U.S. drivers lost 42 hours—a full work week—to traffic in 2023: Congestion 'hinders economic growth,' expert says

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The United States is home to some of the most congested cities in the world. The 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard report by INRIX, a transportation analytics company, found the typical U.S. driver lost 42 hours to traffic congestion — the equivalent of a full work week — that resulted in $733 worth of time lost. Congestion cost the U.S. more than $70.4 billion in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022. The report also states the return to the office post-Covid has continued to affect other modes of transportation. In the U.S., transit ridership is down 28% from 2019 levels, though ridership grew 15% over 2022. "More people over the last few decades have been moving into urban areas and that's a global phenomenon," Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, tells CNBC Make It. "As they do that, we do see more congestion. It is a reflection of a good economy, but it can also hinder economic growth because it comes at a cost." The report measured the change in average peak period travel times across more than 15 months. It states that the 2023 scorecard incorporated three years of historical data to provide a complete year-over-year comparison. To rank the cities, INRIX looked at travel delay comparisons, collision trends, last-mile speeds, economic costs and time lost. Pishue says the biggest takeaway from the report was that of the urban areas studied globally, 78% saw increased traffic delays in 2023. In addition, the report shows that because the number of people working from home is still above what it was pre-Covid, it has changed the way people travel. "What we're seeing is instead of a morning peak, then a midday peak and then an afternoon peak and traffic, the congestion is much more gradually building throughout the day," he added. "That's huge because it has planning implications."