Stuck in Seattle traffic is the norm, new study finds

Drivers in the Seattle metro area are more likely to get stuck in traffic than drivers in nearly any other city in the U.S., according to a new analysis.

Why it matters: Understanding which cities have the worst congestion can help people make decisions about where to work, when to work, when to run errands or even when it's time to move, the researchers said.

Driving the news: Seattle has the second worst congestion and the third worst traffic among 49 major metro areas, according to the September Consumer Affairs report that looked at congestion, travel times and fatal crashes.

By the numbers: Seattle sees almost seven hours of average daily congestion on its roads compared with the national average of three hours and 41 minutes, per the study that used information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• That's second only to Los Angeles, which has the worst congestion and the worst traffic in the U.S., Consumer Affairs data analyst Steon Nichols told Axios in an email.

What they're saying: Seattle's traffic is bad for the size of its population, said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX , which provides transportation data and insights.

• The rise in deliveries in dense urban areas, freight vehicles stopping in the middle of the road and more midday traffic "cause more congestion and more chaos," he told Axios.

Zoom in: The average driver in Seattle lost 58 hours due to congestion in 2023. That 12-hour increase in traffic delay from 2022 was the highest increase out of any metro area in the United States, per a separate report from INRIX.

• The area's busiest corridor is found around 4pm northbound on Interstate 5 between Northgate and 128th Street Southeast, per INRIX data.
• Seattle also has the 14th longest commute time in the nation, averaging about 28 minutes one way, according to the Consumer Affairs data.

Yes, but: Seattle ranks much better than average in one important criteria, per the Consumer Affairs analysis, with 5.21 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents compared with the national average of 11.8.

The bottom line: For urbanites who are looking to avoid traffic jams and brake lights, Consumer Affairs says St. Louis; Rochester, New York; Oklahoma City; Cleveland and Richmond, Virginia, have the nation's lowest traffic scores.

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