Need segment-level traffic data?

Identify traffic patterns street by street and analyze the exact corridors that matter to your project.

Get insights →
Traffic heat map of Athens County, Ohio: 417 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on US 33 and Nelsonville Bypass

Athens County, Ohio Traffic Counts

TrafficZoom tracks traffic on 417 road miles in Athens County, Ohio, divided into 4,887 segments averaging 450 ft. Its drivers are the youngest of any county in Ohio, a median 40 years. 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
Find my place
total traffic icon

Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Athens County, Ohio

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,415
Trucks

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

9.1%
Average travel time

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

28.8 min
Congestion ratio

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

14.4%
Drivers’ average age

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

40.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$58,455

The average monitored road in Athens County, Ohio carries 3,415 vehicles per day. Across its 417 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 1,363,711 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈498 million per year). Trucks are 9.1% of traffic, close to the 9.9% across Ohio.

Shorter trips than 99% of counties in Ohio

Athens sees 41% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (3,415 vehicles per day against 5,773), suggesting less demand on each road - less drive-by exposure for retail, but easier access for deliveries. Network-wide, Athens accounts for about 0.5% of Ohio's statewide total of vehicle-miles. By volume, Athens's 3,415 vehicles per day outpaces 59% of counties in Ohio.

At 28.8 minutes, the average travel time is 12% lower than the state level. 99% of counties in Ohio have a longer average travel time than Athens's 28.8 minutes.

The congestion ratio of 14.4% runs slightly lower than the state level (12% lower) - crucial for traffic control improvement and logistics planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Athens County, Ohio

Trafficvehicles per day6,683
Trucks10.8%
Average travel time38.8 min
Congestion ratio15.2%
Drivers’ average age42.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$60,768

A little more than half of the driving in Athens County, Ohio happens on highways: 66% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 6,683 vehicles per day, 116% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 3,095 vehicles per day.

With 31% of the road miles (129 miles in 436 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 903,842 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈330 million per year).

By highway travel volume, Athens outranks 50% of counties in Ohio.

Lower highway truck share than 82% of counties in Ohio

The concentration of trucks on highways (10.8%) is 27% 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.

82% of counties in Ohio see a higher highway truck share than Athens's 10.8%. By raw truck volume, Athens carries fewer highway trucks than 79% of counties in Ohio.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Athens County, Ohio

Trafficvehicles per day3,095
Trucks5.7%
Average travel time27.8 min
Congestion ratio14.3%
Drivers’ average age38.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$55,179

A significant share of driving in Athens County, Ohio, 34% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 3,095 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 69% of the monitored road miles (288 miles in 4,451 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 459,869 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈168 million per year). About 1 in 18 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (5.7%).

The youngest drivers of any county in Ohio

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 47% fewer trucks by share.

Non-highway congestion (14.3%) runs slightly lower than the state level (9% lower).

Athens's average driver income is lower than 91% of counties in Ohio. Athens has the lowest median driver age in Ohio - 40 years.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 78% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 12% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
September–November is the high season, with volumes +7% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -21% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Athens County, Ohio, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +7% in high season.

Athens County vs. Ohio Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Athens County apart: 41% below the Ohio average. Its highway truck share is also 27% below.

MetricAthens CountyOhio averageDifference
Traffic3,4155,773-40.8%
Truck % (Total Traffic)9.1%9.9%-8.4%
Truck % (Highway)10.8%14.9%-27.3%
Avg. Travel Time28.8 min32.9 min-12.5%

How Athens County compares

Athens County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Athens County is 85.4% more congested and carries 101.9% more traffic on a typical road; it has the busiest roads of the five. It is where traffic concentrates in this corner of the map - the local bottleneck, with more vehicles per road AND less room to absorb them.

Athens County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Ohio average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Athens County3,4159.1%1,363,71128.8 min14.4%
Meigs County, Ohio1,6749.8%423,47429.8 min8.1%
Morgan County, Ohio1,2087.9%177,43534.2 min5.9%
Hocking County, Ohio2,18510.9%713,84627.9 min8.5%
Vinton County, Ohio1,6999.9%258,84133.9 min8.5%
Ohio average5,7739.9%N/A32.9 min16.5%

Athens County ranked within Ohio

Athens County records the lowest average driver age in Ohio.

Athens County ranked among 88 county-level areas in Ohio (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 83.
MeasureAthens CountyOhio rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,415#37 of 88
Highway vehicle-miles per day903,842#42 of 83
Truck share on highways10.8%#68 of 83
Highway trucks per day723#66 of 83
Average travel time28.8 min#87 of 88
Average driver income$58,455#80 of 88
Average driver age40.2 yrs#88 of 88

Busiest roads in Athens County, Ohio

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Athens County carry 19,174 vehicles a day on average, 5.6 times the typical road in the county (3,415).

US 33 leads with 24,128 vehicles a day, 2,134 of them trucks (8.8%). Nelsonville Bypass carries the most trucks, 3,077 a day (18.3% of its traffic), although it ranks #2 for all traffic.

Trips using Nelsonville Bypass are long: a median of 47.8 minutes against 28.8 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Freight stands out on Nelsonville Bypass: trucks are 18.3% of the traffic there, against 9.1% county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 33Motorway · 24,128vehicles2,134trucks · 8.8%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
24.8%
Median trip time
39.3 min
Drivers’ median age
42.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$56,184

US 33 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 25% longer than at free-flow speed, against 14% county-wide.

2Nelsonville BypassMotorway · 16,824vehicles3,077trucks · 18.3%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
10.9%
Median trip time
47.8 min
Drivers’ median age
43.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$59,087

The busiest stretch of Nelsonville Bypass carries 4.9 times the county average; trucks are 18.3% of it, above the county-wide 9.1%.

3James A. Rhodes Appalachian HighwayMotorway · 16,570vehicles1,182trucks · 7.1%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
21.6%
Median trip time
37.3 min
Drivers’ median age
41.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$62,257

On its busiest stretch, James A. Rhodes Appalachian Highway carries 4.9 times the county average; trucks are 7.1% of it, below the county-wide 9.1%.

4SR 682Motorway · 13,434vehicles896trucks · 6.7%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
19.6%
Median trip time
29.8 min
Drivers’ median age
37.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$52,731

SR 682 peaks at 13,434 vehicles a day, 3.9 times the county average; trucks are 6.7% of it, below the county-wide 9.1%.

5Bentbrook DriveTrunk road · 13,341vehicles1,010trucks · 7.6%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
15.0%
Median trip time
30.7 min
Drivers’ median age
40.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$70,718

Bentbrook Drive carries 3.9 times the county average at its busiest, 1,010 of them trucks (7.6%, below the county-wide 9.1%).

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Nelsonville BypassMotorway · #2 by traffic16,824vehicles3,077trucks · 18.3%
2US 33Motorway · #1 by traffic24,128vehicles2,134trucks · 8.8%
3James A. Rhodes Appalachian HighwayMotorway · #3 by traffic16,570vehicles1,182trucks · 7.1%
4Bentbrook DriveTrunk road · #5 by traffic13,341vehicles1,010trucks · 7.6%
5SR 682Motorway · #4 by traffic13,434vehicles896trucks · 6.7%
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

AthensDepartment 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.
link arrow icon
Data current as of:
Q3 2026

Explore further

TrafficZoom platform

— street-level analytics and custom corridor reports.

Map AI

— demographics, housing and mobility data.

Counties near Athens County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Athens County, Ohio.

Need segment-level traffic data?

Identify traffic patterns street by street and analyze the exact corridors that matter to your project.