How much time Seattle-area traffic costs drivers
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The average Seattle-area driver spent 87 hours stuck in traffic last year — a 10-hour increase from 2019, a new report finds.
Why it matters: The findings put some hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different — since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Driving the news: Congestion is once again growing in many cities after a pandemic-era dip, while driver behavior has also changed, per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report.
- Traditional rush hours are returning. Yet there's also been a "noticeable rise in midday congestion," the report finds, possibly tied to remote and hybrid work.
Zoom in: Seattle-area drivers spent an extra 24 hours driving at congested speeds last year, compared to the nationwide average.
- Only eight U.S. metros had higher traffic congestion numbers last year than Seattle, according to the report, which analyzed more than 300 areas with populations over 100,000.
- Areas with greater gridlock included Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Riverside, Calif.; San Jose, California; and Miami.
By the numbers: The average U.S. car commuter spent 63 hours annually stuck in traffic in 2024, the report finds.
- That's the most since 1982, when the dataset begins.
How it works: The researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration and INRIX, a transportation analytics firm.
Between the lines: Thursday has overtaken Friday with the highest share of weekly delay — perhaps "because some of the Friday travel is not associated with commuting, whereas Thursday has more of a typical commute pattern."
- Delivery trucks are adding to traffic woes as well.
The bottom line: It's getting harder to predict when it'll be busy out on the roads, the report finds, leading to "added traveler frustration."
