We already know Seattle traffic is bad, just how bad is it?

We have always known that driving in Seattle traffic is bad. Every year it seems to get just a little bit worse. I can remember when I was a kid, my dad talking about how bad Seattle traffic Was. He worked for Boeing; we lived in Burien, but for a while he worked at the “Everett plant”. His daily commute was one hour each way. At that time, we thought that was ridiculous. By today's standards, that's just an average day. 

My daughter Beth commutes from Lynnwood to downtown Seattle for work every day. Her average commute in the morning runs about 50 minutes, and in the afternoon when she's going home, anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour and 15.  

How bad is it? 

Over the years, Seattle traffic has just gotten worse. Ohh yes, we all complain about it, but what do you do? 

According to Seattletimes.com,
‘According to the latest TomTom Traffic Index, Seattle ranked seventh among U.S. cities for congestion in 2025. The average congestion level in 2025 was about 45%, meaning trips took nearly one-and-a-half times as long as they would under free-flow conditions. That was up roughly 2.5 percentage points from the year before, when Seattle ranked eighth for congestion.’ 

You can probably easily guess what the top five most congested traffic cities are. 

The TomTom Traffic Index uses several metrics to make decisions on what the most congested city is, including average speed, miles driven in 15 minutes, and my personal favorite, hours lost per year during your commute. 

According to the TomTom Traffic Index, the top five most congested cities in the US are. 

#5 Miami, FL. With an average congestion level of 47% that's up .5% from last year. 

#4 New York City, NY. With an average congestion level of 50% That's the same as last year. 

#3 San Francisco, CA. With an average congestion level of 50%. That's up 2.2% from last year. 

#2 Honolulu, HI. With an average congestion level of 51%. Up 1.4% from last year. 

The number one most congested city in the United States, 
Los Angeles, CA. LA has an average congestion level of 60%. That's U 117 from last year. 

Focusing on Seattle. 

Seattle has an average congestion level of 45%. That's up 2.5% from last year. The average speed of your commute in Seattle is 22 mph. You can expect to travel 6 miles in 15 minutes during your commute. The number of hours in your life that you lose in a year during your commute, 66. According to the TomTom Traffic Index, the worst months to try to commute in the Seattle area are summer months. 

At this point, it's time to come back to reality. Most of us don't live and work in the Seattle area. It's safe to say that our commute times do not compare. I will speak from a personal experience. My daily morning commute of 11 miles to work takes about 15 minutes. My commute home, which happens to not occur during peak drive times takes about 30 to 35 minutes. Suffice it to say, you will never hear me complain about my commute to and from work. It's a breeze compared to what people in Seattle have to endure.