A rise in remote work since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped traffic congestion in most of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

“A reliance on remote work is not a panacea to the rise in VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) and the default solution for traffic – adding roadway capacity – isn't solving congestion,” according to The State of VMT and Congestion: How Rising Trends Impact U.S. Metros, published by StreetLight, a Jacobs Company.

The 26-page e-book measured five years of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), from January 2019 through May 2024, comparing the top 100 most-populated metros by change in VMT, VMT per capita, change in congestion, and overall congestion. StreetLight also analyzed the correlation within the 25 biggest metro areas and in downtowns.

As of spring 2024, VMT has jumped up after steadily increasing since mid-2020. The rise in congestion from January-May 2023 marks the steepest year-over-year increase since the initial pandemic bounce back in 2021.

Eighty-eight of the top 100 metros in the U.S. saw VMT increase from spring 2019 through spring 2024 while only four metros saw decreases in the double digits. Six metros kept VMT down by more than 5 percent compared to 2019 while 27 have seen VMT rise by more than 20 percent.

Metrowide data follows a similar pattern to national data. Overwhelmingly, VMT accelerated in the last year compared to 2022-23. "Without significant changes, the upward trend in VMT shows no sign of peaking.”