Since INRIX in February 2019 ranked Boston as having the costliest roadway congestion in the nation, the Baker administration concluded traffic has reached a "tipping point," the MBTA came under renewed scrutiny after derailments, and the House approved a roughly $600 million tax package to fund road and transit needs.

But something remained constant over that span: the analysis firm's rating of Boston, which again topped the annual list of most congested United States cities in the newest version released Sunday. The average Boston metropolitan area commuter lost 149 hours to traffic last year, equivalent to $2,205 in lost time, according to INRIX's new report. Chicago, which lost 145 hours, Philadelhpia with 142 hours, New York City with 140 hours and Washington, D.C. with 124 hours rounded out the top five.

Despite defending its infamous title, Boston showed improvement over the 2019 report, when INRIX concluded that its drivers lost 164 hours to roadway congestion annually. The Hub dropped from eighth-most congested around the world in last year's ranking to seventh-most in the latest version.