In the United States, Columbus, Ohio has the quickest car commute, according to a new study—here's the complete top 10 list.

Despite some of the world's most congested cities being located in the United States, there are areas where commuters experience a smooth daily journey.

In August 2024, Lyft and The Harris Poll conducted an online survey of 1,404 US residents aged 18+ and released the results in a September report.

The average commute time and traffic were determined using data from the 2022 American Census Survey and Lyft from August 2023 to August 2024. The analysis was limited to 35 cities in the U.S. with populations over 500,000, and each city received an overall score out of 100.

A quarter of the surveyed commuters stated that time was the key factor for an enjoyable commute, according to the report.

"Jill Gonzalez, corporate communications at Lyft, tells CNBC Make It that people are returning to work and commuting more, even if not daily, and the commute is no longer the same as before."

A transportation analyst at INRIX, Bob Pischue, claims that dealing with congestion is a positive sign of a strong economy.

"The economy is moving as indicated by congestion. Although traffic is a problem, it reflects people going to work, running errands, shopping, and visiting family, which are all positive activities," he said in August 2023.

In 2022, the average American driver lost 51 hours due to traffic congestion, an increase of 15 hours compared to the previous year, according to a 2023 report by INRIX, a transportation analytics company.

Columbus, Ohio is the U.S. city with the fastest car commute

Columbus, Ohio, was ranked as the city with the fastest car commute, with an average time of 22 minutes, three minutes faster than the national average of 25 minutes.

Columbus was the only city to receive a perfect score solely based on its speed, according to Gonzalez.

"The top overall spot was earned by the item that received a 96% rating in cost, thereby boosting its position in these two categories," she stated.

According to the Lyft report, Columbus, Ohio, is one of only two cities that does not experience slower travel during commuting hours, with it being 1.3% faster over the course of a year.

Columbus is one of the lower-density cities where parking is often under $40 a month, while New York City costs at least $350.

According to Lyft data, Columbus' downtown activity now exceeds 2019 levels.

Ohio's capital, Columbus, is where The Ohio State University and Ohio Stadium are located. Additionally, it is renowned as the birthplace of the Wendy's restaurant chain.

Top 10 U.S. cities with the fastest car commutes

1. Columbus, Ohio
2. Las Vegas, Nev.
3. Memphis, Tenn.
4. Fresno, Calif.
5. El Paso, Texas
6. Detroit, Mich.
7. San Diego, Calif.
8. Milwaukee, Wis.
9. Tucson, Ariz.
10. Jacksonville, Fla.

In Las Vegas, the average car commute time is 25.6 minutes, making it the second-fastest city for commuting.

Las Vegas was the only other city that did not experience slower travel during commuting hours, which was 6.3% faster than Columbus, Ohio.

According to Lyft, one of the highest percentages of people carpooling to work was in a Nevada city.

In recent years, the Las Vegas area has experienced a surge in development, with thousands of businesses, homebuyers, and job seekers moving to the city, as reported by CNBC.

In 2023, the number of visitors in Las Vegas increased by 5.2% from the previous year, reaching a total of 40.8 million.

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