These SC cities have some of the worst traffic in the US, report says. See where they rank and why
If you’ve ever felt that traffic in South Carolina can be brutal, chances are you’re not being overdramatic.
HireAHelper recently analyzed U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Survey statistics to compile a report on which states, cities and metro areas have the worst traffic for commuters.
South Carolina ranked as the third worst state for commuters in the U.S. Florida came in at the top for worst traffic, followed by Georgia. Below are the rankings of South Carolina metro areas that are the worst for commuting out of a list of more than 300 U.S. metro areas.
- Spartanburg: 7th
- Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach: 20th
- Charleston-North Charleston: 29th
- Greenville-Anderson: 35th
- Sumter: 67th
- Columbia: 102nd
The rankings of states and metro areas came from deposit scores based on a set of criteria including:
- Average one-way commute time (40%)
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation (20%)
- Diversity of times that people leave for work (15%)
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle (15%)
- Population density (10%)
Here is a breakdown of the data for South Carolina and the metro areas listed above.
South Carolina
- Average one-way commute time: 25.6 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 84.7%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 94.8%
- Population density: 223.6 people per square mile
Spartanburg
- Average one-way commute time: 24.3 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 88%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Below average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 95.4%
- Population density: 415.5 people per square mile
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach
- Average one-way commute time: 23.4 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 85.3%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Below average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 96.7%
- Population density: 257.1 people per square mile
Charleston-North Charleston
- Average one-way commute time: 26.5 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 80.1%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 96.5%
- Population density: 313.9 people per square mile
Greenville-Anderson
- Average one-way commute time: 25.5 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 84.1%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 94.9%
- Population density: 347.2 people per square mile
Sumter
- Average one-way commute time: 28.4 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 94.1%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Above average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 89.3%
- Population density: 106.7 people per square mile
Columbia
- Average one-way commute time: 25.1 minutes
- Share of workers who commute using private transportation: 83.2%
- Diversity of times that people leave for work: Above average
- Share of occupied households with access to a vehicle: 94.3%
- Population density: 225.8 people per square mile
Patrick McCreless
The State