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Traffic jam: The 10 most congested cities in America

1. Chicago / Washington, D.C. (tie)

Andy Nelson/The Christian Science Monitor/FILE
In May 2005, traffic slows to a crawl in Silver Spring, Md., on the outer loop of the Washington Beltway, a roadway encircling Washington, DC, known for its traffic jams.

  • By Aaron Couch Staff Writer

Yearly delay: 70 hours

Cost per driver: $1,738 (Chicago), $1,555 (Washington, D.C.)

Chicago and Washington, D.C., each benefits from a strong public transportation system, so their congestion problem, while the worst in the country, would be even more awful without it.

Without public transportation in cities across the US, the amount of extra congestion would have cost an additional 785 million hours in time delays and $19 billion worth of fuel, the report estimates.

If your city isn't on this list, find its ranking here.

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