One of the biggest complaints we hear about Houston is the traffic. While you could say that traffic delays and back-ups is a problem in every major city, in Houston it does feel like it’s another level of agony. And you’re not wrong. Global tech company, INRIX, recently published its 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard, ranking Houston as one of the worst cities in the North America for traffic.
Founded in 2004, INRIX is an international company that specializes in transportation analytics. Its 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard is an analysis and comparison of a vast amount of data over three years across 7 continents, 36 countries, and 900 cities across the world.
The 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard provides ranking of traffic across the world, compared globally and by each individual continent. For our purposes, the company ranked Houston as the seventh worst city for traffic in North America, wherein the average Houston driver lost 70 hours in traffic in 2025. Translating the lost time into economical terms, the study reports that the average driver lost $1,289 in 2025.
The worst traffic in the Americas, the study found, is Chicago, IL, replacing New York City, NY. The top 10 worst cities in North America for traffic are as such:
- Chilcago, IL
- Mexico City, MX
- New York City, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Boston, MA
- Miami, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Houston, TX
- Washington DC
Globally, Houston ranked as the 18th worst city in the world for traffic. The top 10 worst cities worldwide for traffic, according to the study, are as such:
- Istanbul
- Chicago, IL
- Mexico City
- New York City, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Cape Town
- Dublin
- London
- Paris
- Los Angeles, CA
Other key findings in the study include a rising congestion with 62% areas worldwide experiencing increased delays. The increasing traffic congestion is evident in the United States, with travel returning to pre-COVID levels.