SEATTLE — Seattle-area traffic is no joke, and now ranks among the worst in the United States per a new report, including many larger cities.
ConsumerAffairs analyzed traffic in 49 major U.S. metro areas and found that Seattle's traffic is the third-worst in the country, behind Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.
The report found that Seattle's average commute time was 28.3 minutes, shorter than all of the other metro areas among the top five worst per ConsumerAffairs.
However, the average daily congestion in Seattle elevates it above much of the rest of the nation. Only Los Angeles (7 hours, 55 minutes) has a longer average daily congestion than Seattle's 6 hours and 50 minutes. Seattle's average daily congestion is almost twice the national average of 3 hours and 41 minutes.
Seattle's fatal crashes per 100,000 people (5.2) also ranks above the rest of the top 5 outside of Los Angeles (8.9). Portland, which ranks seventh on the list, has almost exactly double the amount of fatal crashes per 100,000 (10.2).
This isn't the first recent report to shed light on Seattle's growing traffic woes. Seattle-area drivers lost an average of 58 hours in traffic delays in 2023 per INRIX. This was a 12-hour increase from 2022, the largest jump of any major U.S. metro area year-over-year, per INRIX.
Traffic deaths hit a 33-year high in the state in 2023. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission found that more pedestrians (157) and motorcyclists (141) were killed on roadways than in any previous year on record. Overall, there were 810 traffic fatalities last year, a 10% increase from 2022.
