Sustainability Infrastructure

Drivers in this state spend the most time in traffic congestion: research

New Jerseyites spend the most time stuck in traffic congestion.

Story at a glance


  • A new analysis from the Reason Foundation breaks down how much time drivers spend in traffic.

  • According to the report, New Jersey drivers spent the most time stuck in traffic in 2020.

  • Meanwhile, Wyoming drivers spent the least amount of time in traffic congestion that year.

New Jerseyans spend more time stuck in traffic than drivers from any other state, according to a new report.

A recently published Reason Foundation report used data from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2021 Urban Report to rank all 50 states by how much time drivers spend in road traffic.  

On average, drivers in urban parts of the United States spent 27.04 hours in traffic delays in 2020.  


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New Jersey drivers spent the most amount of time stuck in traffic — a total of 48 hours that year — while Wyoming drivers spent the fewest hours at just 6.5, according to the analysis.  

Drivers in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts spent more than 40 hours each in 2020 in traffic congestion.  

Commuters in five states — Wyoming, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota — spent fewer than 10 hours stuck in traffic.  

Here are the 10 states where drivers spent the most time in traffic:  

  1. New Jersey: 48 hours 
  1. New York: 43.2 hours 
  1. Massachusetts: 40.4 hours 
  1. Texas: 34.9 hours
  1. Rhode Island: 32.7 hours
  1. Illinois: 32 hours
  1. California: 31.3 hours
  1. Delaware: 30.8 hours
  1. Connecticut: 30.2 hours
  1. Oklahoma: 29.6 hours

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