The United States’ cities did not make the top 10 for both the best and worst cities to drive in around the world.  It may come as a shock to some, as the majority of Americans rely on their vehicles every day.  In fact, 3.22 trillion miles are driven per year by all drivers throughout the United States.

The Top 10 Worst U.S. Cities to Drive In

1. Detroit, MI:  Detroit has a low safety rank, high congestion and a high average cost of ownership.
2. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco’s geographically located on a peninsula.  With that said, the land is limited, and the roads are built on large hills.
3. Oakland, CA: Oakland, a city across from San Francisco, is also disadvantaged by its geographic location.  It has a mountainous terrain.
4. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia is located right on the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The commute of workers in and out of the city contributes heavily to the amount of congestion for Philadelphia.
5. Seattle, WA: Seattle is also located around lakes and peninsulas.  This contributes to the high amount of congestion the city suffers from.
6. Boston, MA: Boston’s urban development is both old and poorly planned.  Also, the heavy winters each year bring snow and thus congests the roads.
7. New York, NY: Located on a small Island that hosts 8 million commuters daily, Manhattan suffers from heavy congestion and aggressive drivers.
8. Newark, NJ: Newark shares some of the burdens with New York when it comes to drivers commuting in and out of cities in the area.  Also, Newark Liberty International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States which brings many to the congested roads.
9. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles has little to no options when it comes to alternative means of transportation.  There is no metro and busses get caught in the eight-lane wide traffic jams.
10. Chicago, IL: Chicago’s infrastructure needs to be updated to relieve congestion throughout the city.  Like Boston, Chicago also experiences extreme winters that contribute to the poor driving conditions.

One thing that these cities have in common is that they are all densely populated.  Cities are known for being business hubs; thus, they will experience a lot of traffic from workers commuting to and from work.

The Top 10 Best U.S. Cities to Drive In

1. Raleigh, NC: Raleigh has the lowest cost of ownership in the United States for a car, low crime, and great infrastructure.
2. Corpus Christi, TX: Corpus Chrisi has a fairly low cost of ownership and excellent infrastructure as well.  It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and several hundred miles away from major cities such as Houston and San Antonio.
3. Orlando, FL: Despite having a low safety rating, Orlando can claim position three thanks to its low cost of ownership, great infrastructure, and high access to vehicles and maintenance.
4. Greensboro, NC: Located next to Winston-Salem, Greensboro is the first of three North Carolina cities featured in the top 10 best cities to drive in.  Regarding the amount of time spent in traffic per commuter, Greensboro ranks best at number 1.
5. Plano, TX: Texas is known for its large size, which contributes greatly to the driving conditions of Plano, TX.  It alleviates congestion heavily.
6. Winston-Salem, NC: Winston-Salem has excellent infrastructure and civil education.  Accessibility to education is high, and the cost of maintenance is low. 
7. Durham, NC: Durham surprisingly ranked excellent in only the cost of ownership, and average in traffic and infrastructure.  It ranked low in access to maintenance and vehicles.
8. El Paso, TX:  El Paso has one of the best ranks when it comes to the cost of ownership, not far behind Raleigh, NC.  It ranks extremely high in safety but low in access to maintenance.
9. Jacksonville, FL:  Like Orlando, Jacksonville ranks quite low in terms of safety but high in all other metrics.
10. Tampa, FL: Tampa ranks about average when it comes to everything besides access to vehicles and maintenance, where it ranks extremely high in.

Can You Name These Cities by Their Skylines?