Methodology

To determine the worst cities to drive in each state, 24/7 Wall St. created an index assessing the safety, traffic congestion, and convenience of driving in 378 metropolitan statistical areas.

Within each state, metro areas were ranked on four measures: deadly car accidents per 100,000 people in 2020, reported car thefts per 100,000 people in 2021, average hours lost to traffic congestion per commuter in 2020, and average commute time in 2021 among those not working from home.

It is important to note that four states – Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont – have only one metropolitan area. As a result, the metro area listed in these states ranks as the worst by default only. 

Data on the number of fatal car crashes in 2020 is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool. We adjusted the total number of fatal accidents per 100,000 people at both the state and metro area level using population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey. 

The number of reported car thefts per 100,000 people in 2021 is from the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s 2021 Hot Spots Vehicle Theft Report.

The number of hours lost to traffic congestion in 2020 per commuter is from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2021 Urban Mobility Report. The urban areas covered in the report may not be coterminous with the U.S. Census Bureau’s metropolitan area definitions, but there is always sufficient overlap.

Finally, data on average commute time for area residents 16 or over who do not work at home is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 ACS.