Traffic congestion remained substantial across U.S. urban areas in 2024. FHWA’s July–September 2024 measurements put the national average at 3:15 congested hours, while other 2024 estimates counted 43 to 63 hours lost over the year, depending on the methodology and urban-area coverage.
Contents
- Key congestion figures
- FHWA national and city measures
- Cities with the longest congested periods
- Midrange and lower congestion readings
- Travel time and planning reliability
- Year-over-year changes
- Annual hours lost in 2024
Key congestion figures
Three major sources describe congestion differently, so their numbers should not be treated as interchangeable. The Federal Highway Administration’s Quarterly Urban Congestion Report reports congested hours and two indexes for 54 U.S. urban areas, with quarterly updates. Its July–September 2024 national average was 3:15 congested hours, up 0:33 from the same period in 2023. The national travel time index was 1.26, and the planning time index was 1.90. (Source: FHWA Quarterly Urban Congestion Report).
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2025 Urban Mobility Report uses a broader annual view. It says Americans lost an average of 63 hours sitting in traffic in 2024, the highest level it had measured, across 494 urban areas. TTI also reports that delays were no longer confined to weekday rush hours after traffic volumes returned and travel patterns shifted. (Source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute 2025 Urban Mobility Report.)
INRIX’s 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard gives another annual estimate: American drivers lost an average of 43 hours to congestion in 2024, with a stated cost of $771 in lost time and productivity. INRIX also estimates that U.S. drivers lost more than four billion hours in total, costing $74 billion nationwide. (Source: INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard.)
FHWA national and city measures
The FHWA figures below cover July–September 2024. “Congested hours” is shown as hours and minutes, while the indexes are ratios reported by FHWA. The year-over-year figure compares with 2023.
| Urban area | Congested hours | Change from 2023 | Travel time index | Planning time index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National average | 3:15 | +0:33 | 1.26 | 1.90 |
| Houston | 5:20 | +1:22 | 1.34 | 2.15 |
| Miami | 5:28 | +1:07 | 1.34 | 2.26 |
| Los Angeles | 7:12 | +1:04 | 1.57 | 2.43 |
| Seattle | 6:05 | +0:47 | 1.38 | 2.17 |
| Washington, DC | 6:00 | +0:45 | 1.31 | 2.03 |
The FHWA data show a wide spread around the national average. Los Angeles recorded 7:12 congested hours, the highest listed figure, with a 1.57 travel time index and a 2.43 planning time index. Seattle recorded 6:05, while Portland and Washington, DC each recorded 6:00. New York recorded 5:57, Miami 5:28, and Houston 5:20.
Other urban areas above four hours included San Francisco at 5:08, Baltimore at 4:57, San Jose at 4:36, Chicago at 4:27, Austin at 4:21, Atlanta at 4:15, Boston at 4:13, and Dallas–Fort Worth at 3:58. These are quarterly FHWA measurements, not annual totals.
Cities with the longest congested periods
The largest FHWA congested-hour readings were concentrated among several large metropolitan areas, but the associated indexes varied. Los Angeles had the highest travel time index in the listed results at 1.57. San Juan’s travel time index was 1.39, Seattle’s was 1.38, Portland’s was 1.36, and Houston, Miami, and San Francisco each recorded 1.34.
Planning time indexes also differed. Los Angeles recorded 2.43, San Juan 2.40, Miami 2.26, Portland 2.18, Seattle 2.17, Houston 2.15, and San Francisco 2.05. San Juan therefore combined 3:28 congested hours with a planning time index of 2.40, while Los Angeles combined the highest congested-hour reading with the highest travel time index in the listed FHWA results.
The next group included Tampa at 3:14 congested hours and a 2.03 planning time index; San Antonio at 3:10 and 1.84; Providence at 3:10 and 1.55; Minneapolis–St. Paul at 3:00 and 1.69; and San Diego at 2:58 and 1.81. These comparisons illustrate why one congestion measure does not describe every aspect of a commute.
Midrange and lower congestion readings
Several urban areas recorded between two and three hours in the FHWA July–September 2024 period. Jacksonville recorded 2:59, Orlando 2:52, Charlotte 2:46, Buffalo 2:43, Milwaukee 2:41, New Orleans 2:38, Nashville 2:25, Pittsburgh 2:19, Indianapolis 2:10, and Salt Lake City 2:01.
Their travel time indexes ranged from 1.09 in Pittsburgh to 1.20 in Nashville. Planning time indexes ranged from 1.41 in Pittsburgh to 1.74 in Nashville. Jacksonville had 2:59 congested hours and a 1.68 planning time index, while Minneapolis–St. Paul had 3:00 congested hours and a slightly higher 1.69 planning time index.
Readings below two hours included Louisville and Phoenix at 1:57, Memphis at 1:51, Raleigh at 1:46, Hartford at 1:42, Kansas City at 1:40, Rochester at 1:33, Columbus at 1:27, Oklahoma City at 1:26, Richmond at 1:25, and Cleveland at 0:49. Birmingham recorded 1:06, and St. Louis recorded 0:19.
St. Louis had the lowest listed congested-hour reading and a 1.01 travel time index. Its planning time index was 1.15, and its year-over-year change was flat. Cleveland recorded a 1.04 travel time index and a 1.28 planning time index. Rochester and Richmond each recorded a 1.05 travel time index; Rochester’s planning time index was 1.27, while Richmond’s was 1.38.
Travel time and planning reliability
The travel time index and planning time index provide different perspectives on the same FHWA reporting period. The listed travel time index values ran from 1.01 in St. Louis to 1.57 in Los Angeles. Other high values included 1.39 in San Juan, 1.38 in Seattle, 1.36 in Portland, 1.34 in Houston, Miami, and San Francisco, 1.33 in San Jose, and 1.32 in Chicago.
The planning time index ranged from 1.15 in St. Louis to 2.43 in Los Angeles. Values above 2.00 included San Juan at 2.40, Miami at 2.26, Portland at 2.18, Seattle at 2.17, Houston at 2.15, San Francisco at 2.05, Austin at 2.05, Tampa at 2.03, Washington, DC at 2.03, and Chicago at 2.02. Dallas–Fort Worth recorded 2.01, while New York recorded 2.00.
Other planning time indexes included 1.99 in Denver, 1.97 in San Jose, 1.94 in Baltimore, 1.90 in Boston and the national average, 1.84 in Riverside–San Bernardino and San Antonio, and 1.81 in San Diego. At the lower end, Rochester recorded 1.27, Cleveland 1.28, Richmond and Hartford 1.38, Oklahoma City 1.40, Buffalo and Birmingham 1.42 and 1.41 respectively.
Year-over-year changes
Most FHWA urban areas recorded increases from 2023 to July–September 2024. Houston had the largest increase at 1:22, followed by Baltimore at 1:13, Miami at 1:07, Portland at 1:06, Los Angeles and Jacksonville at 1:04, San Jose at 1:03, San Antonio at 0:58, Buffalo at 0:57, and New York at 0:51.
Other increases included San Francisco at 0:49, Dallas–Fort Worth at 0:48, Seattle at 0:47, Rochester at 0:44, Tampa at 0:44, Orlando at 0:42, Charlotte at 0:37, Austin and Virginia Beach at 0:36, Sacramento at 0:34, the national average at 0:33, Denver and Milwaukee at 0:32, Raleigh at 0:31, Richmond at 0:29, Atlanta and Philadelphia at 0:27, and Hartford at 0:25.
The smallest reported increases included Nashville at 0:09, Birmingham at 0:08, New Orleans at 0:07, and San Juan at 0:10. Detroit and Pittsburgh each declined by 0:01. St. Louis was flat year over year. Virginia Beach recorded a 0:36 year-over-year change, with 3:34 congested hours, a 1.15 travel time index, and a 1.84 planning time index.
Annual hours lost in 2024
Annual estimates from TTI and INRIX describe a different scale from FHWA’s quarterly congested-hour measure. TTI reports 63 hours lost per American in 2024 across 494 urban areas. INRIX reports 43 hours lost per American driver, a $771 cost in lost time and productivity, more than four billion total hours lost, and $74 billion in nationwide costs. These figures come from separate reports and methodologies.
INRIX’s city comparisons put New York City and Chicago at 102 hours lost to congestion each in 2024, while Los Angeles reached 88 hours. Globally, INRIX ranked Istanbul first at 105 hours, ahead of New York City and Chicago at 102 hours each.
The annual city figures do not replace the FHWA quarterly readings. Instead, they show how a longer measurement period can produce a total-hours estimate for drivers, while FHWA provides a period-specific view of congestion, travel-time conditions, and planning reliability across 54 U.S. urban areas.