With Americans increasingly using personal vehicles rather than public transportation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’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 31 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.
Raleigh ranked #2 in the nation, followed closely by Greensboro at #4, and Winston-Salem at #7. Surprisingly, Charlotte even ranked fairly high, coming in as the 27th best city to drive in in America:
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 | Lincoln, NE | 68.01 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 83 |
2 | Raleigh, NC | 66.25 | 3 | 22 | 8 | 52 |
3 | Corpus Christi, TX | 65.57 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 79 |
4 | Greensboro, NC | 65.33 | 2 | 38 | 30 | 39 |
5 | Boise, ID | 65.08 | 39 | 4 | 3 | 85 |
6 | Plano, TX | 63.77 | 16 | 49 | 9 | 37 |
7 | Winston-Salem, NC | 63.65 | 1 | 30 | 36 | 91 |
8 | Nashville, TN | 62.80 | 5 | 16 | 76 | 41 |
9 | Orlando, FL | 62.79 | 29 | 1 | 93 | 2 |
10 | Omaha, NE | 62.65 | 15 | 26 | 45 | 48 |
11 | Virginia Beach, VA | 62.29 | 7 | 81 | 18 | 71 |
12 | El Paso, TX | 62.20 | 33 | 36 | 6 | 80 |
13 | Scottsdale, AZ | 62.19 | 49 | 5 | 26 | 29 |
14 | Austin, TX | 62.10 | 22 | 32 | 46 | 18 |
15 | Oklahoma City, OK | 61.93 | 43 | 14 | 28 | 54 |
16 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 61.87 | 13 | 41 | 29 | 87 |
17 | Chesapeake, VA | 61.82 | 9 | 74 | 13 | 94 |
18 | Lubbock, TX | 61.71 | 10 | 20 | 56 | 74 |
19 | Norfolk, VA | 61.09 | 6 | 54 | 53 | 92 |
20 | Tulsa, OK | 60.67 | 41 | 6 | 65 | 31 |
21 | Jacksonville, FL | 60.63 | 18 | 8 | 80 | 47 |
22 | Wichita, KS | 60.52 | 26 | 17 | 55 | 88 |
23 | Garland, TX | 60.48 | 32 | 61 | 35 | 21 |
24 | Tampa, FL | 60.45 | 57 | 15 | 66 | 3 |
25 | Kansas City, MO | 60.30 | 8 | 10 | 87 | 67 |
26 | Arlington, TX | 60.14 | 30 | 63 | 41 | 19 |
27 | Charlotte, NC | 59.84 | 21 | 55 | 51 | 35 |
28 | Irving, TX | 59.82 | 25 | 65 | 24 | 58 |
29 | Birmingham, AL | 59.76 | 23 | 3 | 97 | 7 |
30 | Buffalo, NY | 59.60 | 27 | 51 | 39 | 65 |
31 | Fort Worth, TX | 59.44 | 36 | 60 | 47 | 23 |
32 | Toledo, OH | 59.38 | 14 | 24 | 73 | 81 |
33 | San Antonio, TX | 59.35 | 31 | 48 | 58 | 24 |
34 | Fort Wayne, IN | 59.33 | 28 | 44 | 48 | 78 |
35 | Durham, NC | 58.86 | 35 | 43 | 32 | 84 |
36 | Gilbert, AZ | 58.82 | 62 | 41 | 7 | 98 |
37 | Madison, WI | 58.81 | 47 | 45 | 11 | 95 |
38 | Atlanta, GA | 58.66 | 46 | 11 | 91 | 5 |
39 | Mesa, AZ | 58.65 | 59 | 37 | 16 | 70 |
40 | Chandler, AZ | 58.28 | 63 | 18 | 27 | 96 |
41 | Laredo, TX | 58.18 | 34 | 67 | 15 | 100 |
42 | Dallas, TX | 57.96 | 24 | 57 | 71 | 20 |
43 | Columbus, OH | 57.79 | 20 | 50 | 77 | 38 |
44 | Indianapolis, IN | 57.61 | 19 | 47 | 81 | 42 |
45 | St. Louis, MO | 57.59 | 12 | 33 | 99 | 4 |
46 | Reno, NV | 57.31 | 70 | 19 | 22 | 64 |
47 | Louisville, KY | 57.00 | 40 | 52 | 57 | 57 |
48 | Houston, TX | 56.70 | 37 | 76 | 61 | 13 |
49 | Las Vegas, NV | 56.59 | 76 | 2 | 69 | 9 |
50 | Pittsburgh, PA | 56.11 | 50 | 73 | 52 | 16 |
51 | Cincinnati, OH | 56.07 | 42 | 34 | 89 | 11 |
52 | Tucson, AZ | 55.85 | 44 | 21 | 86 | 59 |
53 | St. Paul, MN | 55.84 | 54 | 79 | 37 | 50 |
54 | Baton Rouge, LA | 55.13 | 45 | 39 | 88 | 25 |
55 | Colorado Springs, CO | 54.92 | 64 | 66 | 38 | 69 |
56 | St. Petersburg, FL | 54.84 | 52 | 25 | 83 | 45 |
57 | Phoenix, AZ | 54.78 | 53 | 31 | 74 | 76 |
58 | Memphis, TN | 54.44 | 17 | 27 | 100 | 62 |
59 | Irvine, CA | 54.32 | 88 | 28 | 1 | 27 |
60 | Minneapolis, MN | 53.75 | 65 | 80 | 33 | 49 |
61 | Bakersfield, CA | 53.69 | 73 | 23 | 43 | 46 |
62 | Henderson, NV | 53.61 | 87 | 9 | 19 | 75 |
63 | Glendale, AZ | 53.55 | 60 | 35 | 72 | 73 |
64 | Anchorage, AK | 53.53 | 48 | 87 | 42 | 99 |
65 | Milwaukee, WI | 53.14 | 56 | 68 | 68 | 61 |
66 | Albuquerque, NM | 52.78 | 38 | 29 | 96 | 56 |
67 | Cleveland, OH | 51.59 | 51 | 85 | 84 | 14 |
68 | Aurora, CO | 51.32 | 61 | 90 | 59 | 60 |
69 | Riverside, CA | 51.16 | 80 | 58 | 23 | 32 |
70 | Anaheim, CA | 51.12 | 84 | 75 | 17 | 6 |
71 | Miami, FL | 51.08 | 72 | 53 | 95 | 1 |
72 | Chula Vista, CA | 51.05 | 96 | 46 | 2 | 43 |
73 | Hialeah, FL | 50.76 | 55 | 83 | 92 | 22 |
74 | Fremont, CA | 50.71 | 82 | 82 | 4 | 30 |
75 | Fresno, CA | 50.70 | 78 | 40 | 31 | 82 |
76 | Denver, CO | 50.20 | 67 | 86 | 63 | 40 |
77 | Portland, OR | 50.09 | 69 | 70 | 79 | 36 |
78 | Jersey City, NJ | 49.67 | 68 | 96 | 50 | 34 |
79 | Santa Ana, CA | 49.62 | 100 | 72 | 10 | 8 |
80 | New Orleans, LA | 49.40 | 74 | 62 | 64 | 90 |
81 | Long Beach, CA | 48.64 | 89 | 78 | 20 | 10 |
82 | San Diego, CA | 48.46 | 95 | 56 | 12 | 12 |
83 | Boston, MA | 48.01 | 66 | 94 | 49 | 97 |
84 | North Las Vegas, NV | 47.93 | 91 | 12 | 75 | 86 |
85 | Sacramento, CA | 47.85 | 92 | 64 | 34 | 15 |
86 | Washington, DC | 46.98 | 58 | 91 | 90 | 68 |
87 | Baltimore, MD | 46.43 | 71 | 77 | 94 | 63 |
88 | Honolulu, HI | 46.23 | 94 | 69 | 40 | 28 |
89 | San Jose, CA | 45.75 | 83 | 88 | 25 | 93 |
90 | Stockton, CA | 45.75 | 81 | 59 | 67 | 89 |
91 | Seattle, WA | 44.77 | 86 | 84 | 60 | 55 |
92 | Newark, NJ | 44.74 | 75 | 98 | 78 | 17 |
93 | San Bernardino, CA | 44.07 | 93 | 71 | 70 | 72 |
94 | Chicago, IL | 43.60 | 79 | 99 | 54 | 33 |
95 | Los Angeles, CA | 42.44 | 99 | 89 | 44 | 26 |
96 | New York, NY | 42.33 | 90 | 100 | 14 | 51 |
97 | Detroit, MI | 40.34 | 77 | 93 | 98 | 53 |
98 | San Francisco, CA | 39.55 | 97 | 95 | 62 | 66 |
99 | Philadelphia, PA | 38.67 | 85 | 97 | 82 | 77 |
100 | Oakland, CA | 38.16 | 98 | 92 | 85 | 44 |
Do you agree with the rankings?