Cities With the Least Amount of Time Lost to Traffic

By Douglas A. McIntyre Published Apr 2, 10:00AM EDT

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Cities With the Least Amount of Time Lost to Traffic — © anyaberkut / Getty Images

America’s urban highways were as crowded as parking lots on many days in 2019 — as they had been for decades. As the COVID-19 pandemic quickly shuttered offices across the country in 2020, even the most trafficked roads in places like New York City and Los Angeles became the equivalent of ghost towns. The decline in traffic was so sharp that, according to the U.N., air quality improved markedly in many metropolitan areas.

Car traffic volume, pollution, and long waiting times snapped back to near pre-pandemic levels last year as more urban offices, restaurants, and theaters reopened. In addition, in some cities where people worried about the spread of the virus on public transportation, commuters turned to cars. The increase was sharp enough that traffic jams and congestion returned, at times even at levels greater than in 2019.

Map and geolocation company TomTom tracks millions of cars via smartphones and vehicle map systems. Its technology has become part of the creation of self-driving car systems.

TomTom released a study titled “Traffic Index Ranking 2021.” Traffic data, gathered from 404 cities in 58 countries across six continents, was used to analyze traffic patterns in cities throughout a 24 hours day and for 365 days. This allowed the researchers to determine traffic levels at rush hour and at times in the day when there were fewer cars on the road. The information was also used to determine the percent of time that roads and highways in a city were congested.

To determine the American cities with the best commutes, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed TomTom’s Traffic Index. Time lost in traffic per year is defined as the extra travel time as compared to a one-hour period during free-flow conditions multiplied by 230 working days per year. Congestion levels represent the percentage of extra time a trip might take in traffic as compared to baseline uncongested conditions. Population figures are five-year estimates for 2020 from the U.S. Census Bureau.

By global standards, no U.S. city has roads that are highly congested. Forty-two cities are ahead of New York City, which sits atop the list for American metros with 80 hours of time lost in traffic each year. In Istanbul (142 hours a year lost in traffic), Moscow (140), Kyiv (128), Bogata (126) and Mumbai (121), the hours lost are over 120. (These are the cities where people lose the most time driving each year.)

In fact, several of America’s cities have among the best commute times in the world. The lowest among the U.S. cities measured is Greensboro, North Carolina, at 18 hours lost a year to traffic. The congestion rate on an average day in Greensboro is only 8%. The comparable time in New York City is 35%. (Find out if Greensboro is also among the safest cities for driving.)

Click here to see the cities with the least amount of time lost to traffic

30. Allentown, PA
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #346 worst congestion
> Population: 121,156

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29. Cincinnati, OH
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #347 worst congestion
> Population: 302,687

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28. Tulsa, OK
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #354 worst congestion
> Population: 402,441

27. Memphis, TN
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #355 worst congestion
> Population: 650,910

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26. Worcester, MA
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #357 worst congestion
> Population: 185,186

25. Birmingham, AL
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #359 worst congestion
> Population: 210,928

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24. Raleigh, NC
> Time lost in traffic each year: 32 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 14%
> World rank: #361 worst congestion
> Population: 469,698

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23. Grand Rapids, MI
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #367 worst congestion
> Population: 199,417

22. Detroit, MI
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #368 worst congestion
> Population: 672,351

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21. Buffalo, NY
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #369 worst congestion
> Population: 255,805

20. Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #371 worst congestion
> Population: 479,529

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19. Hartford, CT
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #372 worst congestion
> Population: 122,549

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18. Knoxville, TN
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #377 worst congestion
> Population: 187,487

17. Columbia, SC
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #378 worst congestion
> Population: 134,057

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16. Columbus, OH
> Time lost in traffic each year: 29 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 13%
> World rank: #379 worst congestion
> Population: 889,079

15. Indianapolis, IN
> Time lost in traffic each year: 27 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 12%
> World rank: #384 worst congestion
> Population: 869,387

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14. Milwaukee, WI
> Time lost in traffic each year: 25 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 11%
> World rank: #386 worst congestion
> Population: 592,649

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13. Rochester, NY
> Time lost in traffic each year: 25 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 11%
> World rank: #387 worst congestion
> Population: 206,357

12. Albany, NY
> Time lost in traffic each year: 25 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 11%
> World rank: #390 worst congestion
> Population: 96,860

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11. St. Louis, MO
> Time lost in traffic each year: 25 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 11%
> World rank: #391 worst congestion
> Population: 304,709

10. Cleveland, OH
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #393 worst congestion
> Population: 383,331

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9. Richmond, VA
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #394 worst congestion
> Population: 229,233

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8. Minneapolis, MN
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #395 worst congestion
> Population: 424,536

7. Dayton, OH
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #397 worst congestion
> Population: 140,444

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6. Kansas City, MO
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #398 worst congestion
> Population: 491,158

5. Little Rock, AK
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #399 worst congestion
> Population: 198,067

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4. Syracuse, NY
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #400 worst congestion
> Population: 142,553

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3. Akron, OH
> Time lost in traffic each year: 23 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 10%
> World rank: #401 worst congestion
> Population: 197,375

2. Winston-Salem, NC
> Time lost in traffic each year: 20 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 9%
> World rank: #402 worst congestion
> Population: 245,787

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1. Greensboro-High Point, NC
> Time lost in traffic each year: 18 hours
> Average congestion level, 2021: 8%
> World rank: #403 worst congestion
> Population: 294,395

About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.