Best & Worst Cities to Drive in

Adam McCann, Financial WriterOct 11, 2022

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Oct 11, 2022

Most Americans rely on cars to get around, as “87 percent of daily trips take place in personal vehicles,” according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. While driving offers a more private and comfortable commute, though, it is often a major hassle and expense. Drivers annually spend an average of more than 360 hours on the road. That’s 15 days. Add the costs of wasted time and fuel due to traffic congestions, and our collective tab comes to about $564 per driver each year.

Road quality is another big factor in how pleasant one’s driving experience is. America’s highways and bridges are underfunded overall, with a backlog of hundreds of billions of dollars in repairs needed, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. The World Economic forum ranks U.S. roads at 17th in quality out of 141 economically developed nations, too. It’s clear there’s room for improvement.

Some cities are better for those behind the wheel, though. To determine those places, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 30 key indicators of driver-friendliness. Our data set ranges from average gas prices to annual hours in traffic congestion per auto commuter to auto-repair shops per capita.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Best & Worst Cities to Drive in

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Cost of Ownership & Maintenance	Traffic & Infrastructure	Safety	Access to Vehicles & Maintenance
1	Raleigh, NC	66.96	5	27	6	43
2	Plano, TX	65.99	7	37	10	32
3	Corpus Christi, TX	64.78	19	12	11	84
4	Greensboro, NC	64.37	3	24	58	30
5	Winston-Salem, NC	64.05	2	20	29	90
6	Lincoln, NE	63.86	8	41	14	85
7	Jacksonville, FL	62.91	1	15	75	42
8	Arlington, TX	62.67	15	61	25	22
9	Garland, TX	62.66	17	58	31	23
10	Orlando, FL	62.28	37	2	88	1
11	Austin, TX	62.28	23	30	45	19
12	Tampa, FL	62.11	32	23	61	3
13	El Paso, TX	62.05	53	25	2	70
14	Laredo, TX	62.00	34	50	1	100
15	Boise, ID	61.87	35	29	13	82
16	Lexington-Fayette, KY	61.47	6	57	24	93
17	Irving, TX	61.42	9	65	27	56
18	Scottsdale, AZ	61.03	59	3	32	27
19	Irvine, CA	61.01	79	5	4	26
20	Lubbock, TX	60.98	31	4	47	80
21	Virginia Beach, VA	60.59	21	71	18	81
22	Fort Worth, TX	60.53	27	63	37	20
23	Buffalo, NY	60.34	26	53	26	60
24	Wichita, KS	59.86	22	13	64	83
25	St. Petersburg, FL	59.79	28	28	60	38
26	Charlotte, NC	59.41	24	45	51	35
27	San Antonio, TX	59.21	40	38	44	25
28	Chesapeake, VA	59.19	29	77	11	94
29	Nashville, TN	59.06	12	21	89	49
30	Birmingham, AL	59.04	18	1	97	62
31	Durham, NC	58.94	16	51	57	86
32	Gilbert, AZ	58.82	70	22	5	97
33	Toledo, OH	58.61	4	49	76	71
34	Chula Vista, CA	58.59	83	18	3	33
35	Mesa, AZ	58.44	67	19	20	66
36	Fort Wayne, IN	58.21	36	59	36	61
37	Norfolk, VA	58.09	20	62	55	89
38	Tulsa, OK	58.08	43	8	73	34
39	Kansas City, MO	57.94	11	10	92	75
40	Omaha, NE	57.84	25	70	46	50
41	Columbus, OH	57.77	13	66	71	41
42	Oklahoma City, OK	57.57	56	33	41	46
43	Riverside, CA	57.20	65	32	40	16
44	Dallas, TX	57.07	14	79	69	13
45	Chandler, AZ	56.89	72	7	30	92
46	Madison, WI	56.57	30	76	21	95
47	Anaheim, CA	56.56	77	39	38	6
48	Reno, NV	56.29	78	34	16	67
49	Colorado Springs, CO	55.76	46	67	49	65
50	Sacramento, CA	55.18	80	46	33	11
51	Bakersfield, CA	55.09	60	9	80	47
52	Tucson, AZ	55.00	51	16	87	51
53	Atlanta, GA	54.91	38	43	94	5
54	St. Paul, MN	54.76	49	73	48	72
55	Long Beach, CA	54.66	82	47	34	8
56	St. Louis, MO	54.44	10	56	100	4
57	Las Vegas, NV	54.41	91	11	39	10
58	Santa Ana, CA	54.40	87	54	23	7
59	Louisville, KY	54.40	45	48	77	53
60	Miami, FL	54.27	48	74	86	2
61	Cincinnati, OH	54.26	39	64	90	12
62	Phoenix, AZ	54.23	63	35	66	40
63	Pittsburgh, PA	54.17	61	71	56	18
64	Baton Rouge, LA	54.17	54	40	84	24
65	Anchorage, AK	53.86	55	91	8	98
66	Minneapolis, MN	52.75	57	75	50	57
67	Indianapolis, IN	52.74	42	69	82	45
68	Fresno, CA	52.48	85	6	65	74
69	Houston, TX	52.48	52	82	62	17
70	Albuquerque, NM	52.34	41	36	95	58
71	San Diego, CA	52.16	88	55	19	15
72	Glendale, AZ	52.13	73	17	78	69
73	Fremont, CA	51.96	92	42	15	29
74	Hialeah, FL	51.82	50	88	74	14
75	Jersey City, NJ	51.60	64	98	17	39
76	Stockton, CA	51.58	74	52	54	79
77	San Bernardino, CA	51.44	81	31	72	99
78	Henderson, NV	51.42	98	14	7	91
79	Aurora, CO	50.61	44	85	79	63
80	Memphis, TN	50.11	33	44	99	54
81	San Jose, CA	49.86	86	60	28	87
82	Cleveland, OH	49.57	47	81	93	9
83	Milwaukee, WI	48.89	58	86	68	55
84	Portland, OR	47.62	68	89	70	36
85	Newark, NJ	47.53	76	95	59	21
86	North Las Vegas, NV	47.43	100	26	42	64
87	Denver, CO	47.41	62	87	81	44
88	New Orleans, LA	47.10	71	80	67	96
89	Boston, MA	46.80	75	94	35	88
90	Honolulu, HI	45.79	96	78	22	28
91	Los Angeles, CA	44.82	90	93	43	31
92	Seattle, WA	44.36	89	84	63	77
93	Baltimore, MD	43.86	69	83	96	73
94	Washington, DC	41.72	66	97	91	78
95	New York, NY	41.60	94	100	9	59
96	Chicago, IL	40.46	93	99	52	37
97	San Francisco, CA	39.54	97	92	53	68
98	Oakland, CA	38.75	99	68	83	48
99	Detroit, MI	38.35	84	90	98	52
100	Philadelphia, PA	36.32	95	96	85	76

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Annual Hours Spent in Congestion per Auto Commuter

Lowest

Lowest
1. Lubbock, TX
2. Greensboro, NC
3. Tulsa, OK
T-4. El Paso, TX
T-4. Toledo, OH

Highest

Highest
T-60. Miami, FL
T-60. Boston, MA
T-60. Philadelphia, PA
T-60. New York, NY
T-60. Chicago, IL

Days with Precipitation

Fewest

Fewest
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. Henderson, NV
T-1. North Las Vegas, NV
4. Long Beach, CA
T-5. Anaheim, CA
T-5. Santa Ana, CA

Most

Most
96. Portland, OR
97. Pittsburgh, PA
T-98. Seattle, WA
T-98. Cleveland, OH
100. Buffalo, NY

Accident Likelihood in City vs. National Avg.

Lowest

Lowest
1. Boise, ID
2. Laredo, TX
3. Madison, WI
4. Colorado Springs, CO
5. Scottsdale, AZ

Highest

Highest
96. Oakland, CA
T-97. Los Angeles, CA
T-97. Boston, MA
T-97. Washington, DC
T-97. Baltimore, MD

Car Theft Rate

Lowest

Lowest
1. Gilbert, AZ
2. El Paso, TX
3. Laredo, TX
4. Irvine, CA
5. New York, NY

Highest

Highest
95. Bakersfield, CA
96. Aurora, CO
97. St. Louis, MO
98. Denver, CO
99. Oakland, CA

Auto-Repair Shops per Capita

Most

Most
1. Baton Rouge, LA
2. Buffalo, NY
3. Glendale, AZ
4. Hialeah, FL
5. St. Petersburg, FL

Fewest

Fewest
94. Houston, TX
95. Chicago, IL
96. Boston, MA
97. Los Angeles, CA
98. New York, NY

Car Washes per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Orlando, FL
T-1. Miami, FL
T-1. Las Vegas, NV
T-1. Tampa, FL
T-1. Atlanta, GA

Fewest

Fewest
94. Madison, WI
95. Honolulu, HI
96. Laredo, TX
97. Jersey City, NJ
98. Boston, MA

Avg. Gas Prices

Lowest

Lowest
1. Laredo, TX
2. San Antonio, TX
3. Corpus Christi, TX
4. Lubbock, TX
T-5. Fort Worth, TX
T-5. Arlington, TX

Highest

Highest
T-96. Los Angeles, CA
T-96. Long Beach, CA
98. Bakersfield, CA
99. Oakland, CA
100. San Francisco, CA

Auto Maintenance Costs

Lowest

Lowest
1. Jacksonville, FL
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Columbus, OH
4. Indianapolis, IN
5. Greensboro, NC

Highest

Highest
96. Oakland, CA
97. Portland, OR
98. Fremont, CA
99. San Francisco, CA
100. Seattle, WA

Parking Rates

Lowest

Lowest
T-1. Corpus Christi, TX
T-1. Reno, NV
3. San Jose, CA
T-4. Anaheim, CA
T-4. St. Petersburg, FL

Highest

Highest
T-78. San Diego, CA
T-78. Chicago, IL
T-78. Philadelphia, PA
T-78. New York, NY
T-78. Boston, MA

Ask the Experts

With cost, safety and environmental impact ranking among the top concerns for the auto industry, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What money saving tips do you have for drivers, especially with the high gas prices we have experienced this year?
When do you think there will be more self-driving than human-driven cars?
Considering all potential consequences, do you think that automated vehicles will be a net benefit or net negative for society?
What can local authorities do to reduce traffic and improve safety?

Ask the Experts

Hesham A. Rakha
Ph.D., P.Eng., FIEEE – Samuel Reynolds Pritchard Professor of Engineering, The Charles E. Via, Jr. Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering; Courtesy Professor, The Bradley Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Director, Center for Sustainable Mobility – Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Read More

Kyle Shelton
Ph.D. – Director of the Center for Transportation Studies – University of Minnesota
Read More

Daniel V. McGehee
PhD – Director, National Advanced Driving Simulator, Industrial and Systems Engineering; Emergency Medicine, Public Health, Public Policy – University of Iowa
Read More

Kun Xie
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering – Old Dominion University
Read More

Brian L. Smith
Associate Dean of Engineering, University of Virginia
Read More

Dominique Lord
Professor and A.P. and Florence Wiley Faculty Fellow, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering – Texas A&M University
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best and worst cities for drivers, WalletHub compared a sample of the 100 most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions: 1) Cost of Ownership & Maintenance, 2) Traffic & Infrastructure, 3) Safety and 4) Access to Vehicles & Maintenance. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.

We evaluated those dimensions using 30 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for drivers. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Cost of Ownership & Maintenance – Total Points: 30

Cost of New Car: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Average Gas Prices: Double Weight (~8.57 Points)
Average Monthly Car Insurance Premium: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Auto Maintenance Costs: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Total Extra Vehicle Operating Costs per Driver: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)
Note: Additional vehicle operating costs (VOC) are the “result of driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, and the costs of traffic crashes in which roadway features likely were a contributing factor,” according to transportation research firm TRIP.
Average Parking Rate: Full Weight (~4.29 Points)

Traffic & Infrastructure – Total Points: 30

Annual Hours Spent in Congestion per Auto Commuter: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Number of Days with Precipitation: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Number of Cold Days: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Note: This metric specifically measures the average number of days with a minimum temperature of 32 degrees F or lower.
Average Commute Time by Car (in Minutes): Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Number of Alternative-Fuel Stations per Capita: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Quality of Roads: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Quality of Bridges*: Quarter Weight (~0.91 Points)
Roadway Miles per 1,000 Persons: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)
Waze Driver Satisfaction Rating: Full Weight (~3.64 Points)

Safety – Total Points: 30

Accident Likelihood in City vs. National Average: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Traffic Fatality Rate per 100,000 Population: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Share of Adults Who Always or Nearly Always Wear a Seatbelt: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Number of Hard-Braking Events per 1,000 Miles: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Note: Hard-braking data is based on customers voluntarily enrolled in Allstate’s Drivewise® telematics program from 2016-2017.
Share of Uninsured Drivers*: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Rate of Car Thefts: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Rate of Larceny: Full Weight (~3.53 Points)
Strictness of DUI Punishment*: Half Weight (~1.76 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Strictest & Most Lenient States on DUI” ranking.
Punitiveness of High-Risk Driver’s Insurance*: Half Weight (~1.76 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “States with the Highest & Lowest Insurance Premium Penalties for High-Risk Drivers” ranking.
Driving Laws Rating*: Half Weight (~1.76 Points)

Access to Vehicles & Maintenance – Total Points: 10

Car Dealerships per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Auto-Repair Shops per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Car Washes per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Gas Stations per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
Parking Lots and Garages per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Council for Community and Economic Research, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, INRIX, National Centers for Environmental Information, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Automobile Association, The Road Information Program, Federal Highway Administration, Waze Mobile, Allstate Insurance Company, U.S. Department of Energy, QuinStreet Insurance Agency, Yelp, TrueCar, Insurance Information Institute and WalletHub research.

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Questions & Answers(2 questions)

Why rate safety so low? It's part of daily experience. What is more impoetant than Halth & Safety?

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Where does nyc anc Chicago fit in!!!

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