District-area drivers are spending more time trapped behind the wheel than motorists anywhere else in the nation, according to a new national traffic analysis that ranked the D.C. region second overall for worst traffic in America and first for the longest average commute.
The report from ConsumerAffairs found that drivers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metropolitan area spend an average of 33 minutes getting to work each way, the highest commute time among the nation’s largest metro areas. Researchers also found the region experiences 6 hours and 27 minutes of weekday congestion, placing the area among the worst traffic corridors in the country.
“The nation’s capital sees some serious congestion, and it’s especially rough for those who have a car-based commute to work,” the report stated.
Only Los Angeles ranked worse overall. New York, San Francisco and Houston rounded out the top five.
For workers across the District, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, the numbers confirm what commuters already experience every morning on Interstate 95, Interstate 495, New York Avenue, the George Washington Parkway, and other heavily traveled routes where delays routinely stretch trips far beyond expected travel times. The study also tied congestion to safety concerns.
“Traffic density is one of the biggest predictors of a crash,” Michael Manville, a professor of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, told ConsumerAffairs.
Researchers calculated rankings using average driving commute times, weekday congestion hours, and fatal crash rates across the nation’s 50 most populous metropolitan areas. Washington scored 80.34 overall, second only to Los Angeles.
The report pointed to growing use of scooters and bikes throughout the District as one factor helping reduce some vehicle traffic. ConsumerAffairs cited an April 2026 report from New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management showing nearly 23% of Lime scooter riders in Washington said they chose a scooter instead of using a car on their latest trip.
The report also found Baltimore ranked 12th nationally for worst traffic, with commuters there averaging 29-minute drives and 5 hours and 40 minutes of weekday congestion.
ConsumerAffairs said its rankings relied on 2024 Census Bureau commute data, Federal Highway Administration congestion reports from late 2025, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fatal crash statistics.
Urban planner Madalyn Smith said congestion ultimately comes down to the number of vehicles crowding roads at the same time and said reducing dependence on cars remains one of the few long-term answers.
“The way to address traffic is to make cars less necessary,” Smith said. “You can really cut out a lot of cars by making shorter trips much more possible [without them].”
