Only two cities ranked higher than the Bayou City when it comes to most time wasted sitting in traffic, and you might be surprised by which two they are.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A new study from Texas A&M University ranked Houston high on a list of top cities in the U.S. with the worst traffic.
The annual Texas A&M Urban Mobility Report measured the average amount of time drivers spent sitting in traffic during peak travel periods throughout 2020.
Since 1982, Los Angeles, California took the title as having the worst traffic, but for 2020, New York City took the lead.
The change was mostly attributed to businesses being shut down and more people working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Texas freeway is making the top of a nationwide ranking, but it’s not for anything positive.
Drivers in New York spend a total of 56 hours a year sitting in traffic, the study found.
Boston ranked second with drivers sitting in traffic an average of 50 hours a year.
Finally, Houston ranked third, with drivers spending 49 hours in traffic.
Houston wasn’t the only Texas city to make the list. Dallas took seventh place.
Here’s a look at the top 15 “very large” cities, aka cities with a population over 3 million people:
New York, New York – 56 hours
Boston, Massachusetts – 50 hours
Houston, Texas – 49 hours
Los Angeles, California – 46 hours
San Francisco, California – 46 hours
Washington, D.C. – 42 hours
Dallas, Texas – 40 hours
Chicago, Illinois – 39 hours
Atlanta, Georgia – 37 hours
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 37 hours
Detroit, Michigan – 35 hours
Seattle, Washington – 31 hours
Miami, Florida – 27 hours
Phoenix, Arizona – 25 hours
San Diego, California – 24 hours
You can view the entire report at mobility.tamu.edu. The study also ranked U.S. cities with smaller populations and cities based on fuel consumption and emissions.