Atlanta's 2025 Travel Grade Makes Driving In Other Major Cities Sound Like Bliss

Atlanta is a sprawling metropolis in the Southern United States that attracts tourists and business travelers from around the world. It's a great place to visit, but if you're someone who hates sitting in traffic jams, you might want to plan a trip elsewhere. According to a recent global traffic report, Atlanta, Georgia may be significantly more difficult for tourists to navigate than other cities in the United States due to traffic.

Atlanta isn't alone in its struggles with roadway congestion. Plenty of other cities in the United States are also known for having terrible traffic. As an example, tourists visiting Washington D.C. are often advised to avoid getting around by car – but driving through the busy United States capitol isn't as bad as driving through the city of Atlanta.

Atlanta was dubbed the 16th worst city in the entire world when it comes to traffic according to the INRIX 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard. The report was released on December 1, 2025, and was created using data gathered from hundreds of cities across 36 countries over a period of three years. In total, 941 cities around the world were ranked. Atlanta was one of the worst, and its travel grade makes driving in other U.S. cities with the worst traffic in the country look easy. Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Boston were the top five worst places in the country for traffic, but it's safe to say that A-Town isn't much better. According to the City Ranking List, Atlanta is the seventh worst city in the United States when it comes to roadway congestion. 

INRIX is a company that uses cutting edge technology to gather and analyze traffic data. "Traffic congestion occurs when demand for roadway travel exceeds the supply of roadways," the 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard states. Congestion can cause drivers to lose time and money. It also has a negative impact on the environment and on the physical and mental health of residents. As one Redditor explained, "In October, it took me 3.5 hours to go 50 miles across the metropolis, on the I-75 freeway. Do the math and you can see how slow I was going. That traffic will take years off your life."

On top of all that, bad traffic can have financial repercussions. The report also provided estimates on how much money drivers in each city lost due to congestion. In Atlanta, drivers lost an average of 75 hours while they were stuck on congested roadways. During rush hour traffic the fastest driving speeds were around 29 miles per hour. INRIX estimated that Atlanta's poor traffic conditions cost drivers an average of $1,381 per person. Although billions of dollars have been spent to expand and improve the city's highway system in order to decrease congestion, the INRIX 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard proves that Atlanta still has a long way to go. At this point, driving in other U.S. cities (like San Francisco, Washington D.C., Nashville, and Baltimore) would feel like bliss in comparison to sitting in Atlanta's traffic.