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Traffic heat map of Clay County, Minnesota: 563 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 94 and US 10

Clay County, Minnesota Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Clay County, Minnesota? We measure 563 road miles, divided into 4,641 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its drivers are the youngest of any county in Minnesota, a median 41 years. 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 Clay County, Minnesota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,009
Trucks

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

8.8%
Average travel time

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

32.1 min
Congestion ratio

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

10.2%
Drivers’ average age

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

40.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$84,943

The average monitored road in Clay County, Minnesota carries 3,009 vehicles per day. Across its 563 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 1,770,235 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈646 million per year). About 1 in 11 vehicles is a truck, in line with Minnesota (8.1%).

Busier roads than 84% of counties in Minnesota

At 3,009 vehicles per day, the average road in Clay carries somewhat less traffic than the state average of 3,404 (12% less) - a critical factor for logistics and site planning. Network-wide, Clay accounts for about 1.3% of Minnesota's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Clay carries more traffic than 84% of counties in Minnesota.

Journey times here (32.1 minutes on average) closely track the state level. Its average travel time of 32.1 minutes is shorter than 67% of counties in Minnesota.

The congestion ratio of 10.2% is in line with the state level.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Clay County, Minnesota

Trafficvehicles per day7,617
Trucks11.3%
Average travel time42.0 min
Congestion ratio23.6%
Drivers’ average age41.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$85,519

Travel in Clay County, Minnesota splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (52% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 7,617 vehicles per day, 183% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,689 vehicles per day.

With 19% of the road miles (109 miles in 302 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 927,283 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈338 million per year).

That is more highway travel volume than 75% of counties in Minnesota.

More highway trucks than 75% of counties in Minnesota

The concentration of trucks on highways (11.3%) is 10% higher than the state average for similar road classifications. The highway traffic mix is typical for Minnesota: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 51% of counties in Minnesota. 75% of counties in Minnesota see fewer highway trucks per day than Clay's roughly 862.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Clay County, Minnesota

Trafficvehicles per day2,689
Trucks6.0%
Average travel time31.4 min
Congestion ratio9.2%
Drivers’ average age39.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income$84,464

Travel in Clay County, Minnesota splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (48% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. The average non-highway road carries 2,689 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 81% of the monitored road miles (454 miles in 4,339 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 842,952 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈308 million per year). About 1 in 17 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.0%).

The youngest drivers of any county in Minnesota

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 47% lower than on highways.

Non-highway congestion (9.2%) runs slightly lower than the state level (5% lower).

Trip origins here have higher average income than 79% of counties in Minnesota. At 41 years, Clay's median driver age is the lowest in Minnesota.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
A long morning plateau from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM and PM peak 4:00 PM–7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 85% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekend traffic is about as busy as on weekdays (-2%): leisure and through trips largely replace the commute.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +22% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
February is the quietest month, with volumes -21% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Clay County, Minnesota, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +22% in high season.

Clay County vs. Minnesota Traffic Comparison

Clay County stays close to the Minnesota average; the largest gap is its average daily traffic per road, 12% below.

MetricClay CountyMinnesota averageDifference
Traffic3,0093,404-11.6%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.8%8.1%+9.0%
Truck % (Highway)11.3%10.3%+10.3%
Avg. Travel Time32.1 min32.2 min-0.4%

How Clay County compares

Clay County against nearby counties

Against the 4 nearest areas, Clay County carries 47.4% more traffic on a typical road and sees 19.1% shorter typical trips; it has the second busiest roads of the five. Bigger and busier at once: more road than the areas around it and heavier traffic on it, which makes it the centre of gravity for travel in this part of the map.

Clay County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Minnesota average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Clay County3,0098.8%1,770,23532.1 min10.2%
Wilkin County, Minnesota1,09113.4%451,71236.5 min5.4%
Norman County, Minnesota8338.6%224,40351.7 min3.9%
Cass County, North Dakota4,5217.2%2,717,47635.8 min17.0%
Becker County, Minnesota1,7207.1%964,32934.7 min7.7%
Minnesota average3,4048.1%N/A32.2 min10.6%

Clay County ranked within Minnesota

No county-level area in Minnesota records a lower average driver age than Clay County.

Clay County ranked among 87 county-level areas in Minnesota (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 81.
MeasureClay CountyMinnesota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,009#15 of 87
Highway vehicle-miles per day927,283#21 of 81
Truck share on highways11.3%#40 of 81
Highway trucks per day862#21 of 81
Average travel time32.1 min#59 of 87
Average driver income$84,943#19 of 87
Average driver age40.6 yrs#87 of 87

Clay County ranks #15 of 87 on average daily traffic volume but #87 of 87 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Clay County, Minnesota

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Clay County carry 17,302 vehicles a day on average, 5.7 times the typical road in the county (3,009).

I 94 leads with 19,120 vehicles a day, 2,495 of them trucks (13.1%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

8th Street is busy with cars rather than freight: only 4.0% of its traffic is trucks, against 8.8% county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 94Motorway · 19,120vehicles2,495trucks · 13.1%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
30.6%
Median trip time
41.3 min
Drivers’ median age
40.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$84,587

I 94 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 31% longer than at free-flow speed, against 10% county-wide.

2US 10Trunk road · 16,942vehicles1,156trucks · 6.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
20.0%
Median trip time
38.6 min
Drivers’ median age
41.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$87,496

At 5.6 times the county average, US 10 draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $87,496 in household income.

38th StreetPrimary road · 15,844vehicles631trucks · 4.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
23.0%
Median trip time
31.8 min
Drivers’ median age
38.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,322

Delays build on 8th Street: its congestion ratio of 23% over free-flow time is well above the county's 10%.

4Center AvenuePrimary road · 13,408vehicles504trucks · 3.8%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
30.0 min
Drivers’ median age
41.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$87,927

Center Avenue carries 4.5 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 30.0 minutes.

534th StreetPrimary road · 12,651vehicles640trucks · 5.1%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
14.9%
Median trip time
25.6 min
Drivers’ median age
40.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$84,645

At 4.2 times the county average, 34th Street draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $84,645 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 94Motorway · #1 by traffic19,120vehicles2,495trucks · 13.1%
2US 10Trunk road · #2 by traffic16,942vehicles1,156trucks · 6.8%
370th StreetTrunk road · 10,730vehicles972trucks · 9.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
39.5 min
Drivers’ median age
42.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$88,473

The busiest stretch of 70th Street carries 3.6 times the county average; trucks are 9.1% of it, in line with the county-wide 8.8%.

4State Street SouthwestTrunk road · 11,214vehicles805trucks · 7.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
17.1%
Median trip time
38.2 min
Drivers’ median age
40.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$87,113

On its busiest stretch, State Street Southwest carries 3.7 times the county average; trucks are 7.2% of it, below the county-wide 8.8%.

534th StreetPrimary road · #5 by traffic12,651vehicles640trucks · 5.1%
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

ClayDepartment 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 Clay County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Clay County, Minnesota.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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