With gas prices rising over the past six months, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best & Worst Cities to Drive in.
To determine the most driver-friendly places in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 30 key metrics. The data set ranges from average gas prices to annual hours in traffic congestion per auto commuter to auto-repair shops per capita.
North Carolina fared remarkably well, with Raleigh ranking #1, Winston Salem ranking #5, and Charlotte ranking #9 in the nation;
Best & Worst Cities to Drive in
Overall Rank (1 = Best) |
City | Total Score | ‘Cost of Ownership & Maintenance’ Rank | ‘Traffic & Infrastructure’ Rank | ‘Safety’ Rank | ‘Access to Vehicles & Maintenance’ Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Raleigh, NC | 69.09 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 62 |
2 | Orlando, FL | 66.26 | 7 | 4 | 93 | 4 |
3 | Lincoln, NE | 66.21 | 8 | 35 | 4 | 85 |
4 | Tampa, FL | 65.38 | 11 | 24 | 70 | 6 |
5 | Winston-Salem, NC | 65.02 | 3 | 13 | 32 | 89 |
6 | Birmingham, AL | 64.93 | 2 | 1 | 96 | 22 |
7 | Corpus Christi, TX | 64.78 | 14 | 7 | 27 | 84 |
8 | Boise, ID | 63.78 | 35 | 9 | 13 | 81 |
9 | Charlotte, NC | 63.52 | 4 | 64 | 43 | 29 |
10 | Greensboro, NC | 63.44 | 6 | 37 | 62 | 66 |
11 | El Paso, TX | 63.35 | 15 | 44 | 5 | 70 |
12 | Scottsdale, AZ | 63.35 | 51 | 2 | 17 | 54 |
13 | Plano, TX | 63.06 | 18 | 26 | 18 | 51 |
14 | Jacksonville, FL | 62.97 | 9 | 15 | 81 | 30 |
15 | Atlanta, GA | 62.90 | 10 | 23 | 88 | 8 |
16 | Austin, TX | 62.08 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 13 |
17 | St. Petersburg, FL | 61.66 | 5 | 28 | 80 | 69 |
18 | San Antonio, TX | 61.46 | 22 | 45 | 67 | 11 |
19 | Durham, NC | 61.33 | 13 | 38 | 28 | 90 |
20 | Laredo, TX | 60.95 | 21 | 58 | 7 | 99 |
21 | Virginia Beach, VA | 60.73 | 23 | 71 | 15 | 71 |
21 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 60.73 | 12 | 56 | 37 | 86 |
23 | Wichita, KS | 60.51 | 34 | 18 | 36 | 87 |
24 | Las Vegas, NV | 60.45 | 76 | 6 | 47 | 5 |
25 | Arlington, TX | 60.31 | 32 | 52 | 40 | 27 |
26 | Gilbert, AZ | 60.25 | 65 | 20 | 3 | 95 |
27 | Houston, TX | 60.15 | 31 | 73 | 66 | 2 |
28 | Mesa, AZ | 60.15 | 57 | 21 | 14 | 60 |
29 | Dallas, TX | 60.09 | 29 | 55 | 72 | 7 |
30 | Irving, TX | 60.04 | 26 | 53 | 29 | 65 |
31 | Chandler, AZ | 60.03 | 63 | 3 | 19 | 94 |
32 | Fort Worth, TX | 59.99 | 42 | 49 | 49 | 19 |
33 | Irvine, CA | 59.75 | 79 | 5 | 1 | 32 |
34 | Colorado Springs, CO | 59.66 | 24 | 70 | 24 | 64 |
35 | Chesapeake, VA | 59.62 | 36 | 68 | 11 | 96 |
36 | Omaha, NE | 59.46 | 19 | 61 | 45 | 48 |
37 | Oklahoma City, OK | 59.42 | 47 | 50 | 30 | 40 |
38 | Lubbock, TX | 59.36 | 33 | 8 | 65 | 83 |
39 | Garland, TX | 59.32 | 38 | 47 | 48 | 42 |
40 | Nashville, TN | 59.07 | 27 | 30 | 71 | 41 |
41 | Fort Wayne, IN | 58.53 | 19 | 51 | 56 | 80 |
42 | Norfolk, VA | 58.22 | 17 | 65 | 50 | 88 |
43 | Tucson, AZ | 58.11 | 44 | 16 | 79 | 39 |
44 | Toledo, OH | 57.93 | 16 | 34 | 73 | 82 |
45 | Henderson, NV | 56.67 | 87 | 10 | 6 | 75 |
46 | Louisville, KY | 56.57 | 40 | 60 | 68 | 46 |
47 | Columbus, OH | 56.51 | 25 | 69 | 76 | 31 |
48 | Reno, NV | 56.38 | 69 | 32 | 23 | 79 |
49 | Phoenix, AZ | 56.21 | 55 | 29 | 74 | 24 |
50 | Kansas City, MO | 56.06 | 28 | 22 | 91 | 72 |
51 | Tulsa, OK | 55.44 | 67 | 39 | 57 | 36 |
52 | Buffalo, NY | 55.11 | 49 | 76 | 33 | 76 |
53 | Indianapolis, IN | 54.92 | 48 | 63 | 78 | 28 |
54 | Madison, WI | 54.86 | 52 | 78 | 10 | 92 |
55 | Cincinnati, OH | 54.51 | 50 | 54 | 89 | 15 |
56 | St. Louis, MO | 54.37 | 30 | 66 | 98 | 10 |
57 | St. Paul, MN | 53.80 | 59 | 77 | 42 | 67 |
58 | Bakersfield, CA | 53.50 | 75 | 14 | 63 | 61 |
59 | Aurora, CO | 53.47 | 43 | 88 | 54 | 73 |
60 | Chula Vista, CA | 53.46 | 98 | 12 | 2 | 59 |
61 | Pittsburgh, PA | 52.92 | 58 | 85 | 46 | 20 |
62 | Anaheim, CA | 52.73 | 78 | 57 | 31 | 18 |
63 | Miami, FL | 52.68 | 64 | 74 | 95 | 1 |
64 | Memphis, TN | 52.68 | 41 | 42 | 97 | 58 |
65 | Sacramento, CA | 52.66 | 84 | 41 | 38 | 17 |
66 | San Diego, CA | 52.63 | 100 | 25 | 9 | 9 |
67 | Anchorage, AK | 52.59 | 45 | 93 | 34 | 100 |
68 | Glendale, AZ | 52.49 | 70 | 17 | 75 | 91 |
69 | Riverside, CA | 52.41 | 83 | 31 | 21 | 50 |
70 | Denver, CO | 52.39 | 53 | 86 | 59 | 33 |
71 | Baton Rouge, LA | 52.30 | 60 | 43 | 87 | 49 |
72 | Santa Ana, CA | 52.18 | 92 | 46 | 20 | 16 |
73 | Minneapolis, MN | 52.16 | 68 | 79 | 39 | 57 |
74 | Hialeah, FL | 52.03 | 39 | 81 | 92 | 38 |
75 | Fremont, CA | 51.77 | 86 | 59 | 12 | 47 |
76 | Albuquerque, NM | 51.59 | 46 | 40 | 99 | 44 |
77 | Long Beach, CA | 51.33 | 88 | 62 | 22 | 23 |
78 | North Las Vegas, NV | 51.25 | 89 | 11 | 44 | 93 |
79 | Portland, OR | 51.05 | 61 | 72 | 83 | 25 |
80 | Boston, MA | 49.95 | 54 | 92 | 51 | 78 |
81 | Jersey City, NJ | 49.94 | 56 | 98 | 53 | 37 |
82 | Fresno, CA | 49.60 | 82 | 27 | 60 | 74 |
83 | New Orleans, LA | 49.35 | 77 | 67 | 61 | 77 |
84 | Stockton, CA | 48.59 | 80 | 33 | 55 | 98 |
85 | Cleveland, OH | 47.68 | 66 | 87 | 90 | 21 |
86 | San Jose, CA | 47.54 | 90 | 75 | 25 | 68 |
87 | Milwaukee, WI | 47.37 | 72 | 84 | 77 | 52 |
88 | Baltimore, MD | 47.17 | 62 | 80 | 94 | 63 |
89 | Chicago, IL | 46.05 | 74 | 99 | 52 | 14 |
90 | San Bernardino, CA | 45.82 | 99 | 48 | 58 | 97 |
91 | Honolulu, HI | 45.38 | 96 | 82 | 26 | 35 |
92 | New York, NY | 45.35 | 93 | 100 | 16 | 3 |
93 | Los Angeles, CA | 45.22 | 94 | 89 | 41 | 12 |
94 | Seattle, WA | 44.04 | 85 | 91 | 64 | 43 |
95 | Washington, DC | 43.87 | 71 | 95 | 86 | 55 |
96 | Newark, NJ | 43.72 | 73 | 97 | 84 | 26 |
97 | San Francisco, CA | 40.24 | 97 | 90 | 69 | 56 |
98 | Philadelphia, PA | 40.00 | 91 | 96 | 82 | 34 |
99 | Oakland, CA | 39.73 | 95 | 83 | 85 | 53 |
100 | Detroit, MI | 37.40 | 81 | 94 | 100 | 45 |
Do you agree with the rankings?