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Traffic heat map of Avery County, North Carolina: 167 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on NC 105 / US 221 Truck

Avery County, North Carolina Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Avery County, North Carolina? We measure 167 road miles, divided into 2,350 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its busiest road, NC 105 / US 221 Truck, carries 13,828 vehicles a day, 3.8 times the average road. The breakdown below covers volume, trucks, congestion and driver profiles for retailers, logistics planners and engineers.
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 Avery County, North Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,595
Trucks

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

6.7%
Average travel time

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

35.5 min
Congestion ratio

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

11.6%
Drivers’ average age

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

43.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$66,539

Our data shows 3,595 vehicles per day on the average road in Avery County, North Carolina, and 522,878 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈191 million per year) across its 167 miles of monitored roads. About 1 in 15 vehicles is a truck, fewer than the 1 in 11 across North Carolina.

Longer trips than 81% of counties in North Carolina

At 3,595 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Avery carries 43% less traffic than the state average of 6,332, suggesting less demand on each road - lighter roads for freight, but less passing trade for roadside retail. Network-wide, Avery accounts for about 0.2% of North Carolina's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 67% of counties in North Carolina see more traffic than Avery's 3,595 vehicles per day.

Journey times run 10% higher than the state level, at 35.5 minutes on average. 81% of counties in North Carolina have a shorter average travel time than Avery's 35.5 minutes.

The congestion ratio of 11.6% is 38% lower, pointing to smoother traffic flow than the state level - travel times are easy to plan around for scheduled deliveries.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Avery County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day6,771
Trucks7.8%
Average travel time41.2 min
Congestion ratio17.1%
Drivers’ average age44.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income$65,995

Highways carry about half of all travel in Avery County, North Carolina, 50% of vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 6,771 vehicles per day, 165% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,556 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 22% of the monitored road miles (37 miles, 579 segments), so they carry more than their share: 260,436 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈95.1 million per year).

Fewer highway trucks than 88% of counties in North Carolina

At 7.8%, highway truck share is 35% lower than the state average. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

Avery's highway truck share (7.8%) is lower than 83% of counties in North Carolina. By raw truck volume, Avery carries fewer highway trucks than 88% of counties in North Carolina.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Avery County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day2,556
Trucks5.5%
Average travel time33.6 min
Congestion ratio9.8%
Drivers’ average age42.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$67,011

Local roads carry about half of all travel in Avery County, North Carolina, 50% of vehicle-miles. The average non-highway road carries 2,556 vehicles per day.

Spread over 130 miles and 1,771 segments, 78% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 262,442 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈95.8 million per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 5.5%.

Younger drivers than 90% of counties in North Carolina

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 29% lower than the highway network.

At 45% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 9.8% signals easier movement on local roads.

Avery's average driver income is higher than 56% of counties in North Carolina. 90% of counties in North Carolina have an older driver population than Avery.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Avery County, North Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic.

Avery County vs. North Carolina Traffic Comparison

Avery County's biggest difference from the North Carolina average is its average daily traffic per road, 43% below it. Its highway truck share is also 35% below.

MetricAvery CountyNorth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic3,5956,332-43.2%
Truck % (Total Traffic)6.7%8.7%-23.5%
Truck % (Highway)7.8%12.1%-35.2%
Avg. Travel Time35.5 min32.3 min+9.9%

How Avery County compares

Avery County against nearby counties

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Avery County moves 42.9% of the total daily travel and is 25.4% less congested; it has the fourth busiest roads of the five. Quiet roads and long journeys - a rural pattern, where the distance between destinations rather than the traffic on the way is what takes the time.

Avery County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the North Carolina average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Avery County3,5956.7%522,87835.5 min11.6%
Mitchell County, North Carolina2,6586.2%321,44730.3 min11.3%
Watauga County, North Carolina6,2006.5%1,290,96432.4 min20.0%
Carter County, Tennessee5,8375.8%1,022,62529.6 min15.8%
Burke County, North Carolina4,77410.4%2,243,46732.7 min14.9%
North Carolina average6,3328.7%N/A32.3 min18.6%

Avery County ranked within North Carolina

Avery County sits in the bottom quarter of the North Carolina field on average driver age, at #90 of 100.

Avery County ranked among 100 county-level areas in North Carolina (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 97.
MeasureAvery CountyNorth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,595#67 of 100
Highway vehicle-miles per day260,436#84 of 97
Truck share on highways7.8%#81 of 97
Highway trucks per day530#85 of 97
Average travel time35.5 min#20 of 100
Average driver income$66,539#45 of 100
Average driver age43.8 yrs#90 of 100

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #20 of 100 on average travel time, against #90 of 100 on average driver age.

Busiest roads in Avery County, North Carolina

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Avery County carry 13,195 vehicles a day on average, 3.7 times the typical road in the county (3,595).

NC 105 / US 221 Truck is the busiest road, at 13,828 vehicles a day, 934 of them trucks (6.8%). Tynecastle Highway is practically level with it at 13,510. Newland Highway carries the most trucks, 989 a day (8.2% of its traffic), although it ranks #5 for all traffic.

Trips using US 19E are long: a median of 50.4 minutes against 35.5 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Drivers on Newland Highway are noticeably younger, with a median age of 35.5 against 43.8 across the county.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1NC 105 / US 221 TruckTrunk road · 13,828vehicles934trucks · 6.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
28.6%
Median trip time
41.3 min
Drivers’ median age
39.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$62,857

NC 105 / US 221 Truck carries 3.8 times the county average at its busiest, 934 of them trucks (6.8%, in line with the county-wide 6.7%).

2Tynecastle HighwaySecondary road · 13,510vehicles501trucks · 3.7%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
37.2%
Median trip time
32.2 min
Drivers’ median age
38.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,465

Travel on Tynecastle Highway's busiest stretch runs 37% over free-flow time, against 12% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

3Shawneehaw LaneSecondary road · 12,246vehicles443trucks · 3.6%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
33.1 min
Drivers’ median age
38.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,155

Shawneehaw Lane carries 3.4 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 33.1 minutes.

4Mitchell AvenueTrunk road · 12,052vehicles660trucks · 5.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
35.3%
Median trip time
47.7 min
Drivers’ median age
36.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,434

Drivers on Mitchell Avenue are on long journeys, a median 47.7 minutes against 35.5 county-wide: a through route more than a local street.

5Newland HighwayTrunk road · 12,014vehicles989trucks · 8.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
33.6%
Median trip time
49.0 min
Drivers’ median age
35.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$64,916

Newland Highway carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 49.0 minutes, against 35.5 for the county.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Newland HighwayTrunk road · #5 by traffic12,014vehicles989trucks · 8.2%
2NC 105 / US 221 TruckTrunk road · #1 by traffic13,828vehicles934trucks · 6.8%
3Linville StreetTrunk road · 12,009vehicles742trucks · 6.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
40.9%
Median trip time
38.6 min
Drivers’ median age
50.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$59,936

Linville Street is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 41% longer than at free-flow speed, against 12% county-wide.

4US 19ETrunk road · 7,607vehicles665trucks · 8.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
19.8%
Median trip time
50.4 min
Drivers’ median age
50.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$54,023

At 2.1 times the county average, US 19E draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $54,023 in household income.

5Mitchell AvenueTrunk road · #4 by traffic12,052vehicles660trucks · 5.5%
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

AveryDepartment 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 Avery County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Avery County, North Carolina.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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