Traffic Predict
Is Orange County Traffic Getting Worse?
In 2026, weekday freeway congestion in Orange County was about the same as in 2025 and 46% better than in 2016, measured as hours lost in stop-and-go traffic per 1,000 miles driven. Traffic volume per sensor was about the same as in 2025.
Year by year (weekdays)
| Year | Delay per 1,000 vehicle-miles | Change | Vehicles per sensor per day | Average speed | 5 pm speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 (partial) | 1.07 h | – | 101,897 | 57 mph | 49 mph |
| 2017 | 0.97 h | -9% | 103,103 | 58 mph | 50 mph |
| 2018 | 1.17 h | +21% | 103,429 | 58 mph | 49 mph |
| 2019 | 1.30 h | +10% | 106,741 | 56 mph | 45 mph |
| 2020 | 0.54 h | -58% | 91,444 | 59 mph | 53 mph |
| 2021 | 0.56 h | +3% | 99,856 | 58 mph | 49 mph |
| 2022 | 0.63 h | +14% | 100,828 | 58 mph | 48 mph |
| 2023 | 0.61 h | -4% | 101,636 | 58 mph | 48 mph |
| 2024 | 0.57 h | -7% | 100,053 | 58 mph | 47 mph |
| 2025 | 0.57 h | +0% | 100,446 | 57 mph | 47 mph |
| 2026 | 0.57 h | +1% | 99,963 | 58 mph | 46 mph |
Month by month
Freeways that changed most since 2016
| Freeway | 2016 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| I-605 South | 0.31 h | 0.56 h |
| I-105 East | 0.33 h | 0.00 h |
| I-5 North | 0.46 h | 0.07 h |
| I-405 South | 0.41 h | 0.00 h |
| I-605 North | 2.03 h | 1.61 h |
| SR-91 East | 0.80 h | 0.21 h |
| SR-91 West | 2.53 h | 1.23 h |
| I-405 North | 1.46 h | 0.00 h |
Most worsened first; delay per 1,000 vehicle-miles on weekdays.
How this is measured
Every hour, road sensors report how many vehicles passed and how fast they went. For each sensor we multiply the vehicles by the length of freeway it covers to get vehicle-miles, and count the extra time spent below 35 mph as delay. Dividing delay by miles driven gives a congestion measure that doesn't change just because sensors are added or retired. Only weekdays with at least 20 hours of data are used. Data: Caltrans PeMS.