<p>Although sustainable roadway rating systems (SR²Ss) are increasingly used to evaluate and enhance sustainable road infrastructure projects, a universal rating system is unsuitable for application across different countries and regions. In light of the Sustainable Development Goals, public transportation agencies worldwide are urgently calling for the development of SR²Ss tailored to specific conditions. While previous studies have focused on comparing SR²Ss in particular indicators, the effectiveness of economic and societal indicators (ESIs) within SR²Ss has remained unexplored. As the first step in establishing ESIs for Taiwan’s green urban road rating system, the current study conducted a comparative analysis using the normalized indicator score approach to evaluate the relative importance of existing ESIs in representative SR²Ss. The research findings revealed variations among five selected SR²Ss regarding the significance of ESIs. The current study based the analysis on ten common indicators derived from existing ESIs. Three mandatory indicators – social impact analysis, asset management, and quality control – were identified as foundational for the economic and societal categories of SR²Ss. For the seven voluntary ESIs, four indicators – esthetic resources, stakeholder involvement, economic analysis, and occupational health and safety – were found to contribute more substantially to sustainable roadway projects than the remaining three indicators: cultural resources, operational education and training, and local development. The ten identified ESIs form the basis for developing new indicators and offer valuable insights to enhance existing EISs for SR²S researchers and developers. The practices outlined in common ESIs provide a better understanding for practitioners and policymakers, facilitating the achievement of sustainable roadway objectives.</p>