{"id":159,"date":"2026-05-14T21:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=159"},"modified":"2026-05-14T21:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:06:01","slug":"3-nc-metros-have-among-the-worst-driving-commutes-in-the-us-heres-where-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=159","title":{"rendered":"3 NC metros have among the worst driving commutes in the US. Here\u2019s where &#038; why"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"summary\">AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article280707640.html\">Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bumper-to-bumper traffic and unexpected delays are a daily reality for drivers in the nation\u2019s big cities. But a new study suggests gridlocked commutes are driving burnout in the suburbs, too.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=158\">Well-known Charlotte chef opens new gourmet burger and fries joint. What to know<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/amfmtreatment.com\/\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">A Mission for Michael<\/a><\/b>, a platform that connects users to specialized mental health treatment, surveyed 3,002 drivers as part of a nationwide study highlighting metro areas where drivers face the most stressful commutes.<\/p>\n<p>Three <b>North Carolina suburbs<\/b> were ranked among <a href=\"https:\/\/amfmtreatment.com\/blog\/americas-burnout-belts-how-commuting-impacts-burnout\/\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">America\u2019s worst \u201cburnout belts\u201d<\/a> where traffic is driving feelings of physical and mental exhaustion, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re losing hours of your day before and after work even begins, it leaves very little room to recover,\u201d said Anand Mehta, executive director of AMFM San Diego, in the report. \u201cOver time, that constant drain can have a real impact on mental wellbeing \u2014 even if it doesn\u2019t feel obvious at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s which NC commuter towns made the list:<\/p>\n<p>Drivers identified commutes in three NC suburbs that contribute most to burnout:<\/p>\n<p>The AMFM survey, conducted online in April, asked drivers about their daily commutes where they faced \u201cheavy congestion, ongoing roadworks, and long journey times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mooresville, a Charlotte-area suburb, ranked highest of the three cities, landing at No. 47. It\u2019s fewer than 30 miles from downtown Charlotte, but consistently heavy traffic, crashes and other delays can make for a stressful commute to and from work.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=157\">Trendy coffee, NY-style bagel shops to shutter at Park Road Shopping Center<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A similar analysis from INRIX ranked metro Charlotte the <a href=\"https:\/\/inrix.com\/scorecard-city\/?city=Charlotte+NC&amp;index=65\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">18th-worst city in the U.S. for traffic congestion.<\/a> Speeds peaked at 30 mph during the heaviest morning and afternoon commute times, according to the software firm\u2019s 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard.<\/p>\n<p>Traffic congestion in the Raleigh metro was slightly better \u2014 but still annoying. The AMFM report ranked Wake Forest 63rd-worst for driving commutes, followed by Hillsborough at 72nd in the nation.<\/p>\n<p>Mooresville-area restaurants say construction and traffic caused by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/news\/local\/article314993334.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">a state road project<\/a> is significantly hurting business, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/charlottefive\/c5-food-drink\/article315672181.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">The Charlotte Observer reported this week<\/a>. Lake Norman\u2019s Habibi Lebanon Bar &amp; Grill saw a $20,000 drop in business last month, Executive Chef\/Owner Nazira Atmer told The Observer.<\/p>\n<p>These suburban cities were identified as having commutes that led to the highest burnout for drivers, according to the AMFM survey:<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=156\">Spending is up. Here\u2019s why your property tax rate isn\u2019t in Mecklenburg\u2019s budget<\/a><\/p>\n<p><i>The report was inspired by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestate.com\/news\/state\/south-carolina\/article315604058.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">a story from The State<\/a> in South Carolina.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A national survey ranked commute times in North Carolina cities Mooresville, Wake Forest and Hillsborough among worst in the US, leading to feelings of burnout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3 NC metros have among the worst driving commutes in the US. 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