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Traffic heat map of Cabarrus County, North Carolina: 548 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 85

Cabarrus County, North Carolina Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Cabarrus County, North Carolina? We measure 548 road miles, divided into 14,912 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its busiest road, I 85, carries 122,119 vehicles a day, 15.5 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 Volume & Performance in Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day7,866
Trucks

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

6.6%
Average travel time

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

33.8 min
Congestion ratio

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

20.7%
Drivers’ average age

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

44.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$89,772

The average monitored road in Cabarrus County, North Carolina carries 7,866 vehicles per day. Across its 548 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 5,426,595 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈2.0 billion per year). Trucks are a smaller part of the mix than across North Carolina: 6.6% against 8.7%.

Busier roads than 87% of counties in North Carolina

Cabarrus sees 24% higher average daily traffic volume than the state average (7,866 vehicles per day against 6,332), suggesting more demand on each road - a critical factor for logistics and site planning. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 2.0% of North Carolina's statewide total of vehicle-miles. By volume, Cabarrus's 7,866 vehicles per day outpaces 87% of counties in North Carolina.

At 33.8 minutes, the average travel time matches the state level closely. Its average travel time of 33.8 minutes is longer than 72% of counties in North Carolina.

Congestion is somewhat higher than the state level, at a ratio of 20.7% (12% higher) - relevant for traffic control and delivery planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day20,796
Trucks10.0%
Average travel time40.7 min
Congestion ratio32.5%
Drivers’ average age44.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$85,907

Highways carry a significant share of travel in Cabarrus County, North Carolina: 40% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 20,796 vehicles per day, 195% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 7,051 vehicles per day.

With 14% of the road miles (79 miles in 884 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 2,190,921 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈800 million per year).

That is more highway travel volume than 85% of counties in North Carolina.

More highway trucks than 86% of counties in North Carolina

At 10.0%, highway truck share is 17% lower than the state average. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

By truck concentration, highways here trail 65% of counties in North Carolina. By raw truck volume, Cabarrus carries more highway trucks than 86% of counties in North Carolina.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Cabarrus County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day7,051
Trucks4.3%
Average travel time33.3 min
Congestion ratio20.0%
Drivers’ average age45.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income$91,332

A little more than half of the driving in Cabarrus County, North Carolina happens on local roads: 60% of all vehicle-miles. A typical local road sees 7,051 vehicles per day.

Spread over 469 miles and 14,028 segments, 86% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 3,235,674 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.2 billion per year). About 1 in 23 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (4.3%).

Drivers from higher-income areas than 93% of counties in North Carolina

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 57% lower than on highways.

Non-highway congestion (20.0%) runs slightly higher than the state level (13% higher).

Trip origins here have higher average income than 93% of counties in North Carolina. The driver population here skews younger than 85% of counties in North Carolina.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–9:00 AM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 81% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 13% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
Traffic is nearly flat through the year: even September–November, the busiest stretch, runs only +3% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -9% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Cabarrus County, North Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic, and traffic stays steady through the year (+3% in high season).

Cabarrus County vs. North Carolina Traffic Comparison

Cabarrus County's biggest difference from the North Carolina average is its average daily traffic per road, 24% above it. Its truck share, by contrast, is 24% below.

MetricCabarrus CountyNorth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic7,8666,332+24.2%
Truck % (Total Traffic)6.6%8.7%-24.1%
Truck % (Highway)10.0%12.1%-17.1%
Avg. Travel Time33.8 min32.3 min+4.6%

How Cabarrus County compares

Cabarrus County against nearby counties

Cabarrus County tracks the 4 areas around it closely - no measure in this table sets it far apart from the areas immediately next to it, though it has the second busiest roads of the five. The same kind of road, just less of it: traffic per road matches the areas around it while the network itself is smaller.

Cabarrus 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
Cabarrus County7,8666.6%5,426,59533.8 min20.7%
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina12,2847.2%27,739,27232.2 min28.8%
Stanly County, North Carolina4,1766.7%1,298,28631.5 min10.9%
Union County, North Carolina6,0406.3%4,644,60830.0 min17.1%
Rowan County, North Carolina4,96310.3%3,634,48731.9 min13.9%
North Carolina average6,3328.7%N/A32.3 min18.6%

Cabarrus County ranked within North Carolina

Average driver income places Cabarrus County #8 of 100 in North Carolina - the top quarter of the state.

Cabarrus 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.
MeasureCabarrus CountyNorth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)7,866#14 of 100
Highway vehicle-miles per day2,190,921#15 of 97
Truck share on highways10.0%#63 of 97
Highway trucks per day2,082#14 of 97
Average travel time33.8 min#29 of 100
Average driver income$89,772#8 of 100
Average driver age44.8 yrs#85 of 100

Cabarrus County ranks #8 of 100 on average driver income but #85 of 100 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Cabarrus County, North Carolina

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Cabarrus County carry 77,776 vehicles a day on average, 9.9 times the typical road in the county (7,866).

I 85 leads with 122,119 vehicles a day, 13,313 of them trucks (10.9%). That is 65% more than the next road, Jeff Gordon Expressway (74,223). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using Jeff Gordon Expressway are long: a median of 46.6 minutes against 33.8 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 85Motorway · 122,119vehicles13,313trucks · 10.9%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
59.2%
Median trip time
46.5 min
Drivers’ median age
44.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$85,667

I 85 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 59% longer than at free-flow speed, against 21% county-wide.

2Jeff Gordon ExpresswayMotorway · 74,223vehicles7,313trucks · 9.8%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
46.6 min
Drivers’ median age
43.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$88,526

Jeff Gordon Expressway carries 9.4 times the county average at its busiest, 7,313 of them trucks (9.8%, above the county-wide 6.6%).

3University City BoulevardTrunk road · 36,987vehicles2,863trucks · 7.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
45.3%
Median trip time
33.1 min
Drivers’ median age
41.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$96,626

University City Boulevard carries 4.7 times the county average at its busiest, 2,863 of them trucks (7.7%, above the county-wide 6.6%).

4NC Highway 49Trunk road · 36,875vehicles1,731trucks · 4.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
54.4%
Median trip time
32.6 min
Drivers’ median age
42.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$98,133

Delays build on NC Highway 49: its congestion ratio of 54% over free-flow time is well above the county's 21%.

5Concord Mills BoulevardSecondary road · 34,169vehicles1,101trucks · 3.2%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
32.6%
Median trip time
32.8 min
Drivers’ median age
42.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$103,918

Concord Mills Boulevard carries 4.3 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 32.8 minutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 85Motorway · #1 by traffic122,119vehicles13,313trucks · 10.9%
2Jeff Gordon ExpresswayMotorway · #2 by traffic74,223vehicles7,313trucks · 9.8%
3University City BoulevardTrunk road · #3 by traffic36,987vehicles2,863trucks · 7.7%
4Main StreetTrunk road · 24,205vehicles2,163trucks · 8.9%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
32.9%
Median trip time
33.7 min
Drivers’ median age
47.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$85,775

At 3.1 times the county average, Main Street draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $85,775 in household income.

5NC 24 / NC 27Trunk road · 24,646vehicles1,917trucks · 7.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
29.5%
Median trip time
36.3 min
Drivers’ median age
47.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$89,562

The busiest stretch of NC 24 / NC 27 carries 3.1 times the county average; trucks are 7.8% of it, above the county-wide 6.6%.

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

CabarrusDepartment 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 Cabarrus County

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

Need segment-level traffic data?

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