Florida traffic is worst in US, report says. Here’s how Bradenton-Sarasota ranked.
Have you felt traffic on Florida roads getting more and more congested with longer commuting times each passing year?
Analyzing the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey, HireAHelper researchers developed a composite score for small, mid and major metros to avoid if you hate commuting.
Florida ranked as the worst state for commuters in the country, registering a 100.0 composite score.
The Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port metro area ranked as the seventh-worst midsize metro in the U.S. for commute times.
The area had a 83.2 composite score and was one of seven midsize Florida cities to make the list.
The statistics for Bradenton and Sarasota are:
Average one-way commute time: 24.9 minutes
Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 80.1%
Diversity of times that people leave for work: Below average
Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 96.1%
Population density: 662 people per square mile
Port St. Lucie ranked the worst midsize metro in the country for traffic, beating out Stockton, California, in the no. 2 spot.
Other midsize metros — with population between 350,000-999,999 — from Florida making the list were:
Lakeland-Winter Haven - 6th
Cape Coral-Fort Myers - 11th
Naples-Marco Island - 13th
Ocala - 14th
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach - 15th
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent - 47th
For major metropolitan areas:
Orlando-Kissimee-Sanford - 1st
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach - 4th
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater - 12th
Jacksonville - 22nd
Punta Gorda was the lone Florida small metro to make that list, coming in at No. 15.
HireAHelper’s composite score criteria was based on the following:
Average one-way commute time (40%)
Share of workers who commute using private transportation (20%)
Diversity of times that people leave for work (15%)
Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle (15%)
Population density (10%)
