These states have the best and worst roads in America

No matter where you live, bellyaching about potholes and road quality is an American tradition. It’s not hard to find people in every state who claim their roads are the worst, but Pennsylvania pesonal injury firm Munley Law recently studied data from the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine which have the highest average rates of acceptable road quality.

Bad roads aren’t just an annoyance. They can wreak havoc on tires, suspension systems, and can cause vibrations that loosen cosmetic components. With 94.78 percent of its roads meeting the acceptable quality standard, Idaho was found to have the best roads in the country. Georgia wasn’t far behind, with 94.5 percent, and Tennessee came in third at 94.17. The complete list appears below.

The states with the best roads likely invest more in highway maintenance. Tennessee, for example, funds its highway improvements with vehicle excise taxes, and the burden of paying for roadwork is shared by federal, state, and local governments. The state has managed to go 45 years without needing to borrow money for road construction, indicating that its funding is stable and robust. Of course, there are exceptions in every state, such as my hometown of Knoxville; Tennessee’s roads have seen better days, despite I-40 seemingly being under construction since the early 1980s when I was born.

On the other end of the spectrum, New Jersey had the worst roads, with just 50.71 percent meeting the standard. Rhode Island had 51.51 percent and Connecticut landed at 58.14 percent. The law firm blames heavy traffic and bad weather, saying they contribute heavily to potholes and deteriorating road surfaces in those Northeast states.

Ranking states with the best and worst roads:

Rank 

State 
Avg. % of acceptable roads 
Idaho 
94.78 
Georgia 
94.5 
Tennessee 
94.17 
North Dakota 
93.96 
Nebraska 
92.47 
Wyoming 
91.51 
Kentucky 
91.24 
Alabama 
90.77 
Montana 
89.6 
10 
Oregon 
89.44 
11 
Kansas 
89.23 
12 
Florida 
89.11 
13 
Nevada 
88.95 
14 
North Carolina 
88.06 
15 
South Dakota 
88.03 
16 
Texas 
87.78 
17 
Minnesota 
87.03 
18 
Ohio 
86.15 
19 
Iowa 
86.13 
20 
South Carolina 
85.32 
21 
Arizona 
84.79 
22 
Michigan 
84.57 
23 
Indiana 
84.14 
24 
Arkansas 
84.02 
25 
Virginia 
82.64 
26 
Utah 
82.45 
27 
Delaware 
82.24 
28 
Illinois 
80.02 
29 
Vermont 
79.11 
30 
Alaska 
78.49 
31 
New Hampshire 
78.38 
32 
Colorado 
78.2 
33 
Maryland 
78.1 
34 
Missouri 
77.96 
35 
Maine 
76.16 
36 
Louisiana 
75.74 
37 
Wisconsin 
73.86 
38 
Oklahoma 
73.85 
39 
New York 
73.74 
40 
Pennsylvania 
72.29 
41 
Mississippi 
72.16 
42 
New Mexico 
71.83 
43 
West Virginia 
71.3 
44 
Washington 
70.44 
45 
Massachusetts 
63.47 
46 
California 
59.65 
47 
Hawaii 
59.27 
48 
Connecticut 
58.14 
49 
Rhode Island 
51.51 
50 
New Jersey 
50.71