---
title: "INRIX Research 2026 Signals Scorecard nationwide intersections; New Jersey MPO 42s delay"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-08T11:28:00Z"
source: "https://inrix.com/resources/inrix-2026-u-s-signals-scorecard/"
topics:
  - name: "traffic"
    identifier: "medtop:20000342"
  - name: "transport"
    identifier: "medtop:20000337"
  - name: "road transport"
    identifier: "medtop:20000341"
locations:
  - "Delaware"
  - "Alaska"
  - "Baltimore"
  - "Maryland"
  - "New Hampshire"
  - "Kansas"
  - "Fort Worth"
  - "Austin"
  - "Houston"
  - "San Antonio"
  - "Texas"
  - "Nebraska"
  - "Vermont"
  - "Hawaii"
  - "Utah"
  - "Oregon"
  - "Los Angeles"
  - "San Diego"
  - "Sacramento"
  - "San Francisco"
  - "California"
  - "New Jersey"
  - "Newark"
  - "North Dakota"
  - "Kentucky"
  - "Minnesota"
  - "Oklahoma"
  - "Pennsylvania"
  - "Pittsburgh"
  - "Philadelphia"
  - "New Mexico"
  - "Chicago"
  - "Illinois"
  - "Michigan"
  - "Detroit"
  - "Alexandria"
  - "Richmond"
  - "Norfolk"
  - "Virginia"
  - "West Virginia"
  - "Mississippi"
  - "Massachusetts"
  - "Boston"
  - "Phoenix"
  - "Arizona"
  - "Connecticut"
  - "Miami"
  - "Florida"
  - "Orlando"
  - "District of Columbia"
  - "Indiana"
  - "Wisconsin"
  - "Wyoming"
  - "South Carolina"
  - "Arkansas"
  - "South Dakota"
  - "Montana"
  - "North Carolina"
  - "Denver"
  - "Colorado"
  - "St. Louis"
  - "Missouri"
  - "New York"
  - "Maine"
  - "Tennessee"
  - "Atlanta"
  - "Georgia"
  - "Alabama"
  - "Louisiana"
  - "Las Vegas"
  - "Nevada"
  - "Iowa"
  - "Idaho"
  - "Rhode Island"
  - "Seattle"
  - "Washington"
  - "Ohio"
  - "United States"
---


INRIX Research 2026 Signals Scorecard nationwide intersections; New Jersey MPO 42s delay

PowerPoint Presentation

2026 Traffic Signals Scorecard
Steve Remias, Ph.D
Ahmed Darrat, P.E.
Bob Pishue, Transportation Analyst

INRIX RESEARCH | INTELLIGENCE THAT MOVES THE WORLD
2
INTRODUCTION
The 2026 Signals Scorecard builds upon past INRIX Signals Scorecard reports, revealing data and trends
across more than 275,000 signalized intersections, the largest study of its kind. The report simplifies
detailed and in-depth mobility data from more than 10.6 billion actual, observed crossings, providing
important performance metrics like all day and peak hour delays, arrival on green (AOG), split failure
frequency, and level of service (LOS). The Scorecard findings can help transportation professionals, safety
experts, and the public gain a better understanding of how the movement of people and goods flow
through a transportation network.
Key Statistics:
•
276,880 signals analyzed
•
10.63B observations
•
20.1 sec average delay
•
684 daily observations per
signal
•
#1 State: Washington D.C.
at 28.8 seconds of delay
•
#1 MPO: New Jersey TPA
at 42 seconds of delay
•
#1 County: Manhattan at
36.5 seconds of delay
•
#1 State AOG: Nebraska at
65%
5
13
18
10
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
<16
16-18
18-20
20-22
>22
States
Average Delay (Seconds)
Average delay was fairly evenly distributed across states, though
eight of the top 10 states for delay are on the coasts, including
Texas. Plains and Midwest states tended to have lower than
average delays.
Among statewide average delay, the District of Columbia had the most delay of any “state” at 28.8
seconds per signal, likely due to its entirely urban environment, density of signals, and intense travel
demand. Nevada rang in at number two on the list, at 23.8 seconds, while Florida takes the third spot
at 23.7 seconds. Travelers in Wyoming experience the least delay at the average signal at 12.6 seconds.
At the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) level, signals within the New Jersey Transportation
Planning Authority had the most delay, on average. Travelers within that MPO average 42 seconds of
delay, a full 12 seconds above the number-two ranked Miami-Dade Transportation Planning
Organization at 29.7 seconds. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Council rang in third at 26.6
seconds of delay, on average.
Unsurprisingly, New York County (Manhattan) had the top spot when analyzed by county at 36.5
seconds of peak hour delay, on average. With the highest density of traffic signals in the country,
Manhattan, and other New York City counties, also held top spots. Kings County (Brooklyn) and
Queens County, were also featured in the top five.
Chart 1: Distribution of States by Average Delay

3
State Traffic Signal Performance Rankings
Figure 1: State Rankings of Average Traffic Signal Control Delay
Traffic signals naturally introduce delay onto the transportation network by way of controlling access
through an intersection. This is officially called “control delay,” which is defined as extra time attributable
to a traffic control device. Transportation officials try to strike a balance between delay and traffic
throughput with the need to safely manage conflicting vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle movements. The
goal is to limit delay to the lowest practical amount while maintaining safe, efficient, and orderly
intersection operations.
Figure 1 shows each state and its rank based on the average control delay at signals analyzed by INRIX.
Control Delay
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State rankings vary considerably by geography and density. For example, Washington D.C., counted as a
state in this analysis, holds the highest average control delay at 28.8 seconds. Washington D.C. has high
population and employment density constrained in a relatively small land area. It is also the center of a
major metropolitan area in the country, ultimately leading to significant delay in the capitol.
Yet Nevada, coming in at number two on the list, couldn’t be more different geographically. Located in the
Mountain West, Nevada is a relative low-density state, with a large population located in the South in Las
Vegas. Yet average control delay averages 23.8 seconds, 5.5 seconds below Washington D.C. and 0.1
seconds above Florida’s 23.7 seconds.
At the bottom of the list, Wyoming comes in 51st with an average of 12.6 seconds of delay due to signals,
2.6 seconds lower than 50th ranked Nebraska.
In general, coastal states (including Texas) tended to have more traffic delay at signals, mostly due to high
traffic volumes, constrained geographies, and complex road interactions. Traffic delays in the Great Plains
and Mid West areas tended to be lower with less overall demand on the road network.

4
State Traffic Signal Performance Rankings (Cont.)
Chart 2: Distribution of Intersections by Daily LOS
The Level of Service (LOS) at a signal or intersection is determined by the amount of delay at that
intersection or signal. While average delay is good metric for analyzing the overall impact of signals on
travel times, the distribution of that delay is critical to understanding if a transportation network is meeting
standards. In many municipalities and regions, LOS is the primary metric to whether intersections or signals
meet concurrency standards for growth management.
Level of service is graded on an A through F scale, with A representing very little delay and F indicating
significant delay. The thresholds used to assign LOS grades are established in the Transportation Research
Board’s Highway Capacity Manual, the nationally-recognized reference for evaluating roadway and
intersection performance.
Level Of Service Distribution
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Chart 3: Distribution of Intersections by Peak Hour LOS

5
State Traffic Signal Performance Rankings (Cont.)
Charts 2 and 3 reveal the varying distribution among states when it comes to LOS at intersections.
Distribution is important to consider along with average delays, as it can indicate if delays are concentrated in
a relative few signals versus the entire network.
When looking at all day LOS, only the District of Columbia had more than 20% of signals worse than LOS D,
and just five other states with more than 10% of signals. Unsurprisingly, examining peak hour delay shows a
significant increase in the share of LOS D-F signals on the network.
Level Of Service Distribution (Cont.)
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Arrival on Green
Arrival on green percentage measures the share of vehicles that pass through an intersection without
stopping, indicating that they likely arrived while the signal was green. A higher percentage generally reflects
better signal coordination and smoother traffic progression, although results can also be influenced by traffic
demand, roadway geometry, and signal operations.
Statewide averages range from the District of Columbia, where 49% of observed vehicles arrived on green, to
Nebraska, where 65% passed through the intersection without stopping. The breakdown follows:
•
High Coordination / Optimal Flow (62% – 66%+): This represents the highest tier of municipal
performance in the U.S. (e.g., states like Nebraska and Colorado lead the nation with averages around
64%–65%). It indicates highly optimized signal retiming.
•
National Average (58.1%): The default baseline for a standard, moderately coordinated American
intersection.
•
Low Coordination / High Delay (<50%): Lower-performing regions and dense metro areas (like Boston or
Washington D.C.) average under 50% AOG, signifying that more than half of all vehicles are forced to stop.
Chart 4: Distribution of Arrival on Green Among States (and D.C.)

6
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Signal Performance
Among the most-populated MPO’s in the country, the Miami-Dade TPO leads the pack with an all day
average of 29.7 seconds of delay and 38.4 seconds of delay at the peak hour, despite its ranking as the 19 th
most-populated MPO in the country. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Council quickly follows at
26.58 seconds of delay on average, while the Boston Region MPO comes in third with 25.8 seconds of delay.
Chicago and Pittsburgh’s MPO’s are among the lowest in terms of all day delay, with 13.2 and 11.7 seconds of
delay, respectively.
Atlanta had the largest gap between average all day and peak hour delay, with drivers sitting at intersections
8.2 seconds longer during the peak hour, a 37% increase over the daily average. Signals in the Seattle Region
also saw a significant 7.4 second increase at the peak versus the daily average, while Miami had the largest
absolute difference, with peak hour delay 8.8 seconds longer than the daily average.
Intersection Delay
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Table 1: Largest MPO Signalized Average Delay in Seconds
Delay
Rank
Population
Rank
MPO Name
Metro Area
All Day
Average
Peak Hour
Average
1
19
Miami-Dade TPO
Miami, FL
29.65
38.41
2
2
New York Metropolitan Transportation Council
New York, NY
26.58
31.29
3
14
Boston Region MPO
Boston, MA
25.76
32.13
4
25
METROPLAN Orlando
Orlando, FL
24.53
31.24
5
11
Southeast Michigan COG
Detroit, MI
23.56
24.47
6
6
Houston-Galveston Area Council
Houston, TX
22.93
30.18
7
4
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
San Francisco, CA
22.59
28.64
8
10
Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta, GA
22.29
30.52
9
1
Southern California Association of Governments
Los Angeles, CA
21.80
27.39
10
16
San Diego Association of Governments
San Diego, CA
21.64
27.53
11
13
Puget Sound Regional Council
Seattle, WA
21.62
29.00
12
9
National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board Washington, DC
21.28
26.73
13
23
Alamo Area MPO
San Antonio, TX
21.21
27.60
14
18
Baltimore Regional Transportation Board
Baltimore, MD
21.07
26.92
15
7
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
Newark, NJ
20.94
25.69
16
22
Sacramento Area COG
Sacramento, CA
20.37
25.59
17
5
North Central Texas COG
Arlington, TX
20.34
26.52
18
12
Maricopa Association of Governments
Phoenix, AZ
19.62
23.95
19
15
Denver Regional COG
Denver, CO
17.81
22.92
20
17
Metropolitan Council
St. Paul, MN
17.66
23.23
21
24
Capital Area MPO
Austin, TX
16.26
20.75
22
20
East-West Gateway Council of Government
St. Louis, MO
16.22
20.16
23
8
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Philadelphia, PA
13.63
17.00
24
3
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Chicago, IL
13.24
16.98
25
21
Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
Pittsburgh, PA
11.65
15.36

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Signal Performance
(Cont.)
Arrival on Green & Level of Service
Chart 5: Arrival on Green Comparison: MPO to Statewide AOG Percentage
Though arrival on green
percentages were relatively
similar among MPO’s, their
respective LOS distribution
varied considerably. For
example, ninety percent of
intersections within the St.
Louis MPO, the East-West
Gateway, were LOS C or
better, while just 52%
located within the Miami-
Dade MPO were LOS C or
better. In general,
intersections residing in the
densest MPO’s generally
Chart 6: Distribution of Peak Hour LOS Intersections within MPO’s
7
INRIX RESEARCH | INTELLIGENCE THAT MOVES THE WORLD
had a larger share of LOS. D-F intersections, while those in less-dense areas had a lower share, though that is
not always the case. For example, the Los Angeles Urban Area is the most-dense urban area in the country,
yet just 25% of signals were LOS D or worse.

8
County Traffic Signal Performance Measures
As the geography narrows to denser counties, average delay and therefore LOS, drops considerably.
Among the top 25 most-populous counties, three New York City boroughs pierce the top five, as
Manhattan (New York), Kings (Brooklyn), and Queens saw some of the most delay. Two Florida counties
also made the top five.
In terms of arrival on green, the New York counties also registered 50% or lower along with Middlesex
County in Massachusetts. Signali