With the exception of the small European country of Monaco, the United States has more cars per capita than every other country in the world. For better or worse, the United States is a country uniquely dependent on the personal automobile. Driving, while a practical necessity for millions of Americans, can also be a financial burden, a major cause of stress — and also a dangerous activity.
On every road in the country, driving comes with a set of inherent risks and costs. Congested roads, high gas prices, and fatal collisions caused by distracted or drunk drivers are but a few. While drivers accept these road conditions, potential hazards, and costs when they get behind the wheel, not all cities are equally safe or congested, and some are certainly more expensive for drivers than others.
24/7 Wall St. created an index composed of several driving-related measures to identify the worst metropolitan statistical area to drive in each state. The components of the index — which include average commute time, gas prices, and accident rates — were selected to capture an area’s safety, convenience, and cost of driving.
Just because a metro area ranks as the worst place to drive in a given state does not necessarily mean it compares poorly to the nation as a whole. For example, 21 cities on this list have a lower per capita roadway fatality rate than the national rate of 11.4 deaths per 100,000 Americans. The cities on this list in Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont also rank as the worst by default as they are the only metro area in the state.
Click here to read about the worst cities to drive in every state.
To identify the worst cities to drive in every state, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on measures of safety, cost, and the convenience of driving, normalized to be comparable with one another. Total fatalities and traffic fatalities involving drunk drivers per 100,000, is from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2017. Mean travel time to work and the percentage of the working-age population with a commute of 60 minutes or longer came from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2017 1-year estimates. The rate of car theft per 100,000 people is from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Hot Spots report for the year 2017. The average price of gasoline from Q2 2017 to Q2 2018 is from the Council for Community and Economic Research’s (C2ER) cost of living index for metropolitan statistical areas.
Source: James-Allen / Getty Images
Alabama: Florence-Muscle Shoals
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 23.8 (state: 19.4)
> Avg. commute time: 23.7 min. (state: 24.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 95.8% (state: 94.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 242.8
See all stories featuring: Alabama
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Source: yenwen / Getty Images
Alaska: Anchorage
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 9.7 (state: 10.7)
> Avg. commute time: 22.1 min. (state: 19.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 87.0% (state: 81.1%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 816.7
See all stories featuring: Alaska
Source: frankix / Getty Images
Arizona: Flagstaff
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 33.4 (state: 14.3)
> Avg. commute time: 18.4 min. (state: 25.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 81.5% (state: 87.5%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 142.1
See all stories featuring: Arizona
Source: Paul Sableman (Flickr user: pasa47) / Wikimedia Commons
Arkansas: Pine Bluff
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 22.2 (state: 16.4)
> Avg. commute time: 22.2 min. (state: 21.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: N/A (state: 93.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 355.1
See all stories featuring: Arkansas
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
California: Stockton-Lodi
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 15.6 (state: 9.1)
> Avg. commute time: 32 min. (state: 29.8 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.4% (state: 83.9%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 613.7
See all stories featuring: California
Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons
Colorado: Pueblo
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 20.4 (state: 11.6)
> Avg. commute time: 21.8 min. (state: 25.9 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 94.1% (state: 83.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 812.7
See all stories featuring: Colorado
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Source: Courtesy of JJBers via Flickr
Connecticut: Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 6.2 (state: 7.7)
> Avg. commute time: 30.4 min. (state: 26.4 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 80.2% (state: 86.1%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 185.1
See all stories featuring: Connecticut
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Delaware: Dover
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 11.9 (state: 12.4)
> Avg. commute time: 26.3 min. (state: 26.5 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 90.2% (state: 89.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 100.1
See all stories featuring: Delaware
Source: Michael Warren / Getty Images
Florida: Ocala
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 25.4 (state: 14.8)
> Avg. commute time: 25.4 min. (state: 27.8 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 90.0% (state: 88.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 224.6
See all stories featuring: Florida
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
Georgia: Macon
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 28.4 (state: 14.8)
> Avg. commute time: 23.2 min. (state: 28.8 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 93.8% (state: 88.6%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 318.9
See all stories featuring: Georgia
Source: Mlenny / Getty Images
Hawaii: Urban Honolulu
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 5.0 (state: 7.5)
> Avg. commute time: 29.1 min. (state: 27 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 78.0% (state: 80.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 272.8
See all stories featuring: Hawaii
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Source: jolevine / Flickr
Idaho: Pocatello
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 15.2 (state: 14.2)
> Avg. commute time: 17.6 min. (state: 21 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 87.0% (state: 89.3%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 174.7
See all stories featuring: Idaho
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images
Illinois: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 6.6 (state: 8.6)
> Avg. commute time: 31.6 min. (state: 29.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 77.6% (state: 80.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 254.4
See all stories featuring: Illinois
Source: Courtesy of David Wilson via Flickr
Indiana: Michigan City-La Porte
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 24.5 (state: 13.7)
> Avg. commute time: 22.1 min. (state: 23.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 91.9% (state: 91.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 159.1
See all stories featuring: Indiana
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Source: Ctjf83 / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Iowa: Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 6.3 (state: 10.5)
> Avg. commute time: 19.8 min. (state: 19.4 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.7% (state: 89.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 278.3
See all stories featuring: Iowa
Source: LawrenceSawyer / Getty Images
Kansas: Topeka
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 14.6 (state: 15.8)
> Avg. commute time: 20.4 min. (state: 19.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 93.2% (state: 91.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 450.4
See all stories featuring: Kansas
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Kentucky: Elizabethtown-Fort Knox
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 19.4 (state: 17.6)
> Avg. commute time: 24.1 min. (state: 23.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 93.1% (state: 91.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 140.3
See all stories featuring: Kentucky
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Louisiana: Hammond
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 23.4 (state: 16.2)
> Avg. commute time: 31.3 min. (state: 25.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.8% (state: 91.9%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 247.6
See all stories featuring: Louisiana
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
Maine: Portland-South Portland
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 9.4 (state: 12.9)
> Avg. commute time: 24.8 min. (state: 24 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 86.5% (state: 87.9%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 49.2
See all stories featuring: Maine
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Source: Courtesy of Elvert Barnes via Flickr
Maryland: California-Lexington Park
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 16.9 (state: 9.1)
> Avg. commute time: 30.9 min. (state: 33.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.9% (state: 82.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 55.9
See all stories featuring: Maryland
Source: ChandraDhas / Getty Images
Massachusetts: Boston-Cambridge-Newton
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 4.2 (state: 5.1)
> Avg. commute time: 31 min. (state: 29.8 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 73.6% (state: 77.3%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 105.4
See all stories featuring: Massachusetts
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Source: Courtesy of Doug Kerr via Flickr
Michigan: Monroe
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 15.4 (state: 10.3)
> Avg. commute time: 24.5 min. (state: 24.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.4% (state: 91.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 123.6
See all stories featuring: Michigan
Source: Jeff Wood / Wikimedia Commons
Minnesota: St. Cloud
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 11.1 (state: 6.4)
> Avg. commute time: 20.9 min. (state: 23.8 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.6% (state: 86.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 151.2
See all stories featuring: Minnesota
Source: Courtesy of WyldKyss via Flickr
Mississippi: Hattiesburg
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 21.8 (state: 23.1)
> Avg. commute time: 23.8 min. (state: 24.9 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 87.6% (state: 94.6%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 216.3
See all stories featuring: Mississippi
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Source: Geoff Eccles / Getty Images
Missouri: Cape Girardeau
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 18.3 (state: 15.2)
> Avg. commute time: 21.4 min. (state: 23.7 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.0% (state: 90.6%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 149.8
See all stories featuring: Missouri
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Montana: Billings
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 8.1 (state: 17.7)
> Avg. commute time: 18.9 min. (state: 18.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 90.2% (state: 85.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 558.4
See all stories featuring: Montana
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Source: Jared Winkler / Wikimedia Commons
Nebraska: Omaha-Council Bluffs
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 9.2 (state: 11.9)
> Avg. commute time: 20.2 min. (state: 18.5 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 91.7% (state: 90.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 429.3
See all stories featuring: Nebraska
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Nevada: Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 9.4 (state: 10.3)
> Avg. commute time: 24.5 min. (state: 24.2 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 88.1% (state: 88.3%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 482.0
See all stories featuring: Nevada
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New Hampshire: Manchester-Nashua
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 4.9 (state: 7.6)
> Avg. commute time: 27.9 min. (state: 27.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.6% (state: 89.2%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 62.7
See all stories featuring: New Hampshire
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Source: Aneese / Getty Images
New Jersey: Ocean City
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 17.1 (state: 6.9)
> Avg. commute time: 22.9 min. (state: 32.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.1% (state: 78.9%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 87.7
See all stories featuring: New Jersey
Source: Courtesy of John Terning via Flickr
New Mexico: Farmington
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 26.8 (state: 18.2)
> Avg. commute time: 23.9 min. (state: 22.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 95.2% (state: 90.0%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 215.1
See all stories featuring: New Mexico
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Source: kenlund / Flickr
New York: New York-Newark-Jersey City
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 4.3 (state: 5.0)
> Avg. commute time: 36.3 min. (state: 33.7 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 56.4% (state: 59.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 104.7
See all stories featuring: New York
Source: Courtesy of Adam Moss via Flickr
North Carolina: Rocky Mount
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 21.1 (state: 13.7)
> Avg. commute time: 21.9 min. (state: 24.9 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.7% (state: 89.9%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 141.8
See all stories featuring: North Carolina
Source: Courtesy of Andrew Filer via Flickr
North Dakota: Grand Forks
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 10.7 (state: 15.2)
> Avg. commute time: 15.4 min. (state: 16.5 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 88.8% (state: 89.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 141.6
See all stories featuring: North Dakota
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Ohio: Cleveland-Elyria
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 8.1 (state: 10.1)
> Avg. commute time: 24.6 min. (state: 23.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.7% (state: 91.0%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 294.8
See all stories featuring: Ohio
Source: Urbanative / Wikimedia Commons
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 13.0 (state: 16.7)
> Avg. commute time: 22.7 min. (state: 21.9 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.6% (state: 92.1%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 325.1
See all stories featuring: Oklahoma
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Source: kenlund / Flickr
Oregon: Grants Pass
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 22.0 (state: 10.5)
> Avg. commute time: 20.1 min. (state: 24.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 86.8% (state: 81.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 415.7
See all stories featuring: Oregon
Source: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States / Wikimedia Commons
Pennsylvania: East Stroudsburg
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 10.7 (state: 8.9)
> Avg. commute time: 38.6 min. (state: 27.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.3% (state: 84.7%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 66.1
See all stories featuring: Pennsylvania
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
Rhode Island: Providence-Warwick
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 7.9 (state: 7.8)
> Avg. commute time: 25.8 min. (state: 25.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 89.2% (state: 88.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 140.6
See all stories featuring: Rhode Island
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Source: DanTD / Wikimedia Commons
South Carolina: Florence
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 22.8 (state: 19.7)
> Avg. commute time: 23.1 min. (state: 24.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 92.1% (state: 91.3%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 275.5
See all stories featuring: South Carolina
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
South Dakota: Rapid City
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 14.3 (state: 14.8)
> Avg. commute time: 18.4 min. (state: 17.3 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 88.8% (state: 89.0%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 252.6
See all stories featuring: South Dakota
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Source: Home4tnindustry / Wikimedia Commons
Tennessee: Morristown
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 16.9 (state: 15.5)
> Avg. commute time: 23.8 min. (state: 25.1 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: N/A (state: 92.0%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 260.0
See all stories featuring: Tennessee
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
Texas: Odessa
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 30.6 (state: 13.1)
> Avg. commute time: 22 min. (state: 26.5 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 91.7% (state: 90.4%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 336.1
See all stories featuring: Texas
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Utah: Salt Lake City
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 6.5 (state: 8.8)
> Avg. commute time: 22.4 min. (state: 22 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 86.5% (state: 86.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 564.0
See all stories featuring: Utah
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Source: redjar / Flickr
Vermont: Burlington-South Burlington
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 6.4 (state: 11.1)
> Avg. commute time: 22.4 min. (state: 23.2 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 83.8% (state: 84.0%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 72.8
See all stories featuring: Vermont
Source: Sarah Stierch / Wikimedia Commons
Virginia: Winchester
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 18.0 (state: 9.9)
> Avg. commute time: 30.7 min. (state: 28.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 90.5% (state: 86.0%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 47.9
See all stories featuring: Virginia
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Source: Craig Nagy from Vancouver, Canada / Wikimedia Commons
Washington: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 5.4 (state: 7.6)
> Avg. commute time: 30.1 min. (state: 27.9 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 78.1% (state: 81.9%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 494.9
See all stories featuring: Washington
Source: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) / Wikimedia Commons
West Virginia: Beckley
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 17.7 (state: 16.7)
> Avg. commute time: 25.7 min. (state: 26 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 93.5% (state: 91.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 90.3
See all stories featuring: West Virginia
Source: Miwdke. / Wikimedia Commons
Wisconsin: Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 7.9 (state: 10.6)
> Avg. commute time: 23.1 min. (state: 22.2 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: 88.4% (state: 88.8%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 413.4
See all stories featuring: Wisconsin
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Source: Courtesy of J. Stephen Conn via Flickr
Wyoming: Casper
> Traffic fatalities per 100,000 people: 22.6 (state: 21.2)
> Avg. commute time: 17.2 min. (state: 17.6 min.)
> Commuters driving to work: N/A (state: 88.1%)
> 2017 car thefts per 100,000 people: 142.1
See all stories featuring: Wyoming
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