This California City Has The Worst Traffic In The State, Study Says

Nothing ruins your day like being stuck in traffic. This is especially true in California (a state that has some weird traffic laws overall) where everyone's in a hurry to get where they're going, but no one's really moving. You may not be impacted all that much if you live in certain parts of the state, but if you reside in Los Angeles, you know just how brutal the traffic can be. It's so bad, in fact, that average weekday congestion clocks in at around 8 hours. That means Angelenos spend, on average, roughly 85 full days each year in traffic, making LA the city with the worst traffic in the state.

These numbers come from a study published in July 2025 by ConsumerAffairs, an independent research company. It reached these conclusions by compiling commute, traffic, and accident data from agencies like the Federal Highway Administration. Due to a combination of the city's layout and population density, walking and even public transit, are basically pointless. This, unfortunately, means there are really few alternatives to sitting in traffic in LA.

In terms of cities with the worst traffic nationwide, LA takes second. First place was earned by Washington, D.C., a risky city for drivers, according to crash data. While people in D.C. had a longer average commute time, LA's average weekday traffic is still the worst in the nation. However, when it comes to fatal car accidents, LA does show some improvement, averaging over 7 crashes per 100,000 residents, which is 17.8% down from 2024.

Los Angeles isn't the only California city with traffic so bad you hardly want to leave your house. According to ConsumerAffairs, San Francisco is the fourth city with the worst traffic in the nation, with only Miami, Florida, separating it from LA. In fact, San Francisco's daily commute of 32 minutes is the second longest in the country, which is up from the year before. However, San Francisco's weekday congestion time is down from 2024 and is lower than both Washington D.C.'s and LA's.  

Caltrans, the state agency responsible for managing highways, has made some attempts to help residents navigate LA and San Francisco's bad traffic. You can visit the agency's website, or download its mobile app, QuickMap, which provides live traffic updates. You also get access to camera feeds and news on major accidents and road closures. Plus, there's California's 511 system, which you can dial to get the latest information on highway issues.

Still, road improvements can often lead to rough traffic conditions. That was the case in early November 2025, when lane closures were announced for State Route 2 in LA. Though this is part of a Caltran's project to upgrade curbs and sidewalks in the area, it is expected to cause heavy delays in a city whose drivers are already struggling to keep moving.