40 Cities With the Least Traffic and Best Gas Prices

Caitlyn Moorhead

10 June 2024 at 8:00 am·9-min read

For most people, having a car is non-negotiable as you need it to get to work, pick up your kids from school or even make a quick getaway on the weekend. With ever-rising gas prices, if you have a longer commute your travel time can quickly add up to a big chunk of your monthly budget.

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Navigating through traffic jams and paying these premium costs, especially if you live in big cities like Los Angeles or New York, can significantly impact the quality of life in urban areas. Suppose you’re not one for public transportation but do want a more stress-free driving experience combined with economical fuel costs. In that case, it’s good to know some cities stand out across the U.S. where you can move to lower your cost of living from behind the wheel.

GOBankingRates did a study to find a blend of low traffic congestion and affordable gas prices in several cities. The findings were based on the total population and workers aged 16 and up, the average commute time for workers aged 16 and up who don’t work from home and average gas prices in each city.

The commute times and gas prices were summed and sorted to rank them from the highest to the lowest overall score. To give you context, here are the scores for the top 10 cities out of the 40 listed.

City	Commute Time Score	Gas Price Score	Total Score
Little Rock	1	0.957	1.9565
Tulsa	0.951	0.96	1.9105
Chattanooga	0.852	1	1.8525
Wichita	0.918	0.923	1.8407
Lincoln	0.951	0.784	1.7352
Tallahassee	0.951	0.774	1.7246
Fayetteville	0.885	0.836	1.7209
Huntsville	0.852	0.848	1.7004
Des Moines	0.803	0.886	1.6888
Omaha	0.836	0.784	1.6199

Whether you are looking to enhance your driving experience, reduce the financial burden of fuel costs, considering a move or just looking for a road trip destination, these cities provide a reprieve from the typical metropolitan driving challenges outside of public transit. Here are the top 40 cities with the least traffic and best gas prices.

1. Little Rock, Arkansas

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 97,701
Average commute time: 18.3 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.00

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2. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 193,318
Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $2.99

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SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

3. Chattanooga, Tennessee

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 88,422
Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $2.91

4. Wichita, Kansas

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 189,388
Average commute time: 18.8 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.08

5. Lincoln, Nebraska

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 157,701
Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.38

6. Tallahassee, Florida

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 101,139
Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.40

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7. Fayetteville, North Carolina

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 100,261
Average commute time: 19 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.27

8. Huntsville, Alabama

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 105,856
Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.24

9. Des Moines, Iowa

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 108,847
Average commute time: 19.5 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.16

steveodonnell / Getty Images/iStockphoto

10. Omaha, Nebraska

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 251,518
Average commute time: 19.3 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.38

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11. Madison, Wisconsin

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 154,669
Average commute time: 19.5 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.37

12. Knoxville, Tennessee

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 95,251
Average commute time: 20.5 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.13

13. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 101,943
Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.62

14. Amarillo, Texas

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 95,986
Average commute time: 18.5 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.87

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15. Toledo, Ohio

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 118,024
Average commute time: 19.9 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.41

16. Salt Lake City

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 116,396
Average commute time: 19.7 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.50

17. Rochester, New York

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 93,269
Average commute time: 19.3 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.66

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto

18. Buffalo, New York

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 120,181
Average commute time: 19.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.59

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19. Boise, Idaho

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 126,602
Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.74

20. Laredo, Texas

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 106,260
Average commute time: 21.3 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.07

21. Columbus, Georgia

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 88,082
Average commute time: 20.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.48

22. Eugene, Oregon

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 87,182
Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $4.08

23. Memphis, Tennessee

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 279,354
Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.10

24. Lexington, Kentucky

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 165,422
Average commute time: 20.8 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.43

25. Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 112,784
Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.16

26. Oklahoma City

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 336,569
Average commute time: 22 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.03

27. Augusta, Georgia

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 89,298
Average commute time: 21.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.32

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28. Birmingham, Alabama

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 86,826
Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.21

29. Greensboro, North Carolina

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 143,224
Average commute time: 21.4 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.30

30. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 274,404
Average commute time: 22.1 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.15

31. Anchorage, Alaska

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 148,597
Average commute time: 19.1 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $4.34

32. Akron, Ohio

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 87,428
Average commute time: 22.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.39

33. Columbus, Ohio

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 473,763
Average commute time: 22 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.48

34. Richmond, Virginia

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 119,758
Average commute time: 22 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.49

35. Durham, North Carolina

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 151,878
Average commute time: 22.3 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.44

36. Spokane, Washington

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 106,996
Average commute time: 20.7 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $4.04

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Jacob Boomsma / Getty Images/iStockphoto

37. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 244,226
Average commute time: 22.9 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.28

38. New Orleans

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 171,424
Average commute time: 23.4 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.12

39. Norfolk, Virginia

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 125,430
Average commute time: 22.7 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.41

Jon Mattrisch / Getty Images/iStockphoto

40. Milwaukee

Population of workers aged 16 and up: 261,078
Average commute time: 22.2 minutes
Average cost of gas prices: $3.64

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the largest 150 cities by population as sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. For each city a number of factors were found including; the total population and workers aged 16 and up, the average commute time for workers aged 16 and up who don’t work from home, all sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and the average gas price as sourced from Gas Buddy. The average commute time for workers aged 16 and up was scored and the average gas price per gallon was scored. Both scores were summed and sorted to show the cities with the least traffic and best gas prices. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 30th, 2024.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 40 Cities With the Least Traffic and Best Gas Prices

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