According to a recently published ranking from WalletHub, a personal finance website, Raleigh earned the top spot as the best place for drivers in the United States. Raleigh previously held this position but dropped to number two a year ago. This year, the city reclaimed its title, much to the pride of Raleigh and North Carolinians as a whole.
WalletHub produces their rankings list by studying 100 of the largest cities in the country. They look at data from the U.S. government, as well as local government agencies. From the data that is studied, WalletHub produces a score for the city, ranking it based on four different categories. The four categories are: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, access to vehicles and maintenance, and lastly, safety.
Accompanying Raleigh on the list was other North Carolina city Greensboro coming in at number four.
While those familiar with Raleigh traffic, especially areas such as around Capital Boulevard and Wade Avenue, may be shocked at the high ranking, the congestion did not hold the city back from a top score. However, the ranking should not come as a surprise, as aside from the ranking based on 2023 in which Raleigh came in as number two, they ranked number one for the last couple years. For both 2021 and 2022’s lists, Raleigh held strong in the top spot and helped to spread the good driving energy across the state of North Carolina, with nearby city Cary ranking high for some time as well.
The biggest category helping Raleigh is cost of ownership and maintenance.
WalletHub wrote small blurbs about each city regarding what placed the city in that spot and for Raleigh it boiled down to the fact that the city is far more inexpensive when compared to other cities. When it comes to ranking the cost to live in the city overall, it ranks as the seventh cheapest city for purchasing a new car. Another factor that they consider is the price of parking. Raleigh has average parking rates, aiding in its cheap status. Furthermore, extra costs, such as time and money wasted on gas due to the congestion are considered lower in the city than in many other major cities.
WalletHub also showed that Raleigh has a high use rate for seat belts.
The use of seat belts for passengers and drivers in Raleigh is one of the highest in the United States. This helps keep everyone safer on the roads, bringing up the city’s safety score. This helped to counteract the low score received in the traffic and infrastructure category. However, even though this was a low category for the city, coming it at number 33, they still are considered a top city for traffic and infrastructure as compared to the worst rated cities, it is exponentially better.
