Traffic congestion is back in the headlines, and this time, it’s not just a case of drivers grumbling at red lights. According to a new report released by INRIX and highlighted by the Phoenix Business Journal, traffic delays cost Phoenix-area drivers a staggering $1.5 billion in 2025. That’s no small change, and while Phoenix commuters might still fare better than many of their peers nationwide, the broader picture across the United States is one of mounting frustration—and mounting costs.
Let’s put those numbers into perspective. The typical Phoenix commuter lost 42 hours sitting in traffic last year, with the average cost per person due to congestion clocking in at $774. While that may sound steep, it’s actually a bit of a silver lining when compared to the national average. Still, for anyone who’s ever stared at a sea of brake lights on the I-10 or Loop 101, the frustration is all too real.
Zooming out to the national level, the INRIX 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard paints a sobering picture: traffic congestion in the United States rose by 11 percent compared to the previous year. In raw numbers, U.S. drivers lost an astonishing 4.7 billion hours to traffic jams in 2024. That’s 2,080 hours per job, per year, draining $86 billion from the U.S. economy, according to INRIX’s annual study. "VMT so far, is at a record pace," said Bob Pishue, a senior economist and transportation analyst at INRIX, during a video conference with reporters. Using the industry shorthand for "vehicle miles traveled," he added, "It is outpacing 2019 levels. So people in the U.S. have never driven this amount before. We’ve driven now more than ever."
So, what’s behind this surge in traffic? Experts point to a mix of factors. Despite the growth of remote work and the pandemic-driven changes in commuting patterns, private cars continue to dominate the American landscape. Darius Scurtu, an expert and engagement manager with the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility, noted during a recent webinar that 96 percent of trips in the U.S. still occur via private autos. "We see other modes of transport cannibalizing private cars," Scurtu said, referencing the rise of autonomous vehicles and shared mobility options. Yet, paradoxically, these alternatives often end up adding to the congestion, rather than easing it, as they join the already-crowded roads.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is seeing a patchwork of congestion trends in its major cities. According to INRIX, the Chicago metropolitan area surpassed New York City as the most congested region in the nation for 2025, with Philadelphia coming in third, Los Angeles fourth, and Boston fifth. Some cities, like Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Austin, experienced double-digit growth in congestion over the past year. Others, notably New York and Los Angeles, saw congestion either level out or decrease. In fact, traffic in New York City remained flat, while Los Angeles—long synonymous with gridlock—saw a modest 1 percent decline in congestion.
What’s driving these shifts? In Manhattan, the introduction of a congestion pricing program in early 2025 likely played a role in reducing traffic in that area. Bob Pishue was cautious not to overstate its impact, saying, "It’s hard to tell how much [impact] the pricing has on the entire region. It’s probably relatively small." Still, he acknowledged, "I do think there’s something to these large urban metros—dense urban metros—either staying the same or falling in traffic congestion. And so, it may be part of a trend. But congestion pricing, it’s hard to say it didn’t have an effect on New York [City] traffic."
While some might hope that public transit could be the answer to America’s congestion woes, the numbers suggest otherwise—at least for now. Transit ridership remains 20 percent below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, according to INRIX research. This points to a lingering preference (or necessity) for private vehicles, even as offices reopen and daily routines normalize. Remote work, though down slightly, continues to shape commuting habits: by 2024, 13.3 percent of workers were working remotely, compared to 13.8 percent in 2023, based on research by Yardi Kube, a coworking management platform.
It’s not just commuters who are clogging up the roads. The explosion in e-commerce and new package delivery methods has added more vehicles to the mix, further straining infrastructure that, in many places, simply isn’t keeping pace with demand. "It’ll be interesting to see what goes on with deliveries and freight demand. I think that is probably a bigger part of this," Pishue remarked. Even small increases in traffic volume can have outsized effects, making each additional delivery van or rideshare car feel like the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
For Phoenix, the $1.5 billion price tag of traffic delays in 2025 is a wake-up call. While the city may not rank among the nation’s worst for congestion, the cumulative impact on productivity, quality of life, and the local economy is significant. The average commuter’s 42 hours lost to traffic each year might not seem catastrophic on its own, but multiplied across the metro area, the toll is substantial—both in dollars and in frayed nerves.
Nationally, the debate over how to solve America’s traffic problem is as complex as the roadways themselves. Some experts, like those at McKinsey, anticipate that the rise of autonomous and shared vehicles could eventually shift the balance away from private car ownership. But as Scurtu pointed out, these new modes often end up in the same traffic jams as everyone else. And with public transit still struggling to regain pre-pandemic ridership, there’s no quick fix in sight.
Policy experiments like Manhattan’s congestion pricing offer a glimmer of hope, but as Pishue emphasized, their effects may be limited or localized. For now, Americans are driving more than ever, and the infrastructure—roads, bridges, public transit—hasn’t caught up. The result? Longer commutes, higher costs, and a collective longing for a smoother ride.
As 2025 draws to a close, the message from the INRIX report and transportation experts is clear: without significant investment and innovation, traffic congestion will remain a stubborn—and costly—feature of American life. For the millions stuck in daily gridlock, the search for solutions continues, one slow mile at a time.
