These Long Commutes Take the Traffic Cake
For some people, commuting to and from work is easy: Just a few minutes in the car and that’s that. However, for others, it’s a way of life that takes up a significant portion of their day. Can you imagine having to spend a few hours in the car every morning just to get to work? Let’s take a closer look at 21 cities with the worst commutes in America.
Vallejo, CA
If you live in Vallejo, California, you can expect to spend an average of 35 minutes commuting to work each day. This means that by the end of the work day, you will have spent more than an hour in your car. Of course, this is only the average commute time. A significant portion of the Vallejo population spends more than 2 hours per day driving to work!
Fairfield, CA
Fairfield, California, is yet another major city that has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to commuting. With an average rush hour speed of just 28 mph, it’s almost impossible to get anywhere in a hurry.
Stockton, CA
On average, commuters in Stockton, California, spend about 35 minutes on their way to work in the morning, for a total daily driving time of over 1 hour. The average rush hour speed is also only 27 mph, which obviously contributes to the total commute time.
Lodi, CA
Lodi, California, is yet another city that struggles with high traffic congestion and, therefore, a significant average commute time. Residents also spend nearly $ 1,800 on gas annually, which is one of the highest rates in the country.
Cape Coral, FL
Behind California, Florida ranks as the second-worst state when it comes to traffic congestion and the average commute time. Cape Coral is a standout example of this, as residents spend an average of 33 minutes driving to work in the mornings.
Fort Myers, FL
Fort Myers is yet another Florida city that struggles with bad traffic and long commute times. With an average rush hour speed of just 27 mph, it can take upwards of 33 minutes to get to work in the mornings.
Modesto, CA
The average person in Modesto, California, spends approximately an hour in the car driving to and from work each day. On top of this, the average annual fuel rate is also just over $ 1,500, reflecting the considerable time residents spend in their vehicles.
Riverside, CA
The average worker in Riverside, California, spends just over 35 minutes driving to work in the morning, equating to over an hour spent in the car on a daily basis. With that being said, the average rush hour speed is over 30 mph, which is faster than a lot of the other cities mentioned on our list.
San Bernardino, CA
San Bernardino, California, is yet another city that is infamous for its high traffic congestion and lengthy commute times. In this case, the residential areas are also located slightly farther away from the city's commercial hub, resulting in longer commute times.
Ontario, CA
Ontario doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to traffic congestion. Being a major city in the busy state of California, this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. On average, commuters will spend between 35 and 38 minutes in their car on the way to work in the morning.
San Jose, CA
San Jose, California, has one of the worst commutes in the state, with close to 30 minutes spent on average in the car in the mornings. The traffic in the area is also particularly bad.
Sunnyvale, CA
Sunnyvale is notorious for bad traffic and congestion in the mornings. The average rush hour speed is only 26 mph, making it one of the most heavily congested cities on our list.
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara, California, features a commute crash rate of 0.27 and has an average rush hour speed of just 26 mph. As you would expect, driving to work in the mornings is a bit of a nightmare, with the average person spending close to 30 minutes in the car.
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles is one of the most populous cities in the entire country. For this reason, traffic congestion and the average daily commute time are pretty horrendous. The average driver spends close to 30 minutes in the car every morning and moves at just 18 mph.
Long Beach, CA
Long Beach is another major city in the state of California. With terrible traffic and a very slow rush hour speed, you won’t be going anywhere in a rush in this part of the country.
Anaheim, CA
Anaheim has an average commute time of 32 minutes and an average rush hour speed of just 18 mph. This is seriously slow! But, on the plus side, you can get lots of podcast listening done in that time.
Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix is the biggest city in the state of Arizona, and its commute times reflect this. With an average commute time of 28 minutes, it’s safe to say that the average person spends much more time in the car than they would like.
Mesa, AZ
Mesa is another city that struggles with pretty bad traffic congestion. The average daily commute is just under 30 minutes, reflecting the arduously slow average rush hour speed.
Scottsdale, AZ
Scottsdale, albeit smaller than some of the other cities in Arizona, has very bad traffic congestion, making it a bit of a nightmare to get to work in the mornings.
Lakeland, FL
The average person in Lakeland, Florida, spends almost 35 minutes in the car on the way to work in the mornings. This comes down to the very bad traffic congestion and how spaced out the city is.
Winter Haven, FL
Winter Haven is a commuter's worst nightmare, with an average commute time of close to 35 minutes and an average rush hour speed of just 27 mph. If you are planning on moving here, you can expect to spend a good portion of your day in the car!
