With U.S. traffic congestion costing U.S. drivers $88 billion in 2019 but driving reduced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best & Worst States to Drive in, as well as accompanying videos.
To determine the most driver-friendly states in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states across 31 key metrics. The data set ranges from average gas prices to rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality.
| Best States for Driving | Worst States for Driving |
| 1. Texas | 41. Colorado |
| 2. Indiana | 42. New Jersey |
| 3. North Carolina | 43. New Hampshire |
| 4. Iowa | 44. Pennsylvania |
| 5. Tennessee | 45. Rhode Island |
| 6. Kentucky | 46. Delaware |
| 7. Maine | 47. Maryland |
| 8. Idaho | 48. Washington |
| 9. South Dakota | 49. California |
| 10. Ohio | 50. Hawaii |
Best vs. Worst
- West Virginia has one of the lowest shares of rush-hour traffic congestion, 5.00 percent, which is 17.2 times lower than in California, the state with the highest at 86.00 percent.
- Mississippi has the lowest average regular gas price, $1.86 per gallon, which is 1.8 times lower than in Hawaii, the state with the highest at $3.28 per gallon.
- Vermont has the fewest car thefts (per 1,000 residents), 0.48, which is 8.9 times fewer than in New Mexico, the state with the most at 4.27.
- California has the most auto-repair shops (per square root of the population), 1.523536, which is 7.4 times more than in Hawaii, the state with the fewest at 0.205448.
- Maine has the lowest average car insurance rate, $912, which is 3.2 times lower than in Michigan, the state with the highest at $2,878.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-drive-in/43012