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Traffic heat map of Beaufort County, South Carolina: 316 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on William Hilton Parkway

Beaufort County, South Carolina Traffic Counts

Trips here are the shortest of any county in South Carolina, a median 28.7 minutes. This page breaks down traffic in Beaufort County, South Carolina across 316 miles of monitored roads split into 4,918 segments, using multi-sourced mobile and sensor data. It goes beyond raw counts to truck flow, congestion and who is driving, so site selection and route planning rest on evidence.
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 Beaufort County, South Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day12,398
Trucks

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

5.3%
Average travel time

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

28.7 min
Congestion ratio

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

30.2%
Drivers’ average age

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

52.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$89,268

Our data shows 12,398 vehicles per day on the average road in Beaufort County, South Carolina, and 3,810,461 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.4 billion per year) across its 316 miles of monitored roads. Traffic here is mostly passenger cars: only 5.3% trucks, against 9.5% across South Carolina.

The shortest trips of any county in South Carolina

Beaufort sees 76% higher average daily traffic volume than the state average (12,398 vehicles per day against 7,040), suggesting more demand on each road - prime passing trade for storefronts, with more competition for road space. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 2.6% of South Carolina's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Beaufort carries more traffic than 98% of counties in South Carolina.

At 28.7 minutes, the average travel time is 14% lower than the state level. Beaufort additionally records the lowest average travel time of any county in South Carolina - 28.7 minutes.

Congestion runs 66% higher than the state level, at a ratio of 30.2%, which means more pronounced congestion - expect markedly slower peak-hour deliveries and unreliable arrival times.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Beaufort County, South Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day18,319
Trucks6.5%
Average travel time31.4 min
Congestion ratio47.0%
Drivers’ average age53.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income$92,907

Highways carry about half of all travel in Beaufort County, South Carolina, 53% of vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 18,319 vehicles per day, 70% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 10,775 vehicles per day.

With 39% of the road miles (123 miles in 1,058 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 2,024,485 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈739 million per year).

By highway travel volume, Beaufort outranks 74% of counties in South Carolina.

Lower highway truck share than 98% of counties in South Carolina

Highway truck concentration here runs 53% lower than the state average, at 6.5%. Highways here carry mainly commuter and local trips, with little through freight.

By truck concentration, highways here trail 98% of counties in South Carolina. By raw truck volume, Beaufort carries fewer highway trucks than 69% of counties in South Carolina.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Beaufort County, South Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day10,775
Trucks3.9%
Average travel time28.0 min
Congestion ratio25.6%
Drivers’ average age51.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$86,235

Local roads carry about half of all travel in Beaufort County, South Carolina, 47% of vehicle-miles. A typical local road sees 10,775 vehicles per day.

Spread over 193 miles and 3,860 segments, 61% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 1,785,976 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈652 million per year). Trucks make up 3.9% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 26 vehicles.

Drivers from higher-income areas than 96% of counties in South Carolina

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 40% lower than the highway network.

The non-highway congestion ratio of 25.6% is 52% higher than the state level, suggesting slower local mobility than the state average.

Beaufort's average driver income is higher than 96% of counties in South Carolina. Beaufort's median driver age is higher than 93% of counties in South Carolina.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Beaufort County, South Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic.

Beaufort County vs. South Carolina Traffic Comparison

Beaufort County's biggest difference from the South Carolina average is its average daily traffic per road, 76% above it. Its highway truck share, by contrast, is 53% below.

MetricBeaufort CountySouth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic12,3987,040+76.1%
Truck % (Total Traffic)5.3%9.5%-44.3%
Truck % (Highway)6.5%13.7%-52.6%
Avg. Travel Time28.7 min33.3 min-13.7%

How Beaufort County compares

Beaufort County has the lowest truck share of its nearby counties

Against the 4 nearest areas, Beaufort County is 127.8% more congested and carries 133.1% 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.

Beaufort County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the South Carolina average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Beaufort County12,3985.3%3,810,46128.7 min30.2%
Jasper County, South Carolina6,10415.8%3,102,26536.7 min15.9%
Colleton County, South Carolina3,72415.3%2,450,38535.0 min10.0%
Hampton County, South Carolina2,78815.9%809,41332.2 min8.1%
Chatham County, Georgia8,6619.2%7,858,59532.6 min19.0%
South Carolina average7,0409.5%N/A33.3 min18.2%

Beaufort County ranked within South Carolina

Beaufort County sits in South Carolina's top three on average daily traffic volume and average driver income.

Beaufort County ranked among 46 county-level areas in South Carolina (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 43.
MeasureBeaufort CountySouth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)12,398#2 of 46
Highway vehicle-miles per day2,024,485#12 of 43
Truck share on highways6.5%#42 of 43
Highway trucks per day1,189#30 of 43
Average travel time28.7 min#46 of 46
Average driver income$89,268#3 of 46
Average driver age52.5 yrs#4 of 46

Beaufort County ranks #2 of 46 on average daily traffic volume but #46 of 46 on average travel time. Heavy traffic and short trips together: a compact network where destinations sit close to one another.

Busiest roads in Beaufort County, South Carolina

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 50,254 vehicles a day, against 12,398 on the average road in Beaufort County.

William Hilton Parkway leads with 58,765 vehicles a day, 2,799 of them trucks (4.8%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using Charleston Highway are long: a median of 62.5 minutes against 28.7 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Trucks make up 11.5% of traffic on Charleston Highway, against 5.3% across all roads in the county.

Drivers on Charleston Highway come from neighborhoods with an average household income of $61,433, 31% below the county average of $89,268.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1William Hilton ParkwayTrunk road · 58,765vehicles2,799trucks · 4.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
67.4%
Median trip time
31.6 min
Drivers’ median age
53.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$99,262

Travel on William Hilton Parkway's busiest stretch runs 67% over free-flow time, against 30% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2Fording Island RoadTrunk road · 54,723vehicles2,662trucks · 4.9%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
58.9%
Median trip time
34.3 min
Drivers’ median age
52.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$93,621

Fording Island Road peaks at 54,723 vehicles a day, 4.4 times the county average; trucks are 4.9% of it, below the county-wide 5.3%.

3Independence BoulevardTrunk road · 37,272vehicles2,267trucks · 6.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
45.2%
Median trip time
35.2 min
Drivers’ median age
52.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$92,086

Independence Boulevard carries 3.0 times the county average at its busiest, 2,267 of them trucks (6.1%, above the county-wide 5.3%).

4Okatie HighwayTrunk road · 35,865vehicles2,058trucks · 5.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
61.8%
Median trip time
36.1 min
Drivers’ median age
52.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$91,170

Okatie Highway is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 62% longer than at free-flow speed, against 30% county-wide.

5Pope AvenueSecondary road · 32,234vehicles1,084trucks · 3.4%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
25.3%
Median trip time
24.6 min
Drivers’ median age
57.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$97,042

Pope Avenue carries 2.6 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 24.6 minutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1William Hilton ParkwayTrunk road · #1 by traffic58,765vehicles2,799trucks · 4.8%
2Fording Island RoadTrunk road · #2 by traffic54,723vehicles2,662trucks · 4.9%
3Charleston HighwayTrunk road · 20,883vehicles2,401trucks · 11.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
62.5 min
Drivers’ median age
48.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$61,433

Charleston Highway carries 68% more than the county average at its busiest, 2,401 of them trucks (11.5%, above the county-wide 5.3%).

4Independence BoulevardTrunk road · #3 by traffic37,272vehicles2,267trucks · 6.1%
5Okatie HighwayTrunk road · #4 by traffic35,865vehicles2,058trucks · 5.7%
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

BeaufortDepartment 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 Beaufort County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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