A major new study has identified Chicago as the city with the worst traffic in the United States, dethroning last year's leader, New York City. The findings reveal a significant surge in congestion, placing the Windy City among the most gridlocked urban centres worldwide.
Chicago's Congestion Crisis in Numbers
According to the latest Global Traffic Scorecard from transportation analytics firm INRIX, motorists in Chicago wasted an average of 112 hours sitting in traffic over the past year. This marks a troubling 10 percent increase from the previous year and is more than double the national US average of 49 hours lost to congestion.
The report, released on Saturday 6 December 2025, positions Chicago as the third-worst city for traffic globally, trailing only Mexico City and the world leader, Istanbul. The economic toll across the worst-affected US cities is staggering, with congestion costing drivers over $85 billion in lost productivity—an 11.3 percent rise from 2024.
National and Local Repercussions
The traffic crisis is having tangible effects on infrastructure planning and local politics in Chicago. Notably, severe congestion around O'Hare International Airport—which a separate 2024 study from DePaul University's Chaddick Institute found had the highest traffic growth of any US airport—has forced planners to reconsider the timeline of a major renovation project scheduled to run through 2033.
The human cost was tragically underscored this week when a crash on I-57 in Chicago killed three people and injured five others, after a vehicle struck individuals standing near the scene of an earlier incident.
US Cities Dominate Global Traffic Woes
American urban centres feature prominently in the global rankings, claiming three of the top five spots for the worst traffic. Following Chicago, the US list of most congested cities is, in order: New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Washington, and Seattle.
Baltimore and Philadelphia experienced the most dramatic spikes in delays among the top 25, with congestion rising by a sharp 31 percent in each. On a national scale, American drivers collectively lost approximately 4.7 billion hours to traffic jams.
The report also highlighted specific problem corridors, with both directions of I-95 near Stamford, Connecticut, ranking as the nation's busiest. It was followed by I-278 in New York City and I-4 near Orlando, Florida. Analysts suggest that New York's recently implemented congestion pricing scheme may have prevented it from ranking even higher on the list.
