Many Florida residents likely get annoyed by traffic jams and poor drivers in some of the state’s large, urban areas.
However, they may not realize just how good they have it compared to other parts of the country. At least, that’s what studies released by WalletHub have claimed.
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In a ranking last month of the best states to drive in for 2025, researchers found that the Sunshine State actually placed No. 14 nationwide, earning a lot of points for safety and access to vehicles/maintenance.
“Owning a car can really squeeze your wallet if you’re not in the right location,” the study reads. “On top of having pricey gas, maintenance, and insurance expenses, some states can hurt you even more financially with excessive traffic congestion, which wastes both your fuel and your productivity.”
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However, WalletHub has also broken the data down further to determine which specific cities are the best to take a drive.
This data examined factors like the cost of ownership, traffic, infrastructure, safety, and vehicle access to figure out which cities came out ahead. Those factors include the following:
- Cost of Ownership/Maintenance (30%) — Includes the cost of a new car, average gas prices, average monthly car insurance premium, auto maintenance costs, average parking rate, and the total extra vehicle operating costs per driver
- Traffic and Infrastructure (30%) — Includes annual hours spent in congestion per auto commuter, number of days with precipitation, number of cold days, average commute time by car, number of alternative-fuel stations per capita, quality of roads and bridges, roadway miles per 1,000 people, and the Waze driver satisfaction index
- Safety (30%) — Includes accident likelihood in cities, traffic fatality rates, share of adults who wear seatbelts, number of hard-braking events per 1,000 miles, share of uninsured drivers, rate of car thefts, rate of larceny, strictness of DUI punishment, punitiveness of high-risk driver’s insurance, and driving laws
- Access to Vehicles/Maintenance (10%) — Includes the per-capita rate of car dealerships, auto repair shops, car washes, gas stations, and parking lots
According to the research, three Florida cities managed to crack the top 10 when it comes to the most commuter-friendly spots this year: Jacksonville (No. 5), Orlando (No. 6), and Tampa (No. 9).
When it came to the cost of ownership, Jacksonville scored incredibly high, coming in fourth place for that category alone. Tampa also came in fourth for vehicle access.
However, the City Beautiful scored many points for traffic and vehicle access, coming in second place for both categories. On the other hand, Orlando struggled with access to vehicles and car maintenance, the data reveals.
Overall, the top cities on the list are as follows:
| Rank | City | Total Score | Cost Rank | Traffic Rank | Safety Rank | Access Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raleigh, NC | 63.92 | 2 | 33 | 22 | 30 |
| 2 | Boise, ID | 63.41 | 26 | 23 | 1 | 81 |
| 3 | Corpus Christi, TX | 62.94 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 86 |
| 4 | Greensboro, NC | 62.63 | 1 | 18 | 64 | 35 |
| 5 | Jacksonville, FL | 62.46 | 4 | 21 | 39 | 34 |
| 6 | Orlando, FL | 62.06 | 37 | 2 | 69 | 2 |
| 7 | Scottsdale, AZ | 62.04 | 61 | 1 | 8 | 25 |
| 8 | Wichita, KS | 61.39 | 21 | 6 | 24 | 88 |
| 9 | Tampa, FL | 60.66 | 36 | 24 | 41 | 4 |
| 10 | Plano, TX | 60.52 | 40 | 37 | 13 | 28 |
| 11 | Birmingham, AL | 60.17 | 8 | 10 | 87 | 8 |
| 12 | Winston-Salem, NC | 60.05 | 3 | 26 | 40 | 94 |
| 13 | Lincoln, NE | 59.32 | 18 | 52 | 12 | 89 |
| 14 | Fort Wayne, IN | 59.14 | 23 | 39 | 21 | 64 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | 59.10 | 7 | 44 | 32 | 85 |
| 16 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 58.96 | 6 | 43 | 31 | 95 |
| 17 | Lubbock, TX | 58.94 | 35 | 3 | 60 | 67 |
| 18 | Tulsa, OK | 58.82 | 41 | 5 | 51 | 40 |
| 19 | Arlington, TX | 58.46 | 30 | 60 | 26 | 22 |
| 20 | Toledo, OH | 58.02 | 5 | 40 | 66 | 71 |
| 21 | St. Petersburg, FL | 57.90 | 24 | 38 | 42 | 32 |
| 22 | El Paso, TX | 57.84 | 59 | 28 | 9 | 56 |
| 23 | Virginia Beach, VA | 57.79 | 17 | 77 | 10 | 83 |
| 24 | Oklahoma City, OK | 57.62 | 57 | 32 | 23 | 37 |
| 25 | Gilbert, AZ | 57.54 | 71 | 17 | 3 | 97 |
| 26 | Mesa, AZ | 57.50 | 67 | 13 | 14 | 66 |
| 27 | Garland, TX | 57.32 | 32 | 64 | 36 | 19 |
| 28 | Laredo, TX | 57.22 | 52 | 49 | 4 | 99 |
| 29 | Austin, TX | 57.04 | 49 | 25 | 53 | 15 |
| 30 | Buffalo, NY | 56.94 | 12 | 55 | 46 | 79 |
| 31 | Charlotte, NC | 56.82 | 38 | 80 | 6 | 92 |
| 32 | Chesapeake, VA | 56.82 | 38 | 80 | 6 | 92 |
| 33 | Tucson, AZ | 56.47 | 47 | 9 | 65 | 52 |
| 34 | Fort Worth, TX | 56.45 | 42 | 63 | 38 | 18 |
| 35 | Reno, NV | 56.43 | 66 | 27 | 11 | 68 |
| 36 | Las Vegas, NV | 56.37 | 60 | 15 | 49 | 16 |
| 37 | Miami, FL | 56.31 | 16 | 75 | 71 | 1 |
| 38 | Irving, TX | 56.16 | 27 | 62 | 33 | 55 |
| 39 | Chandler, AZ | 56.10 | 72 | 7 | 15 | 93 |
| 40 | Irvine, CA | 55.54 | 86 | 4 | 5 | 26 |
| 41 | Nashville, TN | 55.52 | 20 | 34 | 73 | 48 |
| 42 | Omaha, NE | 55.41 | 39 | 74 | 25 | 58 |
| 43 | Hialeah, FL | 55.18 | 15 | 88 | 45 | 11 |
| 44 | Henderson, NV | 55.07 | 78 | 19 | 7 | 90 |
| 45 | Madison, WI | 54.93 | 33 | 73 | 18 | 98 |
| 46 | Pittsburgh, PA | 54.59 | 43 | 70 | 47 | 20 |
| 47 | San Antonio, TX | 54.49 | 29 | 35 | 81 | 36 |
| 48 | Phoenix, AZ | 54.46 | 58 | 20 | 57 | 62 |
| 49 | Atlanta, GA | 54.39 | 14 | 45 | 97 | 5 |
| 50 | Columbus, OH | 54.33 | 9 | 61 | 79 | 47 |
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: