11 FL Cities Among Worst In U.S. For Traffic, Commuting: Study

FLORIDA — A number of Florida metro areas made recent lists of “Cities to Avoid If You Hate Commuting” that were released by the website Hire A Helper, which connects those who are relocating with movers.

The Sunshine State has seen a significant jump in population in recent years as more people relocate to Florida. In 2022, about 319,000 Americans relocated to Florida — more than any other state — according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s a 1.9 percent population increase.

To compile the rankings for small, midsize and large metro areas, Hire A Helper reviewed U.S. Census Bureau data, as well as the average one-way commute time, number of workers using private transportation, diversity of times that people leave for work, number of occupied households with access to a vehicle, and population density.

Find the full lists from Hire A Helper here.

Three Florida metro areas made the top 15 list of “Large Metro Areas to Avoid if You Hate Commuting.”

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford took the No. 1 spot with a composite score of 88.1 out of 100. It has an average one-way commute of 28.3 minutes and about 77 percent of workers in the region rely on private transportation.

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach is No. 4 on the list with a composite score of 76.1. This region also has an average commute of 28.3 minutes with about 78 percent of workers using private transportation.

Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater comes in at No. 12 on the list with a composite score of 69.1. This area has a slightly lower one-way commute time — an average of 26.7 minutes — and 75 percent of workers use private transportation.

About half of the cities on the list of top 15 “Midsize Metro Areas to Avoid If You Hate Commuting” are in Florida. The following regions made the list:

• No. 1 - Port St. Lucie (93.6 composite score)
• No. 6 - Lakeland-Winter Haven (84.9)
• No. 7 - North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton (83.2)
• No. 11 - Cape Coral-Fort Myers (79.1)
• No. 13 - Naples-Marco Island (78.7)
• No. 14 – Ocala (78.6)
• No. 15 - Deltona-Daytona-Ormond (78.1)

On the list of 15 small metro areas with the traffic, only one Florida city made the list – Punta Gorda at No. 15 with a composite score of 72.1.