Ugh, traffic! Florida lights up Top 20 worst commutes in U.S. list with 7 rush hour routes

Mark H. Bickel, The Ledger
·2 min read

Stop and go. Stop and go. Stop and go.

For so many Floridians, this is the reality of commuting to work everyday. The term "free-flowing traffic" is something we can't relate to. From Daytona Beach to Palm Beach, getting to work on the roads can be a chore and will have commuters looking at their watch or at the clock in their car and talking to themselves, saying: "How long is this going to take," or "I can't take this anymore!"

A new study released this month by MoneyGeek, a personal finance website covering topics such as car insurance, credit cards, loans, financial planning, insurance and mortgages, reaffirms pretty much what we already know: Most of Florida's highways, interstates and bridge crossings are parking lots during rush hour.

In fact, the MoneyGeek study ranked the Top 20 Worst Commutes in the U.S., and Florida has seven of those nightmare commutes.

The cities in the study were given a rating that was calculated by MoneyGeek by weighing the following:

  • Average one-way commute (minutes): 37.5%

  • Average rush hour speed (mph): 12.5%

  • Morning commute crash rate: 25%

  • Annual gas cost: 25%

The highest ranked location in Florida is Lakeland/Winter Haven with a 32.6, or third worst overall in the U.S. The average one-way commute in Lakeland and Winter Haven is 31 minutes, with an average speed of 27 mph during rush hour, according to MoneyGeek. In comparison, people spend an average of 35 minutes commuting, driving at an average speed of 31 mph in other parts of the country.

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What are the worst locations in Florida for commuting?

Traffic is heavy along South County Road and Peruvian Avenue February 22, 2023 in Palm Beach.
Traffic is heavy along South County Road and Peruvian Avenue February 22, 2023 in Palm Beach.

The other Florida locations making the list and their ranking:

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Where is the worst commute in the U.S.?

Here are some other key findings from the study from MoneyGeek:

  • Stockton and Riverside, California, residents have the worst commutes of any U.S. metro area based on commute time, amount of gridlock, morning commute crash rates and fuel costs.

  • New Yorkers spend the most time — 37 minutes, or 325 hours annually — on an average one-way daily commute in the country.

  • Jackson, Mississippi, and Visalia-Porterville, California, have the deadliest morning commutes in America.

  • Des Moines, Iowa, and Anchorage, Alaska, have the best commutes in the U.S.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Traffic watch: What are the worst locations in Florida for commuting?