Growing up in the Washington DC metro I was sure we had the worst traffic of anywhere in the country. But then I moved to Los Angeles, and San Francisco. We do not have it so bad in the DC area! But it is bad.
Does Washington DC Have The Worst Traffic In The Country?
Every year a company called INRIX releases its Global Traffic Scorecard and identifies the top 25 U.S. cities with the worst traffic congestion.
Would you rather own a home closer to the city center in Washington DC, and have a short work commute? Or would you rather live outside the city and get more square footage, but have a longer commute? Or maybe you remote work and it doesn’t matter, and you can live wherever you want?
How Much Time Is Lost To Commuting To Work?
The 2025 INRIX report found that the typical U.S. driver spent 49 hours in traffic, which is a six hour increase from 2024. That is a little less than 1 hour a week. That sounds too low to me.
I remote work for the most part now. But when I was commuting to an office, it was at least 40 minutes round-trip each day. That’s 200 minutes a week. That’s 10,400 minutes a year, or 173 hours! That means I was sitting in a car for 7.2 days a year, just to get to and from work. So for me, I would either remote work, or live in a smaller home much closer to my work location.
Traffic Rankings In The U.S.
Washington DC came ninth place for 2025. And Baltimore came in 13th place. In this case a lower score is better! Chicago was the worst for traffic. New York and Philadelphia were second and third. Surprisingly, Los Angeles was fourth. When I lived in LA, I thought there was nothing worse than the 405 freeway. I dreaded every time I had to get on that freeway.
According to INRIX’s 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard, here are the top 25 U.S. cities with the worst traffic:
1. Chicago, Illinois
2. New York City, New York
3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4. Los Angeles, California
5. Boston, Massachusetts
6. Miami, Florida
7. Atlanta, Georgia
8. Houston, Texas
9. Washington, DC
10. Seattle, Washington
11. San Juan, Puerto Rico (U.S. territory)
12. Nashville, Tennessee
13. Baltimore, Maryland
14. Denver, Colorado
15. San Francisco, California
16. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
17. Stamford, Connecticut
18. Charlotte, North Carolina
19. Dallas, Texas
20. Honolulu, Hawaii
21. Austin, Texas
22. Phoenix, Arizona
23. San Antonio, Texas
24. Tampa, Florida
25. Portland, Oregon
Conclusion
Contact me to discuss your mortgage needs, and discuss where you may want to buy in the Washington DC Metro area. Schedule A Call or email brian@getloans.com
Brian Martucci is a loan officer for Capital Bank Home Loans, a division of Capital Bank, N.A. He has been in the mortgage industry since 1986 and has served in a number of roles, including loan processor, loan officer, mortgage broker, branch manager, and vice president. Brian Martucci – NMLS# 185421. His opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Capital Bank Home Loans or Capital Bank. Capital Bank, N.A.- NMLS# 401599. Click here for the Capital Bank, N.A. “Privacy Policy”.
