15 States With the Worst Roads in America — and 5 With the Best

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.

Roadways are a vital component of infrastructure in the United States.

The vast majority of goods are transported by truck, highlighting the economy’s need for reliable roadways to connect supply chains and move goods and services efficiently across borders. Most commuters use roads daily to get to work, and individuals also rely on roadways for crucial access to resources including employment, social, health, and education services.

However, many highways, major roads, and bridges are in need of repair. Hazardous road conditions can negatively impact the economy, contribute to traffic congestion, and impact the safety of Americans.

While public investment in roads is growing, many states continue to face significant maintenance challenges — particularly in the Northeast and along the West Coast.

To find the states with the roads in most need of repair, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the Federal Highway Administration. For more details, see the methodology at the end.

Following are the states with the worst roads in America.

15. Arizona

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 15.9%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 40.0%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 44.1%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 25.4

14. Illinois

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 16.5%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 32.4%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 51.2%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 22.4

13. New Jersey

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 17.6%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 29.2%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 53.2%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 22.9

12. Colorado

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 18.5%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 40.0%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 41.5%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 25.3

11. Connecticut

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 20.5%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 44.0%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 35.5%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 23.0

10. Wisconsin

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 20.9%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 30.8%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 48.4%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 31.7

9. New Mexico

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 21.1%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 30.5%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 48.3%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 36.7

8. Louisiana

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 21.3%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 42.3%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 36.4%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 32.7

7. Maryland

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 21.6%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 29.3%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 49.1%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 24.9

6. Washington

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 22.1%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 40.8%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 37.1%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 20.8

5. New York

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 24.3%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 34.3%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 41.5%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 16.6

4. Hawaii

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 26.5%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 37.8%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 35.7%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 20.1

3. California

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 28.4%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 36.6%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 35.0%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 22.6

2. Massachusetts

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 29.3%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 35.4%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 35.3%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 23.7

1. Rhode Island

• Share of major roadways in poor condition: 36.2%
• Share of major roadways in fair condition: 35.3%
• Share of major roadways in good condition: 28.5%
• Daily vehicle-miles traveled per capita: 18.8

5 states with the best roads

Here are the states that report far lower shares of deteriorating roads, with the percentage of major roadways in poor condition:

1. Kansas: 2.8%
2. Wyoming: 3.0%
3. Indiana: 4.1%
4. North Dakota: 4.2%
5. Tennessee: 4.7%

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s 2024 Highway Statistics Series.

To determine the states with the worst roads, researchers at Construction Coverage calculated the percentage of major roadways in poor condition using the latest data available. In the event of a tie, the state with the lower share of major roadways in good condition was ranked higher.

Major roadways are defined to include interstates, other freeways and expressways, other principal arterials, and minor arterials. The International Roughness Index (IRI) was used to classify poor, fair, and good conditions of roadways by the following criteria:

• Poor: IRI greater than 170 inches/mile
• Fair: IRI between 95 and 170 inches/mile
• Good: IRI less than 95 inches/mile