If You Hate Traffic Never Move to This State
Driving your daily commutes to work or just going shopping may have you on the edge with frustration. Dealing with traffic is tough sometimes, and can raise your blood pressure through the roof with anxiety.
On the one hand, you’re thankful you’re not dealing with some crazy laws, like other places. But on the other, you still have to abide by the ones you have in your neck of the woods. If frustrating traffic is not what you want to deal with on a daily basis, there are states that you might want to consider avoiding when making a move to some other place.
To figure out what states are the best and worst for driving in, WalletHub analyzed data and found out what each state ranked when it came to several factors. Here’s what their study shows us.
Highest average gas prices
Gas prices go up and down almost every day in every area of each state, so tracking the worst states for having the highest average gas prices is pretty difficult. However, the study showed, that at the time they analyzed their data, Hawaii ranked dead last. The other ones falling in the bottom five of the list were Oregon, Nevada, Washington, and California.
The five states that had the lowest average gas prices were Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. Keep in mind, each state has different population numbers. California has approximately 39 million people living there, while Mississippi has around 3 million. When you think about it, California is likely to have tons more drivers, which would cause them to need more gas to fuel their cars.
The worst states for rush hour traffic congestion
The states deemed the worst for the percentage of rush hour traffic congestion goes to Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and California. It’s important to note that these states have some larger cities within them, so places like Los Angeles would naturally have more traffic to deal with at rush hour time. This would factor into why rush hour traffic congestion is so bad for California as well as the other states on the worst list.
On the brighter side, the states that have the lowest percentage of rush hour traffic congestion goes to Mississippi, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Idaho. While these states have some metropolitan areas, they don’t compare to the likes of the other states like New Jersey that handles a lot of New York’s traffic. So the study is impressive, but you still have many other areas that can’t be factored as easily into the study.
The overall worst state to drive in
Hawaii ranked 50th as the worst state to drive in. It received the worst rating because it fell to the bottom of the list for several areas scrutinized by the study. They ranked at the bottom for the cost of ownership and 43rd for traffic and infrastructure. Car theft is high, placing them 48 on the list, and they’re also one of the states that have the most days of precipitation.
The study also shows that Hawaii is one of the states with the fewest car washes per capita and is also the worst state for having the fewest repair shops available for auto maintenance. They ranked fairly well for access to vehicles and safety.
If you’re looking to move to another state, you’ll want to know what cities will make your daily commutes a headache. Every state will have good and bad areas for traffic so make sure to do your research.