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Traffic heat map of Ashland County, Wisconsin: 157 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Lake Shore Drive

Ashland County, Wisconsin Traffic Counts

TrafficZoom tracks traffic on 157 road miles in Ashland County, Wisconsin, divided into 1,674 segments averaging 494 ft. Its busiest road, Lake Shore Drive, carries 11,294 vehicles a day, 5.5 times the average road. Built from cross-verified mobile and road-sensor data, these counts help you size up a retail site, plan logistics routes or assess infrastructure needs.
Data sourced from TrafficZoom's proprietary analytics platform.
Data current as of:
Q3 2026
Updated:
September 29, 2026
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Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Ashland County, Wisconsin

Traffic

The average number of vehicles that travel each day over any road in the road network.

vehicles per day2,042
Trucks

The percentage of the total traffic volume composed of heavy vehicles.

11.5%
Average travel time

The average time of travel averaged among all vehicles traveling on the road network.

34.9 min
Congestion ratio

The rate at which the actual travel time exceeds free-flow travel time, averaged among all roads in the network.

6.0%
Drivers’ average age

Average age of residents in the geographic areas where the vehicle trips originated.

50.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income

Average income of residents in the geographic areas where the vehicle trips originated.

$59,805

Our data shows 2,042 vehicles per day on the average road in Ashland County, Wisconsin, and 265,364 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈96.9 million per year) across its 157 miles of monitored roads. Trucks are 11.5% of traffic, close to the 10.2% across Wisconsin.

Longer trips than 77% of counties in Wisconsin

At 2,042 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Ashland carries 46% less traffic than the state average of 3,802, suggesting less demand on each road - less drive-by exposure for retail, but easier access for deliveries. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.2% of Wisconsin's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Ashland carries less traffic than 62% of counties in Wisconsin.

The average trip takes 34.9 minutes, 9% higher than the state level. 77% of counties in Wisconsin have a shorter average travel time than Ashland's 34.9 minutes.

Congestion runs 53% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 6.0%, which means smoother traffic flow - free-flowing roads make scheduled deliveries highly predictable.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Ashland County, Wisconsin

Trafficvehicles per day4,936
Trucks12.5%
Average travel time41.3 min
Congestion ratio10.1%
Drivers’ average age51.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income$59,182

Highways carry a significant share of travel in Ashland County, Wisconsin: 33% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 4,936 vehicles per day, 197% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 1,663 vehicles per day.

With 12% of the road miles (19 miles in 194 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 87,889 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈32.1 million per year).

Fewer highway trucks than 84% of counties in Wisconsin

The concentration of trucks on highways (12.5%) is 15% lower than the state average for similar road classifications. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

72% of counties in Wisconsin see a higher highway truck share than Ashland's 12.5%. By raw truck volume, Ashland carries fewer highway trucks than 84% of counties in Wisconsin.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Ashland County, Wisconsin

Trafficvehicles per day1,663
Trucks11.0%
Average travel time34.1 min
Congestion ratio5.4%
Drivers’ average age49.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income$60,239

Local roads carry more than half of all travel in Ashland County, Wisconsin (67% of vehicle-miles). On the average non-highway road, that comes to 1,663 vehicles per day.

Spread over 138 miles and 1,480 segments, 88% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 177,476 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈64.8 million per year). Trucks make up 11.0% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 9 vehicles.

Drivers from lower-income areas than 94% of counties in Wisconsin

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 12% fewer trucks by share.

Non-highway congestion (5.4%) runs 55% lower than the state average, pointing to smoother local traffic flow.

94% of counties in Wisconsin see higher average driver income among trip origins than Ashland. The driver population here skews younger than 52% of counties in Wisconsin.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Ashland County, Wisconsin, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic.

Ashland County vs. Wisconsin Traffic Comparison

Ashland County's biggest difference from the Wisconsin average is its average daily traffic per road, 46% below it. Its highway truck share is also 15% below.

MetricAshland CountyWisconsin averageDifference
Traffic2,0423,802-46.3%
Truck % (Total Traffic)11.5%10.2%+12.9%
Truck % (Highway)12.5%14.7%-15.0%
Avg. Travel Time34.9 min32.2 min+8.6%

How Ashland County compares

Ashland County is the least congested of its nearby counties

Against the 4 nearest areas, Ashland County is 25.2% less congested; it has the third busiest roads of the five.

Ashland County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Wisconsin average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Ashland County2,04211.5%265,36434.9 min6.0%
Bayfield County, Wisconsin1,66110.9%418,90534.5 min8.5%
Iron County, Wisconsin2,15013.9%211,18629.9 min8.8%
Sawyer County, Wisconsin1,9008.2%465,24127.0 min8.0%
Gogebic County, Michigan2,1029.9%250,22430.2 min6.6%
Wisconsin average3,80210.2%N/A32.2 min12.6%

Ashland County ranked within Wisconsin

Average driver income places Ashland County #68 of 72 in Wisconsin - the bottom quarter of the state.

Ashland County ranked among 72 county-level areas in Wisconsin (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 58.
MeasureAshland CountyWisconsin rank
Traffic volume (AADT)2,042#45 of 72
Highway vehicle-miles per day87,889#54 of 58
Truck share on highways12.5%#42 of 58
Highway trucks per day617#49 of 58
Average travel time34.9 min#17 of 72
Average driver income$59,805#68 of 72
Average driver age50.2 yrs#38 of 72

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #17 of 72 on average travel time, against #68 of 72 on average driver income.

Busiest roads in Ashland County, Wisconsin

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 6,645 vehicles a day, against 2,042 on the average road in Ashland County.

Lake Shore Drive leads with 11,294 vehicles a day, 902 of them trucks (8.0%). That is 2.5 times the next road, Major Richard I. Bong Memorial Highway (4,492). It also carries the most trucks.

Freight stands out on 5th Street: trucks are 22.0% of the traffic there, against 11.5% county-wide.

Traffic and freight follow different roads here: only 2 of the five busiest roads also make the top 5 for trucks.

Few trucks use Ellis Avenue: 4.6% of its traffic, under half the county's 11.5%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Lake Shore DriveTrunk road · 11,294vehicles902trucks · 8.0%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
14.4%
Median trip time
39.3 min
Drivers’ median age
52.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,610

At 5.5 times the county average, Lake Shore Drive draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $65,610 in household income.

2Major Richard I. Bong Memorial HighwayTrunk road · 4,492vehicles600trucks · 13.4%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
9.8%
Median trip time
43.4 min
Drivers’ median age
49.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$56,906

Major Richard I. Bong Memorial Highway carries 2.2 times the county average at its busiest, 600 of them trucks (13.4%, above the county-wide 11.5%).

3Ellis AvenuePrimary road · 4,151vehicles191trucks · 4.6%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
16.0%
Median trip time
34.9 min
Drivers’ median age
49.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$56,014

Travel on Ellis Avenue's busiest stretch runs 16% over free-flow time, against 6% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

4Sanborn AvenueSecondary road · 3,859vehicles198trucks · 5.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
28.8 min
Drivers’ median age
50.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,766

Sanborn Avenue peaks at 3,859 vehicles a day, 89% more than the county average; trucks are 5.1% of it, below the county-wide 11.5%.

5Beaser AvenueTertiary road · 2,938vehicles102trucks · 3.5%
Road class
Tertiary road
Congestion ratio
9.3%
Median trip time
36.7 min
Drivers’ median age
48.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$58,097

Beaser Avenue carries 44% more than the county average at its busiest, 102 of them trucks (3.5%, below the county-wide 11.5%).

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Lake Shore DriveTrunk road · #1 by traffic11,294vehicles902trucks · 8.0%
25th StreetPrimary road · 2,848vehicles626trucks · 22.0%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
29.7 min
Drivers’ median age
57.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$60,180

5th Street carries 39% more than the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 29.7 minutes.

3Major Richard I. Bong Memorial HighwayTrunk road · #2 by traffic4,492vehicles600trucks · 13.4%
4WI 13Primary road · 2,584vehicles381trucks · 14.7%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
5.9%
Median trip time
32.4 min
Drivers’ median age
58.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$55,283

At 27% more than the county average, WI 13 draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $55,283 in household income.

5Main StreetPrimary road · 2,568vehicles370trucks · 14.4%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
6.0%
Median trip time
35.7 min
Drivers’ median age
52.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$57,120

Main Street is busy by local standards, at 26% more than the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 14.4% of it, above the county-wide 11.5%.

How to read these road counts
  • The first number is AADT, annual average daily traffic: the vehicles passing a point on an average day, both directions combined and trucks included. On a divided highway both carriageways are added together.
  • Traffic changes along a road, with more near interchanges and towns and less in open country. Every figure for a road describes its busiest stretch in the county, so the two rankings show the same numbers for the same road.
  • The second number is the trucks on that stretch, a part of its AADT. The bar splits the AADT into cars and light vehicles (blue) and trucks (amber).
  • See segment-level AADT for any road on TrafficZoom.

Data Sources & Methodology

The data presented on this page is derived from TrafficZoom's proprietary analytics platform, which aggregates and normalizes information from multiple sources, including:

Mobile device location data (anonymized and aggregated)

Road sensor networks and traffic counters

Historical traffic pattern databases

Public traffic count programs published by the

AshlandDepartment of Transportation

Demographic Baseline for O-D Modeling

U.S. Census Bureau
All metrics represent estimates based on statistical modeling and are intended for strategic planning purposes.
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Data current as of:
Q3 2026

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Counties near Ashland County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Ashland County, Wisconsin.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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