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Traffic heat map of Brule County, South Dakota: 181 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic)

Brule County, South Dakota Traffic Counts

TrafficZoom tracks traffic on 181 road miles in Brule County, South Dakota, divided into 1,033 segments averaging 926 ft. Its busiest road, Purple Heart Memorial Highway/Lewis and Clark Trail, carries 10,649 vehicles a day, 7.1 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 Brule County, South Dakota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day1,504
Trucks

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

13.4%
Average travel time

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

29.4 min
Drivers’ average age

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

50.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$72,395

Our data shows 1,504 vehicles per day on the average road in Brule County, South Dakota, and 373,407 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈136 million per year) across its 181 miles of monitored roads. At 13.4%, the truck share runs above the 10.3% across South Dakota: about 1 in 7 vehicles.

Shorter trips than 92% of counties in South Dakota

At 1,504 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Brule carries 52% less traffic than the state average of 3,156, suggesting less demand on each road - very light roads: easy truck access, but little passing trade for roadside retail. Across the whole network, that travel is about 1.5% of South Dakota's statewide total. By volume, Brule's 1,504 vehicles per day outpaces 66% of counties in South Dakota.

Journey times run 9% lower than the state level, at 29.4 minutes on average. On travel time, Brule runs shorter than 92% of counties in South Dakota.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Brule County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day4,154
Trucks15.1%
Average travel time46.1 min
Drivers’ average age49.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$69,645

Most travel in Brule County, South Dakota happens on highways, 78% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 4,154 vehicles per day, 208% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 1,350 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 34% of the monitored road miles (62 miles, 57 segments), so they carry more than their share: 292,049 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈107 million per year).

71% of counties in South Dakota move less traffic on their highways.

More highway trucks than 81% of counties in South Dakota

Highway truck concentration here runs 11% higher than the state average, at 15.1%. The highway traffic mix is typical for South Dakota: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

62% of counties in South Dakota see a lower highway truck share than Brule's 15.1%. 81% of counties in South Dakota see fewer highway trucks per day than Brule's roughly 627.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Brule County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day1,350
Trucks7.4%
Average travel time28.4 min
Drivers’ average age51.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income$75,314

At 22% of vehicle-miles, local roads carry a smaller share of the traffic in Brule County, South Dakota than highways. A typical local road sees 1,350 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 66% of the monitored road miles (119 miles in 976 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 81,357 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈29.7 million per year). Trucks make up 7.4% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 13 vehicles.

Local roads carry 51% fewer trucks by share than highways

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 51% lower than the highway network.

54% of counties in South Dakota see lower average driver income among trip origins than Brule. 62% of counties in South Dakota have a younger driver population than Brule.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

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

Brule County vs. South Dakota Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Brule County apart: 52% below the South Dakota average. Its truck share, by contrast, is 31% above.

MetricBrule CountySouth Dakota averageDifference
Traffic1,5043,156-52.3%
Truck % (Total Traffic)13.4%10.3%+30.6%
Truck % (Highway)15.1%13.6%+11.1%
Avg. Travel Time29.4 min32.5 min-9.4%

How Brule County compares

Brule County has the busiest roads among its nearby counties

Against the 4 nearest areas, Brule County carries 101.5% more traffic on a typical road and moves 2.6 times the total daily travel; it has the busiest roads of the five. Busier roads and shorter trips together - destinations here sit closer to one another than in the areas around it.

Brule County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the South Dakota average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Brule County1,50413.4%373,40729.4 minN/A
Buffalo County, South Dakota30213.3%22,79042.0 minN/A
Aurora County, South Dakota1,10915.5%376,65737.3 minN/A
Jerauld County, South Dakota79411.1%56,00241.2 minN/A
Gregory County, South Dakota78210.2%117,28431.9 minN/A
South Dakota average3,15610.3%N/A32.5 min12.9%

Brule County ranked within South Dakota

Brule County sits in the bottom quarter of the South Dakota field on average travel time, at #61 of 66.

Brule County ranked among 66 county-level areas in South Dakota (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 49.
MeasureBrule CountySouth Dakota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)1,504#23 of 66
Highway vehicle-miles per day292,049#15 of 49
Truck share on highways15.1%#19 of 49
Highway trucks per day627#10 of 49
Average travel time29.4 min#61 of 66
Average driver income$72,395#31 of 66
Average driver age50.6 yrs#26 of 66

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #10 of 49 on highway truck volume, against #61 of 66 on average travel time.

Busiest roads in Brule County, South Dakota

The three busiest roads in Brule County average 8,506 vehicles a day, 5.7 times the county average of 1,504 across all its monitored roads.

Purple Heart Memorial Highway/Lewis and Clark Trail leads with 10,649 vehicles a day, 1,646 of them trucks (15.5%). It also carries the most trucks.

Purple Heart Memorial Highway carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 50.8 minutes against 29.4 county-wide.

Few trucks use King Avenue: 5.2% of its traffic, under half the county's 13.4%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Purple Heart Memorial Highway/Lewis and Clark TrailMotorway · 10,649vehicles1,646trucks · 15.5%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
48.6 min
Drivers’ median age
50.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,523

Purple Heart Memorial Highway/Lewis and Clark Trail carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 48.6 minutes, against 29.4 for the county.

2Purple Heart Memorial HighwayMotorway · 9,244vehicles1,438trucks · 15.6%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
50.8 min
Drivers’ median age
49.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,287

Purple Heart Memorial Highway carries 6.1 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 50.8 minutes.

3King AvenuePrimary road · 5,626vehicles294trucks · 5.2%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
28.1 min
Drivers’ median age
50.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$76,386

King Avenue peaks at 5,626 vehicles a day, 3.7 times the county average; trucks are 5.2% of it, below the county-wide 13.4%.

4Main StreetSecondary road · 3,116vehicles213trucks · 6.8%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
34.5 min
Drivers’ median age
50.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,980

Main Street carries 2.1 times the county average at its busiest, 213 of them trucks (6.8%, below the county-wide 13.4%).

5Courtland StreetSecondary road · 2,918vehicles193trucks · 6.6%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
37.7 min
Drivers’ median age
50.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$71,680

Courtland Street carries 94% more than the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 37.7 minutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Purple Heart Memorial Highway/Lewis and Clark TrailMotorway · #1 by traffic10,649vehicles1,646trucks · 15.5%
2Purple Heart Memorial HighwayMotorway · #2 by traffic9,244vehicles1,438trucks · 15.6%
3King AvenuePrimary road · #3 by traffic5,626vehicles294trucks · 5.2%
4Main StreetSecondary road · #4 by traffic3,116vehicles213trucks · 6.8%
5Chamberlain BridgePrimary road · 2,889vehicles209trucks · 7.2%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
22.9 min
Drivers’ median age
51.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$67,227

At 92% more than the county average, Chamberlain Bridge draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $67,227 in household income.

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

BruleDepartment 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 Brule County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Brule County, South Dakota.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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