Lubbock Drivers Ranked Among the Best in the U.S.—Wait, Seriously?

Lubbock Makes the List (Against All Odds)

Now this is something you don’t see every day: Lubbock, Texas, has been ranked one of the best cities in America for drivers. Yes, you read that right. The Hub City—where turn signals are optional and yellow lights mean “go faster”—actually scored quite high in a new national study ranking 100 U.S. cities on how pleasant (or painful) it is to get behind the wheel.

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The annual WalletHub study considered 30 different factors including traffic congestion, weather conditions, accident rates, gas prices, parking costs, and how much it costs to maintain a vehicle. And somehow, when the dust settled, Lubbock landed at #6 (!!!)—beating out major Texas cities like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Texas Takes the Wheel

Texas overall dominated the list, with five cities among the top 10 for drivers. Corpus Christi actually took the top spot, followed by Laredo, Plano, Austin, and our very own Lubbock rounding out the state’s strong showing.

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Meanwhile, places like Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco were named some of the worst cities to drive in—mainly because of traffic gridlock, high gas prices, and nightmare parking. So while Lubbock drivers may not always have the best reputation, at least we’re not fighting over a parallel parking spot in downtown L.A.. Or worse, NYC!

“Best” Is a Relative Term

Let’s be honest—anyone who’s spent more than ten minutes on Loop 289 during rush hour knows that “best” is a bit of a stretch. Between people cutting across three lanes to make a turn at the last second and others cruising 15 miles under the limit, it’s not always smooth sailing around the Hub City.

But compared to other metro areas, Lubbock’s wide roads, short commutes, and minimal traffic jams help us come out ahead. It’s one of the few places where you can get across town in under 20 minutes—unless, of course, there’s a train or a dust storm involved.

Bottom Line: We’ll Take the Win

So, while Lubbock drivers might still stress you out from time to time, it turns out we’re doing something right. Maybe it’s the open space, maybe it’s the lack of rush hour gridlock—but according to this meticulous study, the Hub City is one of the easiest, cheapest, and least stressful places to drive in America.

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We’ll take that… just don’t forget to use your blinker, folks!