October 24, 2024 | Jesse Singer

The 20 Best And 20 Worst Cities For Drivers In America


Wanna Go For A Drive?

Most of us spend way too much time in our cars—with the average person in America spending about 370 hours on the road each year. But all time isn't equal and 370 hours in one city can be much better—or much worse—than 370 hours in another.

Best Worst Driving Cities L

Methodology

Before we jump into it, a quick note on the data: These rankings were calculated in 2024 by WalletHub, based on over 30 different criteria across four main headings: Cost of Ownership & Maintenance, Traffic & Infrastructure, Safety, and Access to Vehicles & Maintenance.

Across these four headings, they looked at everything from fuel and insurance prices to time spent in traffic and road quality. They also took into consideration the likelihood of accidents, car theft rates, and hard-braking events per 1,000 miles. The number of gas stations, auto repair shops, and parking lots per capita were also factored into the final weighted average score for each city. 100 cities were ranked and these are the top 20 and the bottom 20 in said ranking (with numbers 1-20 being the best and 80-100 being the worst).

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#20: Toledo, OH (58.02)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 5

Traffic & Infrastructure: 40

Safety: 66

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 71

Empty Jefferson Street in Toledo, OhioCounselman Collection, Flickr

#80: Aurora, CO (46.1)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 55

Traffic & Infrastructure: 90

Safety: 83

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 77

Colfax Avenue located in Aurora, ColoradoKen Lund, Flickr

#19: Arlington, TX (58.46)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 30

Traffic & Infrastructure: 60

Safety: 26

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 22

Aerial view of the city of Arlington, TexasTallmaple, Shutterstock

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#81: Stockton, CA (45.95)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 85

Traffic & Infrastructure: 54

Safety: 43

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 82

Aerial view of Stockton, CaliforniaDJ Fogbound, Flickr

#18: Tulsa, OK (58.82)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 41

Traffic & Infrastructure: 5

Safety: 51

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 40

Route 66 Bridge located in Tulsa, OklahomaNicolas Henderson, Flickr

#82: Baltimore, MD (45.61)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 63

Traffic & Infrastructure: 83

Safety: 80

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 73

View south along Maryland State Route 41Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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#17: Lubbock, TX (58.94)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 35

Traffic & Infrastructure: 3

Safety: 60

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 67

Lubbock Skyline at sundown in TexasNoah Puente, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

#83: Newark, NJ (45.24)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 73

Traffic & Infrastructure: 95

Safety: 55

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 21

Crowded Downtown in Newark, New JerseyKen Lund, Flickr

#16: Lexington-Fayette, KY (58.96)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 6

Traffic & Infrastructure: 43

Safety: 31

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 95

Aerial view of the city of Lexington, KYGrindstone Media Group, Shutterstock

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#84: San Bernardino, CA (45.16)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 93

Traffic & Infrastructure: 22

Safety: 74

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 42

Afternoon view of San Bernardino Mountain in CaliforniaMatt Gush, Shutterstock

#15: Durham, NC (59.10)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 7

Traffic & Infrastructure: 44

Safety: 32

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 85

An intersection located in Durham, NCIldar Sagdejev, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

#85: New Orleans, LA (45.16)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 65

Traffic & Infrastructure: 76

Safety: 84

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 96

Crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USADomenico Convertini, Flickr

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#14: Fort Wayne, IN (59.14)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 23

Traffic & Infrastructure: 39

Safety: 21

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 64

A view of downtown Fort Wayne, IndianaNortheast Indiana Regional Partnership, Flickr

#86: Boston, MA (45.15)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 68

Traffic & Infrastructure: 94

Safety: 35

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 87

Aerial view of Boston cityscape, MassachusettsBert Kaufmann, Flickr

#13: Lincoln, NE (59.32)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 18

Traffic & Infrastructure: 52

Safety: 12

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 89

Aerial View of Downtown Lincoln, Nebraskaedward stojakovic, Flickr

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#87: San Diego, CA (45.04)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 95

Traffic & Infrastructure: 51

Safety: 30

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 29

Gas Lamp Quarter in San Diego, California, USADietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

#12: Winston-Salem, NC (60.05)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 3

Traffic & Infrastructure: 26

Safety: 40

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 94

Aerial view of Winston-Salem, North CarolinaPaul Sableman, Flickr

#88: Milwaukee, WI (44.22)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 70

Traffic & Infrastructure: 85

Safety: 82

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 61

An empty road in Milwaukee, WisconsinDori, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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#11: Birmingham, AL (60.17)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 8

Traffic & Infrastructure: 10

Safety: 87

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 8

Busy Downtown in Birmingham, AlabamaBjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

#89: Portland, OR (44.00)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 75

Traffic & Infrastructure: 86

Safety: 78

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 38

Aerial shot of the Morrison Bridge in Portland, OregonJoanieB, Shutterstock

#10: Plano, TX (60.52)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 40

Traffic & Infrastructure: 37

Safety: 13

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 28

Legacy Town Center located in Plano, TXEric Fredericks, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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#90: Denver, CO (43.48)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 69

Traffic & Infrastructure: 87

Safety: 86

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 45

Denver City Center from Coors Field located in DenverKen Lund, Flickr

#9: Tampa, FL (60.66)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 36

Traffic & Infrastructure: 24

Safety: 41

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 4

Downtown skyline of Tampa, Florida, USASean Pavone, Shutterstock

#91: San Jose, CA (43.22)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 97

Traffic & Infrastructure: 65

Safety: 34

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 78

Empty SoFA District located in San Jose, CAEric Fredericks, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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#8: Wichita, KS (61.39)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 21

Traffic & Infrastructure: 6

Safety: 24

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 88

A skyline located in Wichita, KansasWeaponizingArchitecture, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

#92: Seattle, WA (42.59)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 84

Traffic & Infrastructure: 81

Safety: 67

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 84

The city of Seattle, Washington in the fallWonderlane, Flickr

#7: Scottsdale, AZ (62.04)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 61

Traffic & Infrastructure: 1

Safety: 8

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 25

A view of Old Town located in Scottsdale, ArizonaDru Bloomfield, Flickr

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#93: Washington, DC (39.41)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 62

Traffic & Infrastructure: 97

Safety: 94

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 75

Congestion along M Street in Washington DCEricjonesdotcom, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

#6: Orlando, FL (62.06)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 37

Traffic & Infrastructure: 2

Safety: 69

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 2

View of a highway of downtown Orlando, FloridaSean Pavone, Shutterstock

#94: New York, NY (38.02)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 90

Traffic & Infrastructure: 100

Safety: 20

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 80

A street in Upper Manhattan - New York CityMaciek Lulko, Flickr

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#5: Jacksonville, FL (62.46)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 4

Traffic & Infrastructure: 21

Safety: 39

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 34

A busy road in Jacksonville, FloridaKevin Burke, Flickr

#95: Chicago, IL (37.20)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 89

Traffic & Infrastructure: 99

Safety: 56

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 46

Busy Jackson Boulevard located in Chicago, IllinoisKen Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

#4: Greensboro, NC (62.63)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 1

Traffic & Infrastructure: 18

Safety: 64

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 35

A calm street in Greensboro, North CarolinaWarren LeMay, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

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#96: Detroit, MI (36.85)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 77

Traffic & Infrastructure: 89

Safety: 99

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 50

Historic district Corktown located in Detroit, MichiganKen Lund, Flickr

#3: Corpus Christi, TX (62.94)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 10

Traffic & Infrastructure: 8

Safety: 16

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 86

The downtown of the city of Corpus Christi in TexasMglsndst1993, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

#97: Los Angeles, CA (36.57)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 99

Traffic & Infrastructure: 91

Safety: 61

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 44

Downtown LA with smog, Los Angeles, CAtraveljunction, Flickr

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#2: Boise, ID (63.41)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 26

Traffic & Infrastructure: 23

Safety: 1

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 81

View of Idaho State Capitol in Downtown Boise, IdahoRoman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

#98: San Francisco, CA (36.20)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 94

Traffic & Infrastructure: 93

Safety: 77

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 60

Busy California Street located in San Francisco, United StatesRezaul Karim, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

#1: Raleigh, NC (63.92)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 2

Traffic & Infrastructure: 33

Safety: 22

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 30

Fayetteville Street In Downtown Raleigh, North CarolinaBz3rk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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#99: Philadelphia, PA (35.70)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 81

Traffic & Infrastructure: 96

Safety: 93

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 76

View of City Hall in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaJohn Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

#100: Oakland, CA (32.75)

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance: 100

Traffic & Infrastructure: 79

Safety: 95

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance: 51

Aerial view of the MacArthur Maze in Oakland, CAWirestock Creators, Shutterstock


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