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Traffic heat map of Cleveland County, North Carolina: 511 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 85

Cleveland County, North Carolina Traffic Counts

Our Cleveland County, North Carolina traffic data covers 11,122 road segments over 511 road miles, with an average segment of just 242 ft. Its busiest road, I 85, carries 41,906 vehicles a day, 9.6 times the average road. Whether you are evaluating a new retail location, planning routes or assessing infrastructure, these numbers replace guesswork.
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 Cleveland County, North Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day4,376
Trucks

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

11.2%
Average travel time

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

31.7 min
Congestion ratio

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

13.6%
Drivers’ average age

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

48.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$60,987

Our data shows 4,376 vehicles per day on the average road in Cleveland County, North Carolina, and 2,482,585 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈906 million per year) across its 511 miles of monitored roads. At 11.2%, the truck share runs above the 8.7% across North Carolina: about 1 in 9 vehicles.

Traffic 31% below the North Carolina average

Cleveland sees 31% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (4,376 vehicles per day against 6,332), suggesting less demand on each road - less drive-by exposure for retail, but easier access for deliveries. Network-wide, Cleveland accounts for about 0.9% of North Carolina's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Cleveland carries more traffic than 55% of counties in North Carolina.

Journey times here (31.7 minutes on average) closely track the state level. 59% of counties in North Carolina have a longer average travel time than Cleveland's 31.7 minutes.

Congestion runs 27% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 13.6%, which means smoother traffic flow - fewer delays make delivery windows more reliable.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Cleveland County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day12,690
Trucks16.7%
Average travel time42.5 min
Congestion ratio29.3%
Drivers’ average age48.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$60,609

Travel in Cleveland County, North Carolina splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (48% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 12,690 vehicles per day, 235% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 3,788 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 17% of the monitored road miles (89 miles, 734 segments), so they carry more than their share: 1,200,902 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈438 million per year).

62% of counties in North Carolina move less traffic on their highways.

Higher highway truck share than 86% of counties in North Carolina

At 16.7%, highway truck share is 38% higher than the state average. Highways here lean toward freight, so highway access is a real asset for logistics operators.

86% of counties in North Carolina see a lower highway truck share than Cleveland's 16.7%. By raw truck volume, Cleveland carries more highway trucks than 76% of counties in North Carolina.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Cleveland County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day3,788
Trucks6.0%
Average travel time31.0 min
Congestion ratio12.5%
Drivers’ average age48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$61,206

Travel in Cleveland County, North Carolina splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (52% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. A typical local road sees 3,788 vehicles per day.

Spread over 421 miles and 10,388 segments, 83% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 1,281,683 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈468 million per year). Trucks make up 6.0% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 17 vehicles.

Local roads carry 64% fewer trucks by share than highways

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 64% fewer trucks by share.

At 29% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 12.5% signals easier movement on local roads.

63% of counties in North Carolina see higher average driver income among trip origins than Cleveland. 62% of counties in North Carolina have an older driver population than Cleveland.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Cleveland County, North Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic.

Cleveland County vs. North Carolina Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, highway truck share differs most: Cleveland County runs 38% above the North Carolina average. Its average daily traffic per road, by contrast, is 31% below.

MetricCleveland CountyNorth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic4,3766,332-30.9%
Truck % (Total Traffic)11.2%8.7%+27.8%
Truck % (Highway)16.7%12.1%+38.3%
Avg. Travel Time31.7 min32.3 min-1.7%

How Cleveland County compares

Cleveland County against nearby counties

Nothing in this table sets Cleveland County sharply apart from the 4 areas nearest to it, though it has the third busiest roads of the five.

Cleveland 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
Cleveland County4,37611.2%2,482,58531.7 min13.6%
Rutherford County, North Carolina3,3558.7%1,236,64830.7 min11.0%
Lincoln County, North Carolina6,9527.9%2,106,86032.2 min18.5%
Gaston County, North Carolina8,0939.7%5,279,76333.9 min20.5%
Cherokee County, South Carolina2,94518.2%2,021,73733.3 min9.2%
North Carolina average6,3328.7%N/A32.3 min18.6%

Cleveland County ranked within North Carolina

Cleveland County sits in the top quarter of the North Carolina field on truck share on highways, at #14 of 97.

Cleveland 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.
MeasureCleveland CountyNorth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)4,376#46 of 100
Highway vehicle-miles per day1,200,902#37 of 97
Truck share on highways16.7%#14 of 97
Highway trucks per day2,121#24 of 97
Average travel time31.7 min#59 of 100
Average driver income$60,987#63 of 100
Average driver age48.5 yrs#62 of 100

Busiest roads in Cleveland County, North Carolina

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Cleveland County carry 38,169 vehicles a day on average, 8.7 times the typical road in the county (4,376).

I 85 is the busiest road, at 41,906 vehicles a day, 13,374 of them trucks (31.9%). It also carries the most trucks.

Freight stands out on I 85: trucks are 31.9% of the traffic there, against 11.2% county-wide.

I 85 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 56.8 minutes against 31.7 county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 85Motorway · 41,906vehicles13,374trucks · 31.9%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
43.2%
Median trip time
56.8 min
Drivers’ median age
46.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,110

Travel on I 85's busiest stretch runs 43% over free-flow time, against 14% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2Andrew Jackson HighwayTrunk road · 37,141vehicles2,771trucks · 7.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
45.4%
Median trip time
44.1 min
Drivers’ median age
48.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$60,534

Andrew Jackson Highway is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 45% longer than at free-flow speed, against 14% county-wide.

3Dixon BoulevardTrunk road · 35,459vehicles2,814trucks · 7.9%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
40.7%
Median trip time
41.2 min
Drivers’ median age
48.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$59,590

At 8.1 times the county average, Dixon Boulevard draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $59,590 in household income.

4Senator J. Ollie Harris HighwayMotorway · 32,506vehicles4,088trucks · 12.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
36.9%
Median trip time
45.2 min
Drivers’ median age
47.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$60,940

Drivers on Senator J. Ollie Harris Highway are on long journeys, a median 45.2 minutes against 31.7 county-wide: a through route more than a local street.

5Dekalb StreetSecondary road · 13,636vehicles642trucks · 4.7%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
20.3%
Median trip time
31.7 min
Drivers’ median age
48.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$54,175

At 3.1 times the county average, Dekalb Street draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $54,175 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 85Motorway · #1 by traffic41,906vehicles13,374trucks · 31.9%
2Senator J. Ollie Harris HighwayMotorway · #4 by traffic32,506vehicles4,088trucks · 12.6%
3Dixon BoulevardTrunk road · #3 by traffic35,459vehicles2,814trucks · 7.9%
4Andrew Jackson HighwayTrunk road · #2 by traffic37,141vehicles2,771trucks · 7.5%
5Grover StreetPrimary road · 13,556vehicles918trucks · 6.8%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
21.3%
Median trip time
34.7 min
Drivers’ median age
48.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$55,587

The busiest stretch of Grover Street carries 3.1 times the county average; trucks are 6.8% of it, below the county-wide 11.2%.

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

ClevelandDepartment 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 Cleveland County

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

Need segment-level traffic data?

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