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How Many Hours Do Americans Lose to Traffic Congestion?

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US traffic

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The Briefing

  • America’s major cities are some of the most congested in the world
  • In 2020, the average driver in New York City lost 100 hours due to traffic

How Many Hours Do Americans Lose to Traffic Congestion?

No one likes being stuck in traffic. But have you ever wondered how many hours it’s actually taking away from you?

In some of the biggest U.S. cities, the answer could be over 100 hours in a single year.

2020 was very unique, however, and traffic was less severe due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the average American driver lost 99 hours in 2019, compared to just 26 hours in 2020.

Nevertheless, drivers in America still lost a sizeable chunk of time throughout the year. To see exactly how much, we compiled data from INRIX to pinpoint the 10 most congested cities in America.

CityHours Lost in Congestion (2020)
New York City, NY100
Philadelphia, PA94
Chicago, IL86
Boston, MA48
Los Angeles, CA45
San Francisco, CA47
New Orleans, LA42
Houston, TX35
Miami, FL35
Dallas, TX34

Unsurprisingly, America’s most populous city was also its most congested. As of 2020, New York City had a population of nearly 9 million people.

Going to a more granular level helps us identify New York City’s worst corridor: the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Daily traffic on the segment between I-495 and Tillary Street is estimated to have cost drivers approximately 30 hours in 2020.

What Could You Have Done Instead?

Here’s a list of things that the average New Yorker could have done with the 100 hours they lost to traffic.

ActivityNumber of Hours Required
Take 2.5 weeks off work100
Walk through Central Park 100 times100
Read Leo Tolstoy’s most famous novels, War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878) 98
Drive to Los Angeles and back
(theoretical time which assumes no breaks are taken)
84
Watch the entire Game of Thrones TV series from beginning to end70
Earn your private pilot license
(actual flight training time)
40

Source: Audible, FAA, Google Maps, Statista

Traffic is going to get worse as more people move to urban areas, but this doesn’t mean that all hope is lost.

The majority of traffic problems are caused by human behavior, meaning autonomous vehicles could reduce many of the inefficiencies that cause congestion. Unfortunately, Level 5 self-driving cars are still a ways off, despite the claims of Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Where does this data come from?

Source: INRIX
Notes: “Hours lost” refers to the number of hours lost in congestion during peak commute periods compared to free flow conditions.

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Datastream

The 10 Longest Range EVs for 2023

This infographic lists 10 of the longest range EVs currently for sale in the U.S. in 2023. The Lucid Air takes first place at 516 miles.

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The Briefing

  • EV models with over 300 miles (480 km) of range are becoming more common in the United States
  • The Lucid Air (Grand Touring trim) has the highest EPA range at 516 miles (830 km)

The 10 Longest Range EVs for 2023

Range anxiety is frequently cited as one of the biggest turnoffs of electric vehicles (EVs).

Even as recent as 2021, the average range of an EV was just 217 miles (349 km), falling significantly short from the average gas car’s range of 413 miles (665 km). Thankfully, as this infographic shows, EVs with over 300 miles of range are becoming more common.

Below are the top 10 EVs for 2023, ranked by their EPA combined driving range. For further context, we’ve also included price. These values are for the specific trim that achieves the stated range. In some cases, more expensive trims are available but have a lower range (e.g. Tesla Plaid).

ModelEPA Combined Driving RangePrice*
Lucid Air516 mi (830 km)$138,000
Tesla Model S405 mi (652 km)$84,990
Hyundai Ioniq 6361 mi (581 km)$45,500
Tesla Model 3358 mi (576 km)$55,990
Mercedes-Benz EQS350 mi (563 km)$104,400
Tesla Model X348 mi (560 km)$94,990
Tesla Model Y330 mi (531 km)$52,990
GMC Hummer EV Pickup329 mi (529 km)$110,295
Rivian R1T328 mi (528 km)$74,800
BMW iX324 mi (521 km)$87,100

*Most recent prices available as of April 2023

Note that the EV market is rapidly evolving, and the data in this table has a limited shelf life. For example, Rivian is releasing a battery option dubbed the “Max pack” which promises up to 400 miles, but is not yet EPA rated.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Source: Car and Driver (range), manufacturer websites (price)

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