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Traffic heat map of Butte County, South Dakota: 232 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on 5th Avenue and US 85

Butte County, South Dakota Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Butte County, South Dakota? We measure 232 road miles, divided into 1,299 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its busiest road, 5th Avenue, carries 13,861 vehicles a day, 4.5 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 icon

Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Butte County, South Dakota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,086
Trucks

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

11.1%
Average travel time

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

31.6 min
Congestion ratio

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

3.4%
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.

$74,708

Our data shows 3,086 vehicles per day on the average road in Butte County, South Dakota, and 275,972 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈101 million per year) across its 232 miles of monitored roads. About 1 in 9 vehicles is a truck, in line with South Dakota (10.3%).

Congestion 74% below the South Dakota average

Butte's average daily traffic volume of 3,086 vehicles per day is on par with the state average of 3,156. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 1.1% of South Dakota's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Butte carries more traffic than 86% of counties in South Dakota.

The average trip takes 31.6 minutes, on par with the state level. 78% of counties in South Dakota have a longer average travel time than Butte's 31.6 minutes.

At 74% lower than the state level, the 3.4% congestion ratio signals smoother traffic flow - delays are rare enough to plan travel times almost to the minute.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Butte County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day8,248
Trucks12.8%
Average travel time30.2 min
Congestion ratio3.4%
Drivers’ average age50.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income$73,170

Highways carry about half of all travel in Butte County, South Dakota, 53% of vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 8,248 vehicles per day, 439% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 1,530 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 28% of the monitored road miles (66 miles, 301 segments), so they carry more than their share: 145,229 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈53.0 million per year).

52% of counties in South Dakota move less traffic on their highways.

Lower highway truck share than 65% of counties in South Dakota

Highway truck concentration here runs 6% lower than the state average, at 12.8%. The highway traffic mix is typical for South Dakota: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

65% of counties in South Dakota see a higher highway truck share than Butte's 12.8%. By raw truck volume, Butte carries fewer highway trucks than 62% of counties in South Dakota.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Butte County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day1,530
Trucks9.2%
Average travel time32.0 min
Drivers’ average age51.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$76,574

Local roads carry about half of all travel in Butte County, South Dakota, 47% of vehicle-miles. A typical local road sees 1,530 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 72% of the monitored road miles (166 miles in 998 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 130,743 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈47.7 million per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 9.2%.

Drivers from higher-income areas than 68% of counties in South Dakota

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 28% lower than on highways.

Butte's average driver income is higher than 68% of counties in South Dakota. Butte's median driver age is higher than 57% of counties in South Dakota.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

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Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 3:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 73% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 15% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +25% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -24% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Butte County, South Dakota, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +25% in high season.

Butte County vs. South Dakota Traffic Comparison

Butte County stays close to the South Dakota average; the largest gap is its truck share, 8% above.

MetricButte CountySouth Dakota averageDifference
Traffic3,0863,156-2.2%
Truck % (Total Traffic)11.1%10.3%+7.9%
Truck % (Highway)12.8%13.6%-5.6%
Avg. Travel Time31.6 min32.5 min-2.7%

How Butte County compares

Butte County against nearby counties

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Butte County carries 58.6% more traffic on a typical road; it has the second busiest roads of the five.

Butte 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
Butte County3,08611.1%275,97231.6 min3.4%
Lawrence County, South Dakota3,4259.1%848,59628.8 minN/A
Meade County, South Dakota2,47010.1%821,75831.4 min4.0%
Crook County, Wyoming1,11312.6%421,59135.9 min3.5%
Harding County, South Dakota77516.8%82,68453.9 minN/A
South Dakota average3,15610.3%N/A32.5 min12.9%

Butte County ranked within South Dakota

Average daily traffic volume places Butte County #10 of 66 in South Dakota - the top quarter of the state.

Butte 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.
MeasureButte CountySouth Dakota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,086#10 of 66
Highway vehicle-miles per day145,229#24 of 49
Truck share on highways12.8%#32 of 49
Highway trucks per day1,057#31 of 49
Average travel time31.6 min#52 of 66
Average driver income$74,708#22 of 66
Average driver age50.2 yrs#29 of 66

Butte County ranks #10 of 66 on average daily traffic volume but #52 of 66 on average travel time - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Butte County, South Dakota

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 9,536 vehicles a day, against 3,086 on the average road in Butte County.

5th Avenue leads with 13,861 vehicles a day, 1,184 of them trucks (8.5%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Alzada Road carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 47.8 minutes against 31.6 county-wide.

Few trucks use National Street: 5.2% of its traffic, under half the county's 11.1%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
15th AvenueTrunk road · 13,861vehicles1,184trucks · 8.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
30.6 min
Drivers’ median age
50.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$73,033

The busiest stretch of 5th Avenue carries 4.5 times the county average; trucks are 8.5% of it, below the county-wide 11.1%.

2US 85Trunk road · 10,997vehicles988trucks · 9.0%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
25.8 min
Drivers’ median age
49.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$72,996

On its busiest stretch, US 85 carries 3.6 times the county average; trucks are 9.0% of it, below the county-wide 11.1%.

3National StreetSecondary road · 3,750vehicles196trucks · 5.2%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
28.4 min
Drivers’ median age
50.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$70,737

National Street is busy by local standards, at 21% more than the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 5.2% of it, below the county-wide 11.1%.

4Alzada RoadTrunk road · 3,401vehicles498trucks · 14.6%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
47.8 min
Drivers’ median age
51.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$71,215

Alzada Road peaks at 3,401 vehicles a day, 10% more than the county average; trucks are 14.6% of it, above the county-wide 11.1%.

5Dartmouth AvenuePrimary road · 2,753vehicles306trucks · 11.1%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
44.2 min
Drivers’ median age
51.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,873

Dartmouth Avenue carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 44.2 minutes, against 31.6 for the county.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
15th AvenueTrunk road · #1 by traffic13,861vehicles1,184trucks · 8.5%
2US 85Trunk road · #2 by traffic10,997vehicles988trucks · 9.0%
3Alzada RoadTrunk road · #4 by traffic3,401vehicles498trucks · 14.6%
4Dartmouth AvenuePrimary road · #5 by traffic2,753vehicles306trucks · 11.1%
5US 212Primary road · 2,395vehicles225trucks · 9.4%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
43.4 min
Drivers’ median age
51.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$68,218

Drivers on US 212 are on long journeys, a median 43.4 minutes against 31.6 county-wide: a through route more than a local street.

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

ButteDepartment 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 Butte County

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

Need segment-level traffic data?

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