Here’s How Traffic In California Cities Ranks Nationwide

CALIFORNIA — Nobody likes sitting in traffic, but a new report shows that drivers in some cities spend much more time staring at brake lights than others.

INRIX, an analytical data company that examines traffic patterns, recently published its annual study of the most-congested cities in the world.

California has 28 of the most-congested urban areas in the United States on the 2019 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, which examined more than 975 cities across the world.

Los Angeles ranked as the 26th most-congested urban area in the United States on the 2019 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard. Los Angeles drivers average 16 mph in the last mile of their trip, according to the report.

Also, commuters in Los Angeles lose an average of 103 hours to traffic congestion each year, the report says.

In Northern California, San Francisco ranked as the 30th most-congested urban area in the United States. San Francisco drivers average 10 mph in the last mile of their trip, according to the report.

Also, San Francisco commuters lose an average of 97 hours to traffic congestion each year, the report says.

Other most-congested urban areas in California (and their overall rankings) are:

• San Diego (76)
• Sacramento (85)
• Davis (273)
• San Rafael (309)
• Escondido (350)
• Santa Rosa (383)
• Oceanside (437)
• Watsonville (433)
• Napa (455)
• Vacaville (452)
• Fairfield (462)
• Antioch (507)
• Strathearn (513)
• Fresno (567)
• Rohnert Park (565)
• Monterey (594)
• Bakersfield (630)
• Oxnard (664)
• Santa Cruz (658)
• Lodi (721)
• Vallejo (711)
• Auburn (763)
• Salinas (755)
• Delano (798)
• Stockton (862)
• Lancaster (858)

But Boston, which topped INRIX’s American rankings for the second straight year, has it worst, with congestion in 2019 costing city residents an average of 149 hours and $2,205 per driver.

Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., round out the worst five U.S. cities for congestion in the rankings. At the other end of the traffic spectrum, Wichita, Kansas, tops the study for the least amount of congestion for a city in the United States.

INRIX determined the rankings by using observed trips to identify the most-frequented routes and destinations within a region. INRIX then calculated the additional time it would take to travel those routes with traffic and delays.

To read more about the methodology, you can find the full report here.

Bogota, Colombia, is the worst city in the world for traffic congestion, according to the report, where drivers spend 191 hours in traffic on average in a year.

Here are the nation’s 10 most congested urban areas, according to INRIX, along with their worldwide rank. See the full scorecard here.

1. Boston (9)
2. Chicago (10)
3. Philadelphia (12)
4. New York City (14)
5. Washington, D.C. (21)
6. Los Angeles (26)
7. San Francisco (30)
8. Portland, Oregon (43)
9. Baltimore (46)
10. Atlanta (47)