Story at a glance
- Most commuters – around 85 percent – travel by car, while 11 percent use public transportation. Even smaller shares take taxis or carpool.
- A Bankrate analysis evaluated the best and worst U.S. cities for commuters, based on a series of measures including hours spent in transit, fuel cost, hours lost in traffic, and annual commuting cost.
- Buffalo, NY, where commuters spend an average of 22 minutes in transit and $641 annually on their commutes, took the top spot as the best city.
Fewer than half of Americans are commuting to work so far in 2022 and their experiences vary widely often depending on which city they’re in.
Most commuters – around 85 percent – travel by car, while 11 percent use public transportation. Even smaller shares take taxis or carpool, according to a recent analysis by Bankrate.
Bankrate found that Chicago has the heaviest traffic, while California holds the number one ranking for the state with the most car accidents.
The Bankrate analysis then evaluated the best and worst U.S. cities for commuters, based on a series of measures including hours spent in transit, fuel cost, hours lost in traffic, and annual commuting cost.
Buffalo, NY, where commuters spend an average of 22 minutes in transit and $641 annually on their commutes, took the top spot as the best city.
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The average annual cost nearly doubled in the worst American city for commuters: Detroit. Commuters in the Motor City spend nearly $1,000 per year on fuel, and lose 13 hours while stuck in traffic.
Bankrate also looked at the annual costs for new car maintenance, finding the average cost to operate a new car in 2021 – based on an AAA analysis – was $9,666 for drivers who put on at least 15,000 miles per year.
Commuters are also contending with inflation, which has led to rapidly rising gas prices. Yet after peaking at a nationwide average of around $5 per gallon, the national average has fallen to $4.57 per gallon.
Here are the five worst cities for commuters in the U.S.,
- Detroit
- Atlanta
- New York
- Riverside, California
- Los Angeles