USA What are the best and worst states for driving?

Everyone hates being stuck in traffic. It makes you late and makes a lot of people’s spirits soar.

It’s also pretty bad for your wallet; in fact, congestion cost the average American driver $869 in lost time during 2022, with an average of 51 hours sitting in traffic.

The United States also has eight of the world’s 25 worst cities for traffic and 19 of the worst 25 in North America.

However, congestion is not the only concern on the road. People want to know that they will be driving on safe and well-maintained roads before they set out.

The United States has a pretty good record in these regards, but it certainly doesn’t top the list. For example, the World Economic Forum only ranks the US 17th out of 141 when it comes to road quality.

Road conditions are naturally not uniform across the country

To identify the states with the most positive driving experiences, the WalletHub site compared all 50 states on 31 key indicators of a positive drive.

Our data set ranges from average gas prices to rush hour traffic congestion to road quality.

Example: Driving in Michigan (1=best; 25=average):

20 – Percentage of traffic congestion in rush hour
22 – Traffic fatality rate
19 – Auto Theft Rate
28 – Average. gasoline prices
37 – Automatic Maintenance Costs
28 – Road Quality

The best and worst states in the nation for driving

General ranking	state	score	Cost of ownership and maintenance	Traffic and Infrastructure	Security	Vehicle access and maintenance
1	Iowa	62.61	7	9	35	19
2	Georgia	61.41	2	32	29	9
3	Ohio	61.38	3	28	36	7
4	Oklahoma	60.81	15	8	30	28
5	North Carolina	60.65	8	30	27	10
6	Idaho	60.51	24	2	13	42
7	Texas	59.94	20	40	14	4
8	Tennessee	59.68	1	27	42	21
9	Kansas	59.60	13	5	40	33
10	Indiana	59.04	12	20	33	17
11	Alabama	58.94	9	14	37	25
12	Florida	58.61	26	44	17	2
13	Illinois	58.58	34	34	8	5
14	Wyoming	58.20	4	10	41	48
15	Nebraska	57.96	27	6	28	31
16	Virginia	57.71	11	42	23	14
17	Maine	57.60	25	17	12	36
18	North Dakota	57.30	18	1	44	47
19	Mississippi	56.54	5	12	47	35
20	New Mexico	56.46	22	4	39	44
21	Wisconsin	56.09	16	22	43	18
22	South Dakota	55.98	6	7	48	39
23	Minnesota	55.46	21	31	26	20
24	Oregon	55.30	41	13	15	24
25	West Virginia	55.23	14	19	38	46
26	Alaska	55.08	33	16	4	50
27	Louisiana	54.92	31	25	16	29
28	Arizona	54.75	36	21	18	26
29	Kentucky	54.66	29	24	21	32
30	Montana	54.45	10	3	49	43
31	Utah	54.18	32	18	25	30
32	New York	53.85	46	47	7	3
33	South Carolina	53.82	17	23	45	27
34	Connecticut	53.46	40	35	2	23
35	Arkansas	53.39	19	11	46	34
36	Massachusetts	52.32	43	49	1	8
37	Colorado	52.13	30	38	34	13
38	Vermont	51.97	35	26	24	41
39	Pennsylvania	51.66	42	37	32	6
40	New Jersey	51.65	39	48	3	12
41	California	51.37	49	41	10	1
42	Michigan	51.12	38	33	31	11
43	New Hampshire	50.58	23	45	22	40
44	Nevada	49.91	48	15	9	37
45	Missouri	48.72	28	29	50	15
46	Maryland	48.09	37	50	19	22
47	Rhode Island	47.84	45	46	5	45
48	Delaware	47.50	44	36	11	49
49	Washington	47.48	47	39	20	16
50	Hawaii	40.28	50	43	6	38