DC now has the worst traffic in America

Written in association with FOX 5 DC, read the article here.

The Brief

• D.C. has overtaken Los Angeles as the city with the worst traffic in the U.S., with an average of 33.4 minutes – the longest nationwide.

• Traffic congestion lasts more than six and a half hours on an average weekday, totaling 71 days a year.

• Despite the delays, D.C. maintains one of the lowest fatal crash rates in the country.

WASHINGTON - Washington, D.C. has officially hit the brakes — and not in a good way.

In 2025, D.C. officially overtook Los Angeles as the city with the worst traffic in the United States, according to a new analysis by ConsumerAffairs.

Commuters in D.C. now face an average travel time of 33.4 minutes to get to work — the longest in the country. That’s longer than in Los Angeles, New York City, or San Francisco. And on any given weekday, traffic congestion in the capital lasts more than six and a half hours, equivalent to spending 71 full days a year sitting in traffic, according to the study.

While Los Angeles still leads in overall weekday congestion time — nearly eight hours a day, adding up to 85 days a year — D.C.’s sharp commute times pushed it to the top of the list for overall traffic pain.

There is one silver lining for Washingtonians: the city ranks among the lowest in the nation for fatal car crashes, with fewer than six deadly accidents per 100,000 residents.