close highway lanes to respond to or investigate collisions."
ConsumerAffairs, "Which cities have the worst traffic?"
Meanwhile, three other metros in Florida were also ranked on their traffic conditions. They are as follows:
- No. 12: Orlando
- No. 13: Tampa
- No. 23: Jacksonville
The rest of the rankings can be found below.