Which US Cities Are The Worst To Commute? A Look At The Top 10

A new report from living resource ApartmentGuide outlined the top ten worst cities for commuters, from traffic time to the cost of public transportation.

“While you may feel like your city is the absolute worst, we've rounded up the top 10 worst cities for commuters,” report author Muriel Vega said.

The 10 worst cities are:

1. Los Angeles
2. Seattle
3. Washington, D.C.
4. New York City
5. San Francisco
6. Chicago
7. Portland, Oregon
8. Pittsburgh
9. Boston
10. Philadelphia

ApartmentGuide starting formulating its list based on the 62 U.S. cities found in the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard from 2018, which scored 200 cities across 38 countries. After gathering the 62 cities, it evaluated the cost of and hours spent in congestion, average gas prices, and the average monthly costs of public transportation. It was then compared to the average rent of a one-bedroom apartment in the cities.

While Los Angeles didn’t have the highest traffic costs or most expensive rent compared to other cities, the combination along with the way it affects the city’s economy made it a “detrimental” place to live. According to INRIX, the number of car accidents, gas gauge, and time in traffic cost Los Angeles $9.3 billion in 2018.

Common themes among the other cities in the top 10 is a combination of consistent delays on public transportation, mass traffic congestion on major roadways and the cost to the city.

ApartmentGuide also outlined the full 62 cities from worst to best for commuters, with Tulsa being named the due to an affordable combination of rent to commuter costs.