With traffic congestion costing U.S. drivers an average of 36 hours and $564 during 2021, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst States to Drive in.
To determine the most driver-friendly states in the U.S., the site compared the 50 states across 31 key metrics. The data set ranges from average gas prices to rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality.
Driving in North Carolina (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- 23rd – Share of Rush-Hour Traffic Congestion
- 20th – Car Theft Rate
- 9th – Auto-Repair Shops per Capita
- 17th – Avg. Gas Prices
- 7th – Auto-Maintenance Costs
- 21st – Road Quality
- 10th – Car Dealerships per Capita
Best & Worst Driving States
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Cost of Ownership & Maintenance | Traffic & Infrastructure | Safety | Access to Vehicles & Maintenance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iowa | 62.04 | 5 | 7 | 38 | 22 |
2 | Oklahoma | 61.65 | 4 | 9 | 34 | 27 |
3 | Kansas | 61.51 | 12 | 4 | 36 | 32 |
4 | North Carolina | 61.27 | 7 | 29 | 23 | 10 |
5 | Texas | 60.57 | 25 | 41 | 14 | 4 |
6 | Georgia | 60.04 | 8 | 39 | 27 | 8 |
7 | Wisconsin | 60.03 | 3 | 19 | 37 | 20 |
8 | Tennessee | 60.02 | 1 | 26 | 41 | 21 |
9 | Illinois | 59.71 | 34 | 36 | 6 | 5 |
10 | Indiana | 59.46 | 14 | 22 | 31 | 17 |
11 | Nebraska | 59.46 | 16 | 6 | 35 | 33 |
12 | Kentucky | 59.42 | 6 | 23 | 26 | 31 |
13 | Ohio | 59.27 | 2 | 31 | 39 | 7 |
14 | Virginia | 58.45 | 9 | 40 | 29 | 13 |
15 | Alaska | 58.34 | 27 | 14 | 5 | 50 |
16 | Alabama | 58.25 | 10 | 16 | 40 | 26 |
17 | Idaho | 58.21 | 29 | 5 | 21 | 43 |
18 | New York | 57.82 | 42 | 46 | 3 | 2 |
19 | North Dakota | 57.80 | 22 | 1 | 45 | 47 |
20 | Maine | 57.73 | 24 | 17 | 16 | 37 |
21 | West Virginia | 57.25 | 11 | 20 | 32 | 44 |
22 | Florida | 56.71 | 31 | 44 | 17 | 3 |
23 | South Dakota | 56.65 | 18 | 11 | 44 | 38 |
24 | Arkansas | 56.35 | 21 | 10 | 42 | 34 |
25 | Arizona | 55.98 | 32 | 21 | 15 | 25 |
26 | Utah | 55.65 | 30 | 18 | 22 | 29 |
27 | Vermont | 55.62 | 33 | 24 | 8 | 40 |
28 | New Mexico | 55.60 | 28 | 3 | 43 | 42 |
29 | Mississippi | 55.41 | 17 | 12 | 47 | 35 |
30 | Louisiana | 55.24 | 35 | 25 | 12 | 30 |
31 | Minnesota | 55.11 | 26 | 32 | 25 | 19 |
32 | Pennsylvania | 54.68 | 38 | 33 | 28 | 6 |
33 | South Carolina | 54.62 | 13 | 27 | 46 | 28 |
34 | New Hampshire | 54.49 | 19 | 45 | 13 | 41 |
35 | Oregon | 54.41 | 44 | 13 | 18 | 23 |
36 | Montana | 53.95 | 20 | 2 | 50 | 45 |
37 | Massachusetts | 53.75 | 41 | 49 | 2 | 9 |
38 | New Jersey | 53.75 | 36 | 48 | 4 | 12 |
39 | Connecticut | 53.30 | 46 | 34 | 1 | 24 |
40 | Nevada | 53.11 | 45 | 15 | 10 | 39 |
41 | Wyoming | 52.31 | 15 | 8 | 48 | 48 |
42 | Missouri | 51.47 | 23 | 28 | 49 | 15 |
43 | Michigan | 51.40 | 43 | 30 | 30 | 11 |
44 | Colorado | 50.85 | 40 | 38 | 33 | 16 |
45 | Washington | 49.34 | 48 | 37 | 20 | 14 |
46 | Maryland | 48.54 | 37 | 50 | 19 | 18 |
47 | California | 48.00 | 50 | 42 | 9 | 1 |
48 | Delaware | 48.00 | 39 | 35 | 24 | 49 |
49 | Rhode Island | 47.41 | 47 | 47 | 7 | 46 |
50 | Hawaii | 41.02 | 49 | 43 | 11 | 36 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric.
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