Our trips to and fro are taking longer. But as you’re stuck in the stop-and-go traffic of season, take a deep breath and realize this: It could be worse. 

The average time it takes to get to work in Southwest Florida is about 26.5 minutes, according to new data compiled by Florida Gulf Coast University’s Regional Economic Research Institute. That number has been ticking upward since 2012. But it’s still lower than the U.S. average (27.6) and the state average (28.4). And while the state average has gone up 2 minutes since 2012, Southwest Florida’s traffic time is increasing at a much slower rate. If anything, just be glad we’re not in Osceola County, south of Orlando, where drivers spend more than 36 minutes in their car each way to and from work.