See NJ's Rank Among Worst Places To Drive – And How Much It Costs

OK, this may make you both laugh. And cry.

Two new studies were released this week showing how New Jersey ranks among the worst places to drive in America, and how much it costs you each year to fill potholes and maintain the roads.

But the state ranking is not as bad as you may think – and the report actually drew some chuckles on social media who believe New Jersey is absolutely the worst place to drive in America.

New Jersey is actually the ninth worst in the United States when it comes to getting behind the wheel, according to a new report out this week from the folks at the personal finance website WalletHub.

At the same time, New Jersey and New York City area drivers spend $2,800 a year on car mechanics and other fixes largely because of potholes and poorly maintained roads, according to new report from TRIP, a national transportation research group. The figure also applies to how much drivers spend in gas because they're sitting in traffic.

The WalletHub researchers, meanwhile, compared every state based on 30 measurements across four categories: cost of ownership and maintenance, traffic and infrastructure, safety and access to vehicles and maintenance.

Some individual measurements received higher weights than others. This includes average gas prices, auto-maintenance costs, share of rush-hour traffic congestion and average commute time by car.

Here’s how New Jersey ranks in each category:

• Cost of ownership and maintenance: 41
• Traffic and infrastructure: 48
• Safety: 7
• Access to vehicles and maintenance: 14

Here are the nine worst states for driving, according to the study:

1. Hawaii
2. Alaska
3. Washington
4. California
5. New Hampshire
6. Rhode Island
7. Massachusetts
8. Wyoming
9. New Jersey

And here is how social media reacted to the idea that there are eight states that are considered worse than New Jersey:

The TRIP report says that, because of inadequate state and local funding, 69 percent of major roads and highways in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area are in poor or mediocre condition. Forty-six percent of the area’s major urban roads are in poor condition and 23 percent are in mediocre condition.

Thirteen percent of New York-Newark-Jersey City area roads are in fair condition and 18 percent are in good condition, according to the study. Driving on rough roads costs the average driver in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area $719 annually in extra vehicle operating costs, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional vehicle repair costs, increased fuel consumption and increased tire wear.

Read the TRIP report here.

In the Wallet Hub report, Oregon was declared the best place overall for driving, the researchers found, even though the state never ranked higher than 11th in any individual category. Oregon scored 61.56 points out of 100 possible points, slightly edging out Illinois by just .12 points.

Here are the top 10 states for driving:

1. Oregon
2. Illinois
3. Indiana
4. Iowa
5. Texas
6. North Carolina
7. Georgia
8. Arkansas
9. Nebraska
10. Ohio

Of note, just 7.03 points separated the No. 1 state from No. 25, North Dakota and it appears the best places to drive tended to be located in the South and Midwest. Meanwhile, Hawaii ranked dead last in the rankings, followed by Alaska, Washington, California and New Hampshire.

California performed poorly in the overall rankings despite placing in the top five in three categories: fewest days with precipitation, most auto-repair shops per capita and most car washes per capita. That’s likely because “The Golden State” also ranked 42nd in share of rush-hour congestion, 47th in car theft rate, and 49th in average gas price.

If a small commute is what you’re after, consider packing your bags for Mississippi, which topped the list in lowest share of rush-hour traffic congestion.

WalletHub used data from the following sources: the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Energy Department, Council for Community and Economic Research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Insurance Research Council, National Insurance Crime Bureau, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Prediction Center, American Automobile Association, The Road Information Program, Federal Highway Administration, QuinStreet Insurance Agency, EverQuote and WalletHub’s own research.

Read the WalletHub report here.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Jeff Topping/Getty Images