Chicago, New York tie for cities with worst traffic congestion in US, study finds
CHICAGO - Chicago and New York City tied for the U.S. cities with the worst traffic congestion in 2024, according to a new report.
INRIX, a transportation data and analytics firm, released its annual Global Traffic Scorecard which showed that commuters in both cities lost an average of 102 hours sitting in traffic last year. Los Angeles ranked third with an average of 88 hours lost.
Chicago’s total was up about 6% from 2023, according to INRIX, which said it used anonymous data from phones, cars, trucks, and cities to calculate its numbers.
Numbers at a glance
The average speed of a downtown Chicago trip was about 14 mph, tied for the third-slowest in the country.
INRIX calculated that the slow commute for drivers in Chicago costs on average about $1,826 per year.
Chicago wasn’t alone in seeing more traffic as nine in 10 of the country’s largest metro areas experienced increases in trips to their city core. Houston, Texas, saw the biggest increase with a 25% spike.
The analysis attributed the increases to a return to in-person work, and large nighttime trip increases on the weekends as cities have tried to entice employees and visitors back to enjoy their downtown life.
To that end, Chicago saw a 14% increase in trips downtown on Fridays compared to 2023.
Where is Chicago traffic worst?
Chicago has five corridors that rank in INRIX’s Top 25 busiest corridors in the U.S., all of which ranked in the Top 10.
- I-55 southbound from I-90 to South Cicero Avenue ranked No. 5
- I-90 eastbound from Cicero Avenue to West Fullerton Avenue ranked No. 6
- I-90 eastbound from Cicero Avenue to Ohio Street ranked No. 7
- I-290 eastbound from South Wolf Road to Harlem Avenue ranked No. 9
- I-90 westbound from West Ontario Street to West Irving Park Road ranked No. 10