Passing Los Angeles for the worst traffic in the U.S. might be the only thing Washington drivers actually pass this year. Recent traffic reports confirm the city now has the worst congestion in the nation.
Washington drivers average daily commute times of 33.4 minutes, which is more than any other U.S. city, according to traffic data from the 50 biggest metropolitan areas in the nation. Washington’s morning and evening rush hours average six hours and 35 minutes, adding up to 71 days worth of sitting in traffic per year.
President Donald Trump’s order for federal workers to return to the office after years of working from home has contributed to Washington’s congestion, News 4 reported. While more people in the region are taking public transportation on weekdays than during the pandemic, bus and train use is still below 2019 levels.
Senior Zuri Johnson was not shocked that DC has the worst-ranked traffic.
“Usually on a good day without any traffic it would take 30 to 40 minutes for me to get to soccer practice in Arlington,” she said. “Now it takes almost 1 hour 10 or 1 hour 20 with rush hour traffic.” Local commuter Jonathan Roush told radio station WTOP he was also not surprised by the findings, saying traffic in the Washington region “stinks.”
ConsumerAffairs, a private company that reviews and provides reviews on a variety of American products and services, said that although its congestion rate is high, the Washington area ranks in the bottom 10 for fatal car crash rates, with just under six fatal crashes per 100,000 residents.
Allstate’s report, based on 2022–2023 claims data, defines collisions as incidents that result in property or collision damage claims. Minor fender benders that go unreported, common in city driving with its potholes and work zones, are not included in these numbers. Meanwhile, Washington has enacted new road rules aimed at deterring dangerous drivers, imposing lawsuits and steep fines, even on out-of-state offenders with repeated violations.
Additionally, ConsumerAffairs reported that the cities with the worst traffic in America are also among those with the highest economic output. Michael Manville, an urban planning professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, said that regions with growing economies will attract new residents and retain their current populations and many of these people rely on personal vehicles for commuting. This combination of population growth and persistent driving habits intensifies traffic congestion.
“Congestion is oftentimes a sign of economic prosperity,” he added.
According to NBC Washington, the cities with the least traffic congestion in the rankings are Rochester, Salt Lake City and Cleveland. Manville mentioned that those cities were once centers of industry, and, given their declining economic status, they now have more road space for vehicles.
Washington residents have attempted to mitigate the increase in traffic. An anonymous driver told News4 that they “noticed that [the traffic on] Tuesdays and Wednesdays are so bad that [they’ve] asked to work remote those days and then go into the office on Fridays.”
Senior Sophia Douoguih said that during this summer, she has learned to get ready in just ten minutes to get more sleep and leave on time for her summer volunteer work to avoid the traffic. Despite attempts to circumvent the issue, drivers see no end in sight as the summer comes to an end.
