The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will invest $1 trillion into the United States’ crumbling infrastructure. It’s the largest federal investment in infrastructure in more than a decade and could go a long way towards relieving a consistent strain on people’s wallets.
Our team of analysts found that deteriorating roads and bridges cost the average driver $556 every year. We also found that nearly 20% of America’s roads and 6% of bridges are currently in unacceptable condition.
Key findings:
- Aging roadways cost drivers an average of $556 a year in repairs, and in some states, nearly $1,000.
- Rhode Island, Mississippi and West Virginia have the worst roads and bridges in the U.S.
- Idaho, North Dakota and Wyoming have the best roads and bridges.
The high costs drivers are paying are a direct result of a combination of what the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) considers non-acceptable roads and poor bridge decks. The more non-acceptable roads and poor bridge decks a state has, the more drivers are paying. For example, in California, 35% of roads are non-acceptable and drivers pay an average of $862 per motorist in taxes and fees. In North Carolina, though, 14% of roads are non-acceptable and drivers pay only $336 per motorist.
States with the best and worst roads
To find out which states had the best and worst roads, our analysts ranked each state based on a composite score of these factors:
- Percentage of non-acceptable roads
- Square miles of poor bridge deck
- Associated but not used in the rankings is the annual cost per motorist
States are ranked 1 to 50, with 1 being the worst overall road infrastructure and 50 being the best overall road infrastructure.
| Rank | State | % non-acceptable roads | % poor bridge deck (sq. miles area) | Cost per motorist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | 50% | 23% | $823 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 27% | 4% | $820 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 31% | 16% | $723 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 34% | 10% | $676 |
| 5 | Maryland | 27% | 3% | $356 |
| 6 | Hawaii | 43% | 2% | $764 |
| 7 | California | 35% | 7% | $862 |
| 8 | Washington | 27% | 6% | $643 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 27% | 8% | $610 |
| 10 | Missouri | 25% | 9% | $699 |
| 11 | Texas | 22% | 1% | $682 |
| 12 | Louisiana | 25% | 9% | $624 |
| 13 | Indiana | 23% | 4% | $480 |
| 14 | Illinois | 20% | 12% | $586 |
| 15 | Arizona | 21% | 1% | $576 |
| 16 | New Mexico | 32% | 5% | $768 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 25% | 12% | $627 |
| 18 | New Jersey | 47% | 7% | $703 |
| 19 | New York | 27% | 10% | $509 |
| 20 | Colorado | 22% | 5% | $637 |
| 21 | Utah | 22% | 1% | $694 |
| 22 | Ohio | 16% | 4% | $544 |
| 23 | Delaware | 16% | 5% | $486 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 14% | 8% | $336 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 18% | 7% | $557 |
| 26 | Nevada | 15% | 1% | $536 |
| 27 | Virginia | 14% | 4% | $430 |
| 28 | Maine | 23% | 7% | $529 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | 18% | 4% | $736 |
| 30 | Minnesota | 16% | 3% | $542 |
| 31 | Michigan | 21% | 8% | $645 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | 20% | 7% | $525 |
| 33 | Alaska | 17% | 8% | $450 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 7% | 5% | $543 |
| 35 | Vermont | 17% | 4% | $418 |
| 36 | Kansas | 12% | 3% | $591 |
| 37 | Tennessee | 5% | 4% | $194 |
| 38 | Oregon | 10% | 3% | $268 |
| 39 | Florida | 13% | 2% | $351 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 10% | 5% | $434 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | 7% | 5% | $900 |
| 42 | Alabama | 11% | 2% | $506 |
| 43 | Montana | 12% | 8% | $472 |
| 44 | South Dakota | 14% | 9% | $563 |
| 45 | Georgia | 7% | 2% | $275 |
| 46 | Nebraska | 11% | 5% | $466 |
| 47 | Iowa | 8% | 10% | $362 |
| 48 | Idaho | 4% | 5% | $427 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 6% | 5% | $479 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 5% | 7% | $356 |
| - | United States | 20% | 6% | $555.66 |
Cost to drive in each state
When our analysts looked at the cost of aging roads, they found two things to consider: the cost of repairing the road and the cost of repairing your car.
The table below shows how much drivers in each state are paying for road repairs. Drivers in Oklahoma, California and Rhode Island pay the most, while drivers in Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee pay the least.
| Rank | State | Cost per motorist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | $900 |
| 2 | California | $862 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $823 |
| 4 | Mississippi | $820 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $768 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $764 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $736 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $723 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $703 |
| 10 | Missouri | $699 |
| 11 | Utah | $694 |
| 12 | Texas | $682 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $676 |
| 14 | Michigan | $645 |
| 15 | Washington | $643 |
| 16 | Colorado | $637 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $627 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $624 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $610 |
| 20 | Kansas | $591 |
| 21 | Illinois | $586 |
| 22 | Arizona | $576 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $563 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $557 |
| 25 | Ohio | $544 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $543 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $542 |
| 28 | Nevada | $536 |
| 29 | Maine | $529 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $525 |
| 31 | New York | $509 |
| 32 | Alabama | $506 |
| 33 | Delaware | $486 |
| 34 | Indiana | $480 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $479 |
| 36 | Montana | $472 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $466 |
| 38 | Alaska | $450 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $434 |
| 40 | Virginia | $430 |
| 41 | Idaho | $427 |
| 42 | Vermont | $418 |
| 43 | Iowa | $362 |
| 44 | Maryland | $356 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $356 |
| 46 | Florida | $351 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $336 |
| 48 | Georgia | $275 |
| 49 | Oregon | $268 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $194 |
| - | United States | $556 |
What’s not included in the table above is the cost of repairing your car. On top of taxes, it’s estimated that driving on poor-condition roads costs motorists $120 billion in vehicle repairs and operating costs. According to our findings, that’s an average of $533 per driver.
Infrastructure funding for repairs and maintenance
While analyzing FHA data, we found a direct correlation between states that use funds to maintain roads and states that rank well in overall road infrastructure. Meanwhile, states with poor road infrastructure had higher costs per driver and worse road conditions across the board.
| State | % of spending on road repair | Cost per motorist |
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 2% | $823 |
| Mississippi | 4% | $820 |
| Illinois | 4% | $586 |
| Ohio | 4% | $544 |
| North Carolina | 11% | $336 |
| Texas | 15% | $682 |
| Arizona | 15% | $576 |
| Tennessee | 16% | $194 |
| West Virginia | 19% | $723 |
| Delaware | 19% | $486 |
| Virginia | 19% | $430 |
| Arkansas | 19% | $543 |
| Maryland | 20% | $356 |
| Missouri | 20% | $699 |
| Indiana | 20% | $480 |
| Connecticut | 21% | $676 |
| Washington | 21% | $643 |
| Nevada | 21% | $536 |
| Pennsylvania | 22% | $610 |
| Louisiana | 22% | $624 |
| Massachusetts | 23% | $627 |
| Oregon | 25% | $268 |
| Utah | 26% | $694 |
| Oklahoma | 27% | $900 |
| Colorado | 30% | $637 |
| Kentucky | 30% | $434 |
| Hawaii | 31% | $764 |
| Minnesota | 31% | $542 |
| South Carolina | 32% | $557 |
| Wisconsin | 33% | $736 |
| Kansas | 33% | $591 |
| Georgia | 34% | $275 |
| California | 35% | $862 |
| Idaho | 36% | $427 |
| Florida | 37% | $351 |
| New Mexico | 39% | $768 |
| Alaska | 39% | $450 |
| Iowa | 40% | $362 |
| Alabama | 41% | $506 |
| New York | 43% | $509 |
| New Hampshire | 45% | $525 |
| Montana | 45% | $472 |
| Vermont | 46% | $418 |
| Nebraska | 53% | $466 |
| Michigan | 54% | $645 |
| Wyoming | 54% | $356 |
| New Jersey | 57% | $703 |
| Maine | 65% | $529 |
| North Dakota | 68% | $479 |
| South Dakota | 69% | $563 |
Infrastructure repair not only keeps cost per motorist down but also acts as an important tool in job creation. According to the Brookings Institution, 13,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on highway infrastructure. President Biden says his plan will create 1.5 million jobs per year for the next 10 years.
The $1 trillion dollar plan is split into six main areas:
- $550 billion in new funding for transportation and utilities
- $110 billion in roads, bridges and major projects
- $66 billion toward passenger and freight rail
- $65 billion to expand broadband access
- $55 billion to improve water utilities and replace lead pipes
- $39 billion for public transit
Methodology
States are ranked 1 to 50, with 1 being the worst overall road infrastructure and 50 being the best overall road infrastructure. Rankings are based on a composite score of the percentage of non-acceptable roads and the percentage of the state's total bridge deck area that is considered to be poor and structurally deficient. Also included in the composite score rank is the cost per motorist that is allocated towards repairing bridge and road infrastructure.
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