Traffic on W. Catawba
Jan. 17. With traffic congestion costing US drivers an average of 51 hours and $869 during 2022, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States to Drive in.
NC came in at No. 5, with Iowa in the top spot for the best state to drive, followed by Georgia, Ohio and Oklahoma. At the bottom, are Maryland at 46, followed by Rhode Island, Delaware, Washington and Hawaii in the worst spot at 50.
To determine the most driver-friendly states in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states across 31 key metrics. The data set ranges from average gas prices to rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality.
Driving in North Carolina
23rd – Share of rush-hour traffic congestion
20th – Car theft rate
8th – Auto-repair shops per capita
17th – Average gas prices
8th – Auto-Maintenance Costs
18th – Road quality
10th – Car dealerships per capital
What about Charlotte?
A new study from Inrix says Charlotte is the 35th most congested city in the United States, well behind New York and Boston, not to mention Miami.
The Top 5 most congested cities in the world: London (156 hours), Chicago (155 hours), Paris (138 hours), Boston (134 hours) and New York (117 hours).
Hours lost to congestion in Charlotte: 25 hours.
In 2020, Charlotte ranked 32nd in terms of congestion, so conditions have improved.
