Cities with the Most Impatient People

Let’s face it: Waiting is never fun. Whether it’s standing in line, sitting through a long commute, or waiting for slow internet to load, moments of tedium can test anyone’s patience. Some of us may have mastered the art of staying calm, and some of us play a game of solitaire to pass time, but others are ready to honk their horn at the slightest inconvenience. How much of our patience relies on where we live?

To answer this question, Solitaire Bliss surveyed residents in over 40 major cities throughout the U.S. to find out where people struggle the most with patience. From the cities that handle customer service with grace to those where car horns are practically a second language, this study dives into America’s patience (or lack thereof).

Is your city a hotspot for impatience, or a haven of peaceful composure? Keep reading to find out!

Key Takeaways

• Orlando, FL, Omaha, NE, and Albuquerque, NM, are the most patient cities in the U.S.
• Boston, MA, Miami, FL, and New York City, NY, are the most impatient cities in the U.S.
• Traffic and work commute, slow internet or phone reception, and customer service are the top three things that test Americans' patience the most.
• Based on survey answers, men are generally more patient than women. However, men are more likely to honk their car horns out of impatience than women.
• Over 1 in 3 Americans say their impatience has affected relationships.
• Baby boomers are the most patient generation.
• Nearly 1 in 2 Americans get impatient when waiting in line for less than 10 minutes.

The Cities That Are Most Impatient (and Patient)

Our survey reveals that Boston, Miami, and New York City are the most impatient cities across the U.S. Boston is impatient across the board, with 84% of residents saying their city is more impatient than others. Meanwhile, 50% of Miamians, say that impatience has affected their relationships—and the city is home to the nation’s heaviest honkers, too.

On the flipside, Orlando, Omaha, and Albuquerque topped the most patient list. Orlando residents rate themselves as being more patient than any other city, and they also have a fewer number of things that trigger impatience.

Overall, smaller cities are more patient—all of the 10 most patient cities have a population below 1 million people. That compares drastically the top 10 impatient cities list where 4 out of the 10 have a population above 1 million.

America’s Impatient (and Patient) Trends

Nearly a third of Americans—29.9%—say that traffic and their work commute tests their patience the most. That response rate is almost three times as much as the next two circumstances that challenge their composure (slow internet and customer service).

Breaking things down by generation, baby boomers are the most patient and best the other generations in 7 out of our survey’s 9 questions. The two they didn’t top? Boomers are more impatient waiting in line and when on hold during a phone call.

Gen Zers, meanwhile, say they’re more patient than any other generation besides baby boomers. However, 43% of Gen Z said their impatience has affected their relationships (6 percentage points higher than any other generation), and 62% say they get impatient at slow internet (over 10 percentage points higher than any other generation).

When looking at gender, women are 45% more likely than men to find customer service to be the thing that tests their patience the most. Additionally, men are generally more patient than women based on survey answers. However, men are more likely to honk their car horns out of impatience than women.

Unusually Popular Tests of Patience in Each City

We also broke down which circumstance tests each city’s patience the most. This was derived by looking at how each city’s respondents replied to the question, “Which single thing tests your patience most?” and then comparing each city’s results against the average and standard deviation of all the states.

Most commonly, cities are most tested by service at restaurants, and 5 cities counted that circumstance as their most unusually popular test of patience, including: Atlanta, GA, Columbus, OH, Memphis, TN, Virginia Beach, VA, and Washington, D.C.

On the flipside, let’s look at the rarest popular circumstances, which isn’t tied to the overall most popular tests of patience. Just 2 cities picked out government-related chores like taxes or the DMV (Boston, MA, and Detroit, MI), and another 2 chose customer service like waiting on hold or slow-to-respond chats (Dallas, TX, and Louisville, KY).

The Perfect Cure for Impatience? Solitaire Bliss

We’ve all been there—stuck in a long line or sitting on hold during yet another customer service call. Instead of letting impatience take over and boredom kick in, engage your mind with something truly enjoyable. At Solitaire Bliss, you’ll discover games that keep your mind off your wait and challenge your brain, from Spider Solitaire to Golf Solitaire.

Why wait for fun when you can start playing right now? Jump into a game of FreeCell Solitaire and beat boredom with every click.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn which cities in the U.S. are the most patient and impatient. To do this, we surveyed Americans in 42 of the largest cities by population and asked questions about their patience, how they feel about others' patience in their city, how patience affects their relationship, and what things affect their patience the most. Using these responses, we awarded points to answers that represented patience levels in their city, and calculated the average score by respondent. Next, we calculated the average score by city and adjusted those scores on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most patient.