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Traffic heat map of Clarke County, Iowa: 145 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 35 and McLane Street

Clarke County, Iowa Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Clarke County, Iowa? We measure 145 road miles, divided into 1,145 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its highways carry one of the top 5 truck shares of any county in Iowa. 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 Clarke County, Iowa

Traffic

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

vehicles per day2,587
Trucks

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

19.7%
Average travel time

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

32.6 min
Congestion ratio

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

4.0%
Drivers’ average age

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

47.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$71,933

A typical monitored road in Clarke County, Iowa sees 2,587 vehicles per day, while its 145 miles of monitored roads together handle 494,892 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈181 million per year). Freight weighs heavily here: trucks are 19.7% of traffic, against 11.0% across Iowa.

Busier roads than 83% of counties in Iowa

At 2,587 vehicles per day, the average road in Clarke carries somewhat less traffic than the state average of 3,042 (15% less) - a factor worth weighing in site selection and logistics planning. Network-wide, Clarke accounts for about 0.6% of Iowa's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Clarke carries more traffic than 83% of counties in Iowa.

At 32.6 minutes, the average travel time matches the state level closely. On travel time, Clarke runs shorter than 64% of counties in Iowa.

The congestion ratio of 4.0% is 65% lower, pointing to smoother traffic flow than the state level - free-flowing roads make scheduled deliveries highly predictable.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Clarke County, Iowa

Trafficvehicles per day7,939
Trucks24.7%
Average travel time50.5 min
Drivers’ average age44.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$71,938

Highways carry more than half of all travel in Clarke County, Iowa (68% of vehicle-miles). The average highway carries 7,939 vehicles per day, 236% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,363 vehicles per day.

With 28% of the road miles (40 miles in 46 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 338,354 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈123 million per year).

By highway travel volume, Clarke outranks 55% of counties in Iowa.

Higher highway truck share than 94% of counties in Iowa

The concentration of trucks on highways (24.7%) is 53% higher than the state average for similar road classifications. That marks Clarke as a major freight corridor, where highway access is what logistics operators compete on.

Clarke's highway truck share (24.7%) is higher than 94% of counties in Iowa. 86% of counties in Iowa see fewer highway trucks per day than Clarke's roughly 1,958.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Clarke County, Iowa

Trafficvehicles per day2,363
Trucks9.1%
Average travel time31.9 min
Congestion ratio4.0%
Drivers’ average age49.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$71,930

Local roads carry a significant share of travel in Clarke County, Iowa: 32% of all vehicle-miles. A typical local road sees 2,363 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 72% of the monitored road miles (105 miles in 1,099 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 156,538 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈57.1 million per year). Trucks make up 9.1% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 11 vehicles.

Local congestion 64% below the Iowa average

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 63% fewer trucks by share.

At 64% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 4.0% signals easier movement on local roads.

Clarke's average driver income is higher than 52% of counties in Iowa. Clarke's median driver age is lower than 77% of counties in Iowa.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and a long afternoon plateau from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 72% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are much quieter: volumes run about 23% below weekday levels, the signature of a commute-driven road network.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
April–June is the high season, with volumes +8% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -13% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Clarke County, Iowa, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +8% in high season.

Clarke County vs. Iowa Traffic Comparison

Clarke County's biggest difference from the Iowa average is its truck share, 79% above it. Its highway truck share is also 53% above.

MetricClarke CountyIowa averageDifference
Traffic2,5873,042-14.9%
Truck % (Total Traffic)19.7%11.0%+79.2%
Truck % (Highway)24.7%16.1%+53.2%
Avg. Travel Time32.6 min33.0 min-1.2%

How Clarke County compares

Clarke County is the least congested of its nearby counties

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, Clarke County runs 6.6 percentage points more truck traffic; it has the second busiest roads of the five. Traffic volume here matches the areas around it, but more of that traffic is trucks - a difference in what routes through, not in how much.

Clarke County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Iowa average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Clarke County2,58719.7%494,89232.6 min4.0%
Decatur County, Iowa1,48022.2%518,78730.1 minN/A
Warren County, Iowa4,00411.7%1,984,94530.9 min14.5%
Union County, Iowa2,5287.6%249,51531.5 min4.8%
Lucas County, Iowa1,75911.1%207,55337.7 min5.9%
Iowa average3,04211.0%N/A33.0 min11.4%

Clarke County ranked within Iowa

Clarke County sits in the top quarter of the Iowa field on truck share on highways, at #5 of 70.

Clarke County ranked among 99 county-level areas in Iowa (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 70.
MeasureClarke CountyIowa rank
Traffic volume (AADT)2,587#18 of 99
Highway vehicle-miles per day338,354#32 of 70
Truck share on highways24.7%#5 of 70
Highway trucks per day1,958#11 of 70
Average travel time32.6 min#64 of 99
Average driver income$71,933#48 of 99
Average driver age47.8 yrs#76 of 99

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #5 of 70 on truck share on highways, against #76 of 99 on average driver age.

Busiest roads in Clarke County, Iowa

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 10,885 vehicles a day, against 2,587 on the average road in Clarke County.

I 35 leads with 16,837 vehicles a day, 4,152 of them trucks (24.7%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using I 35 are long: a median of 50.5 minutes against 32.6 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

McLane Street is busy with cars rather than freight: only 5.9% of its traffic is trucks, against 19.7% county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 35Motorway · 16,837vehicles4,152trucks · 24.7%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
50.5 min
Drivers’ median age
44.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$71,938

A main artery: I 35's busiest stretch carries 6.5 times the county average; trucks are 24.7% of it, above the county-wide 19.7%.

2McLane StreetPrimary road · 11,503vehicles683trucks · 5.9%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
30.4 min
Drivers’ median age
48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$72,358

McLane Street peaks at 11,503 vehicles a day, 4.4 times the county average; trucks are 5.9% of it, below the county-wide 19.7%.

3US 34Primary road · 4,315vehicles394trucks · 9.1%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
34.9 min
Drivers’ median age
49.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$67,652

US 34 peaks at 4,315 vehicles a day, 67% more than the county average; trucks are 9.1% of it, below the county-wide 19.7%.

4Main StreetPrimary road · 3,535vehicles212trucks · 6.0%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
32.2 min
Drivers’ median age
49.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$72,162

Main Street carries 37% more than the county average at its busiest, 212 of them trucks (6.0%, below the county-wide 19.7%).

5Clay StreetTertiary road · 1,693vehicles83trucks · 4.9%
Road class
Tertiary road
Congestion ratio
3.9%
Median trip time
26.5 min
Drivers’ median age
50.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,401

Even at its busiest, Clay Street carries 35% less than the county average; trucks are 4.9% of it, below the county-wide 19.7%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 35Motorway · #1 by traffic16,837vehicles4,152trucks · 24.7%
2McLane StreetPrimary road · #2 by traffic11,503vehicles683trucks · 5.9%
3US 34Primary road · #3 by traffic4,315vehicles394trucks · 9.1%
4Main StreetPrimary road · #4 by traffic3,535vehicles212trucks · 6.0%
5US 69Primary road · 1,675vehicles153trucks · 9.1%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
31.3 min
Drivers’ median age
51.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$67,944

US 69 is a quieter road: its busiest stretch carries 35% less than the county average; trucks are 9.1% of it, below the county-wide 19.7%.

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

ClarkeDepartment 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 Clarke County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Clarke County, Iowa.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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