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  Fri, 9 Oct 2026
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States with the best and worst road quality, ranked

States with the best and worst road quality, ranked

Roya Shahidi Business 09 Oct, 2026 Americas

Potholes, cracks, and uneven road surfaces are a nuisance at best — and hazardous at worst. But some states have better road quality than others.

Aerial View of the Tail of the Dragon road near the Tennessee and North Carolina border in the Smoky Mountains in the fall.
Part of the Tail of the Dragon road near the Tennessee and North Carolina border.

Eifel Kreutz/Getty Images/iStockphoto

  • Poor road conditions can cause more than just a dent in your car or your bank account.
  • They can be hazardous, too.
  • Think the roads where you live are bad? See where your state ranks.

Potholes, cracks, and uneven road surfaces are a nuisance at best — and hazardous at worst.

Whether you encounter them occasionally or on your daily commute to work can depend on which state you live in.

Each year, US News & World Report publishes a ranking of the best states to live in, which it calculates from a range of categories, including infrastructure.

As part of its infrastructure ranking, US News & World Report rated the quality of each state's transportation using metrics such as commute time, public transit usage, and road quality.

To evaluate road quality, it used data from the Federal Highway Administration, a division of the US Department of Transportation. The data reflects the percentage of roads in each state rated in poor condition.

The Federal Highway Administration assesses road conditions by examining defects such as cracks, uneven surfaces, and grooves.

US News & World Report used this data to rate each state's transportation quality and, when coupled with energy and internet access, its overall infrastructure ranking.

Here is each state's road quality, ranked from best to worst.

1. Kansas
Aerial view of a downtown district with brick buildings, tree-lined streets, parking lots, and a clock tower.
Wichita, Kansas.

MattGush/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 3rd

Overall infrastructure rank: 5th

2. Tennessee
Neon-lit Broadway street in Nashville at night with bars, traffic, pedestrians, and illuminated high-rise buildings.
Nashville, Tennessee.

digidreamgrafix/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 14th

Overall infrastructure rank: 17th

3. Indiana
Traffic moves along a highway toward a downtown skyline under a cloudy sky.
Indianapolis, Indiana.

Joesboy/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 13th

Overall infrastructure rank: 22nd

4. Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska.
Omaha, Nebraska.

f1monaco31/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 5th

Overall infrastructure rank: 3rd

5. Wyoming
Downtown street with storefronts, parked vehicles, bicycles, and mountains under a bright blue sky.
Jackson, Wyoming.

Riderolga/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 6th

Overall infrastructure rank: 36th

6. Vermont
Red-brick pedestrian shopping street with storefronts, benches, a black van, and a church clock tower in the distance.
Burlington, Vermont.

Kirkikis/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 1st

Overall infrastructure rank: 14th

7. North Dakota
Parked cars line a downtown street with storefronts, bar signs, and a modern high-rise under a clear sky.
Fargo, North Dakota.

gnagel/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 7th

Overall infrastructure rank: 7th

8. New Jersey
Wide city street with traffic signals, pedestrians, and storefronts including Target and VICTORIA'S SECRET PINK under blue sky.
Atlantic City, New Jersey.

M. Suhail/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 15th

Overall infrastructure rank: 12th

9. Georgia
Atlanta skyline rises beyond busy multilane highways under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.
Atlanta, Georgia.

Kruck20/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 18th

Overall infrastructure rank: 20th

10. Iowa
Aerial view of downtown Des Moines skyline, river bridges, and traffic at sunset.
Des Moines, Iowa.

Locus Stock LLC/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 35th

Overall infrastructure rank: 15th

11. Oregon
Tree-lined urban street with cars, storefronts, and a forested hill under a bright blue sky.
Portland, Oregon.

Brandon Olafsson/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 4th

Overall infrastructure rank: 2nd

12. Oklahoma
Downtown Oklahoma City skyline with Devon Energy Center, Bricktown ballpark, streets and parking lots under a clear blue sky.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Nicholas Klein/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 19th

Overall infrastructure rank: 19th

13. Alabama
Birmingham city skyline with high-rise buildings, rail tracks, canal, roads, and autumn trees under cloudy skies.
Birmingham, Alabama.

Bardhok Ndoji/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 21st

Overall infrastructure rank: 30th

14. Kentucky
Historic brick buildings line a downtown street with pedestrians crossing under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Louisville, Kentucky.

Roberto Galan/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 17th

Overall infrastructure rank: 28th

15. Minnesota
Downtown Minneapolis skyline glows at dusk above freeway lanes with long-exposure red and white traffic trails.
Minneapolis, Minnesota.

RudyBalasko/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 2nd

Overall infrastructure rank: 9th

16. South Dakota
Snow-dusted downtown South Bend skyline surrounds the partially frozen St. Joseph River beneath a clear blue sky.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 26th

Overall infrastructure rank: 6th

17. North Carolina
Aerial view of a multilane highway running through a downtown area with office towers and surrounding streets.
Charlotte, North Carolina.

Viyaleta Herasimovich/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 23rd

Overall infrastructure rank: 26th

18. Montana
Runners and cyclists travel along a sunny downtown street beneath the Hotel Baxter rooftop sign.
Bozeman, Montana.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 11th

Overall infrastructure rank: 33rd

19. Idaho
Downtown Boise skyline with the Idaho State Capitol and tree-lined streets below foothills at golden hour.
Boise, Idaho.

ChrisBoswell/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 20th

Overall infrastructure rank: 27th

20. Florida
Downtown Miami high-rises overlook Biscayne Bay, a marina, waterfront park, and observation wheel under a clear sky.
Miami, Florida.

felixmizioznikov/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 22nd

Overall infrastructure rank: 11th

21. Maine
Elevated view of a coastal neighborhood street with houses, apartment buildings, parked cars, and a bay in the distance.
Portland, Maine.

Ray Tan/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 43rd

Overall infrastructure rank: 41st

22. Nevada
Las Vegas Strip skyline with Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower, Bellagio fountains, and hotel towers under a blue sky.
Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dmitry Vinogradov/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 9th

Overall infrastructure rank: 1st

23. Ohio
Aerial view of downtown Cleveland skyline with high-rises, roads, parking lots, and Lake Erie in the background.
Cleveland, Ohio.

InfiniteImpactStudios/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 16th

Overall infrastructure rank: 31st

24. Delaware
Historic brick storefronts line a quiet intersection with traffic lights and a visible 4TH street sign.
Wilmington, Delaware.

Dmitry Vinogradov/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 8th

Overall infrastructure rank: 13th

25. New Hampshire
Red brick waterfront buildings and a city skyline are lit by warm sunlight beneath a clear blue sky.
Manchester, New Hampshire.

MarkNH/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 41st

Overall infrastructure rank: 18th

26. Utah
Elevated freeway ramps curve through an urban industrial area with vehicles, waterways, and mountains in the distance.
Salt Lake City, Utah.

Gunnar Larsen/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 10th

Overall infrastructure rank: 4th

27. Illinois
Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago, Illinois.

Iryna Olkhova/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 29th

Overall infrastructure rank: 21st

28. South Carolina
Historic downtown street with palm trees, parked cars, and a white church steeple beneath a colorful sunset sky.
Charleston, South Carolina.

Bodhichita/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 40th

Overall infrastructure rank: 29th

29. Virginia
Aerial view of beachfront high-rise buildings, a bridge, and waterways along a coastal neighborhood at sunset.
Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Kyle Little/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 34th

Overall infrastructure rank: 39th

30. Texas
Downtown Houston skyline rises behind illuminated freeways and light trails at dusk.
Houston, Texas.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 27th

Overall infrastructure rank: 16th

31. Michigan
Downtown high-rises and a long central avenue stretch toward a bright sunset under dramatic clouds.
Detroit, Michigan

Vadym Terelyuk/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 38th

Overall infrastructure rank: 42nd

32. Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri.
St. Louis, Missouri.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 36th

Overall infrastructure rank: 35th

33. Alaska
Snowy downtown Anchorage street framed by the Anchorage Mushing District arch with mountains visible in the distance.
Anchorage, Alaska.

Serhii Horban/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 12th

Overall infrastructure rank: 48th

34. Wisconsin
Downtown Milwaukee riverfront with bridges, skywalks, historic buildings, and a green-roofed bridge tender tower.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Nicholas Klein/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 31st

Overall infrastructure rank: 37th

35. Colorado
Cars line a downtown Denver street below high-rise buildings and the Denver Pavilions under a blue sky.
Denver, Colorado.

otman lazrak/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 24th

Overall infrastructure rank: 10th

36. New York
Traffic fills a broad urban avenue lined with tall buildings and visible E 11 St and E 12 St signs.
New York City, New York.

deberarr/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 32nd

Overall infrastructure rank: 34th

37. Arizona
Downtown street with construction barriers, vehicles, a historic tan building, and high-rises including a UnitedHealthcare tower.
Phoenix, Arizona.

Jaclyne Ortiz/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 25th

Overall infrastructure rank: 23rd

38. West Virginia
Downtown Charleston skyline at sunset with illuminated buildings, elevated walkways, highways, and long-exposure traffic trails.
Charleston, West Virginia.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 49th

Overall infrastructure rank: 50th

39. Louisiana
Colorful historic storefronts with balconies line a sunny city street filled with parked cars.
New Orleans, Louisiana.

Marcus Jones/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 48th

Overall infrastructure rank: 46th

40. Pennsylvania
Golden-hour aerial view of Philadelphia highways, rowhouses, Delaware River, and Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tomoyuki Maruyama/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 47th

Overall infrastructure rank: 43rd

41. Arkansas
Downtown street view along Markham St with parked cars, trees, mid-rise buildings, and a cloudy sky.
Little Rock, Arkansas.

csfotoimages/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 33rd

Overall infrastructure rank: 40th

42. Massachusetts
Boston skyline at sunset with the Longfellow Bridge, Charles River, and Zakim Bridge visible in the distance.
Boston, Massachusetts.

Chris LaBasco/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overall transportation rank: 45th

Overall infrastructure rank: 38th

43. Maryland
Parked cars line a commercial street with storefronts, trees, and an AVAILABLE sign on an upper-floor facade.
Baltimore, Maryland.

ASphotowed/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 44th

Overall infrastructure rank: 24th

44. Mississippi
Illuminated downtown street at night with historic buildings, a clock tower, streetlights, and a speed limit sign.
Jackson, Mississippi.

Leonid Andronov/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 46th

Overall infrastructure rank: 49th

45. Connecticut
New Haven skyline rises beyond an elevated roadway under a clear blue sky.
New Haven, Connecticut.

Sanghwan Kim/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 39th

Overall infrastructure rank: 25th

46. Washington
Modern glass high-rises rise above a landscaped city street and pedestrian terrace at dusk.
New Haven, Connecticut.

karandaev/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 30th

Overall infrastructure rank: 8th

47. New Mexico
Santa Fe street at dusk leads to the illuminated Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Sean Pavone/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 37th

Overall infrastructure rank: 45th

48. California
Downtown Los Angeles skyline rises above multilane freeways and overpasses under a colorful sunset sky.
Los Angeles, California.

Larry Gibson/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 42nd

Overall infrastructure rank: 32nd

49. Hawaii
Residential street with parked vehicles and power lines beneath steep green mountains partly covered by clouds.
Honolulu, Hawaii.

Iryna Olkhova/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 28th

Overall infrastructure rank: 44th

50. Rhode Island
Downtown Providence skyline rises beyond a pedestrian bridge over the Providence River at sunset.
Providence, Rhode Island.

Wirestock/Getty Images

Overall transportation rank: 50th

Overall infrastructure rank: 47th

Read the original article on Business Insider

Roya Shahidi

Source: Business Insider

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