Photo: Getty Images
Massachusetts has the fourth-highest rate of pothole complaints per mile among U.S. states, according to a study by Stacker.
A recent summary report from national transportation research nonprofit TRIP found that 40% of U.S. roadways, including highways, arterials, and local roads, are in poor or mediocre condition. As a result, the average cost to a single driver is $621 per year for vehicle repair and maintenance – that’s $141 billion among all U.S. drivers.
Somehow, as staggering as those numbers are, they make perfect sense for anyone that’s driven around the Bay State this winter. The roads are in rough shape, especially after the blizzard of ‘22. According to Stacker, Mass. had 18.7 pothole complaints and 303 negative Tweets for every 1,000 km (roughly 621 miles) of road.
According to Stacker’s nationwide findings, though, potholes aren’t exclusive to any single region of the country more than another. For example, the site says states that lay down salt for road treatment aren’t necessarily worse off than drier states where the sun bakes the pavement all day.
Check out which states had the most and least pothole complaints below.
States with the most pothole complaints
#1. Rhode Island: 23.4 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#2. Hawaii: 20.6 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#3. New York: 20.5 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#4. Massachusetts: 18.7 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#5. California: 18.4 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
States with the least pothole complaints
#1. Idaho: 0.4 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#2. Wyoming: 0.6 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#3. Montana (tie): 0.8 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#3. New Mexico (tie): 0.8 complaints for every 1,000 km of road
#4. South Dakota: 1 complaint for every 1,000 km of road
#5. Iowa: 1.1 complaints for every 1,000 km of road