Top 10 U.S Cities with the Worst Traffic

Los Angeles, Honolulu, and San Francisco lead the country in worst traffic nightmares

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There are few things worse than getting stuck in the slow climb of rush hour traffic. To help drivers better navigate and find the best commute, INRIX, a company devoted to traffic information and apps, released its annual scorecard report of the nation’s most congested metropolises.

The report, which spans all of  2012 and the first three months of 2013, found a 4% increase in traffic congestion in the U.S. in early 2013, following a 22 percent dip in 2012. So far this year, 61 of the 100 American cities analyzed have seen an uptick in traffic congestion compared to just six that saw an increase in 2012. The rankings compile data from more than 100 million GPS-equipped commercial and passenger vehicles, calculating the added amount of time drivers spend in traffic. In the country’s most gridlocked cities, commuters wasted an average of 42 hours sitting in traffic in 2012, the equivalent of one week of vacation.

But it’s not all bad news:  The number of hours wasted is an improvement from last year’s worst traffic cities, where some commuters waited for a total of 62 hours, almost twice the national average of 38 hours.

PHOTOS: Carmageddon

Topping the list is Los Angeles, a city known for heavy delays on Interstate 405, an 8-mile stretch that takes commuters sometimes more than 50 minutes during peak traffic. Honolulu, which Los Angeles replaced at the no. 1 spot, ranked second most congested and remains one of the densest cities in the U.S. with more than 1,584 people per square mile, 24/7 Wall St. reports. San Francisco took third place followed by Austin at no. 4 and New York metro area rounding out the top five.

The U.S. did not fare well compared to Europe, where traffic congestion fell 18 percent in 2012 and continues to drop in 2013. Of 94 European cities analyzed, 81 have seen a dip in traffic congestion in the first few months of 2013.

To see how U.S. cities stack up, check out the score here, or see the full U.S. list below:

1. Los Angeles
2. Honolulu
3. San Franscisco
4. Austin
5. New York
6. Bridgeport, Conn.
7. San Jose
8. Seattle
9. Washington, D.C.
10. Boston

MORE: Going Nowhere: 10 Worst U.S. Cities for Traffic