Where does Florida rank among the most driver-friendly states?
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida drivers know the pain of getting stuck in traffic on Interstate 4 or even Interstate 275. However, a new study from WalletHub may surprise many Florida drivers. The personal finance website ranked the Sunshine State as one of the top 20 states to drive in.
WalletHub said it compared the 50 states across four key dimensions: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety, and access to vehicles and maintenance.
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Florida came in at No. 16 overall. Here’s how the state ranked in several of the study’s main categories:
41st – Share of Rush-Hour Traffic Congestion
39th – Traffic Fatality Rate
8th – Car Theft Rate
5th – Auto-Repair Shops per Capita
16th – Avg. Gas Prices
30th – Auto-Maintenance Costs
15th – Road Quality
4th – Car Dealerships per Capita
Wondering which state took the top spot? According to WalletHub, it’s Iowa.
“Iowa is the best state to drive in partly because the roads are mostly clear of congestion, even during rush hour. This is one area where being a rural state comes in handy,” said Cassandra Happe, WalletHub analyst. “Due to these good road conditions, Iowa drivers tend to have short commutes, at less than 20 minutes on average, and they benefit from some of the lowest gas and car insurance prices in the nation.”
The worst state to drive in is Hawaii, the study showed.
Here’s a look at how each state ranked:
Source: WalletHub
Best & Worst Driving States
Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Cost of Ownership & Maintenance Rank | Traffic & Infrastructure Rank | Safety Rank | Access to Vehicles & Maintenance Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iowa | 65.87 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 18 |
2 | Georgia | 63.95 | 2 | 34 | 22 | 9 |
3 | Kansas | 63.48 | 10 | 3 | 29 | 30 |
4 | Oklahoma | 63.26 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 27 |
5 | Alabama | 62.49 | 3 | 15 | 33 | 28 |
6 | North Carolina | 62.34 | 6 | 32 | 24 | 10 |
7 | Ohio | 62.31 | 4 | 29 | 38 | 7 |
8 | Tennessee | 61.97 | 1 | 26 | 42 | 22 |
9 | Texas | 61.91 | 19 | 42 | 17 | 4 |
10 | North Dakota | 60.91 | 14 | 1 | 43 | 47 |
11 | Indiana | 60.83 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 17 |
12 | Nebraska | 60.22 | 23 | 7 | 23 | 32 |
13 | Wyoming | 59.27 | 11 | 8 | 37 | 48 |
14 | Idaho | 58.91 | 25 | 4 | 34 | 42 |
15 | Wisconsin | 58.90 | 17 | 20 | 41 | 20 |
16 | Florida | 58.50 | 30 | 44 | 18 | 2 |
17 | Utah | 58.24 | 26 | 17 | 16 | 31 |
18 | New Mexico | 58.17 | 21 | 2 | 45 | 43 |
19 | Arkansas | 57.93 | 16 | 11 | 44 | 34 |
20 | Arizona | 57.66 | 33 | 22 | 11 | 25 |
21 | Virginia | 57.48 | 15 | 43 | 31 | 15 |
22 | Mississippi | 57.48 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 36 |
23 | Illinois | 57.47 | 40 | 37 | 5 | 5 |
24 | South Dakota | 57.45 | 12 | 10 | 47 | 39 |
25 | Minnesota | 57.34 | 18 | 39 | 25 | 19 |
26 | Kentucky | 57.08 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 33 |
27 | New York | 56.70 | 42 | 45 | 7 | 3 |
28 | Louisiana | 56.70 | 29 | 25 | 15 | 29 |
29 | Pennsylvania | 56.43 | 34 | 31 | 26 | 6 |
30 | South Carolina | 56.11 | 9 | 27 | 46 | 26 |
31 | Michigan | 56.09 | 31 | 30 | 27 | 11 |
32 | Maine | 56.08 | 35 | 18 | 9 | 35 |
33 | Connecticut | 56.05 | 39 | 36 | 2 | 23 |
34 | Alaska | 55.86 | 38 | 16 | 3 | 50 |
35 | Oregon | 55.31 | 44 | 12 | 20 | 24 |
36 | Colorado | 54.62 | 27 | 35 | 39 | 13 |
37 | Missouri | 53.90 | 20 | 28 | 49 | 14 |
38 | New Jersey | 53.45 | 36 | 48 | 6 | 12 |
39 | New Hampshire | 52.64 | 22 | 47 | 21 | 37 |
40 | Maryland | 52.33 | 32 | 50 | 10 | 21 |
41 | Montana | 52.20 | 28 | 5 | 50 | 44 |
42 | Vermont | 51.71 | 37 | 23 | 28 | 41 |
43 | Rhode Island | 51.52 | 41 | 46 | 1 | 46 |
44 | Nevada | 51.45 | 47 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
45 | Massachusetts | 51.39 | 46 | 49 | 4 | 8 |
46 | California | 49.75 | 50 | 40 | 12 | 1 |
47 | West Virginia | 49.23 | 43 | 21 | 40 | 45 |
48 | Delaware | 47.47 | 45 | 33 | 13 | 49 |
49 | Washington | 47.46 | 48 | 38 | 36 | 16 |
50 | Hawaii | 44.86 | 49 | 41 | 8 | 40 |
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