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Traffic heat map of Cole County, Missouri: 392 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on US 54 and Rex M Whitton Expressway

Cole County, Missouri Traffic Counts

Its busiest road, US 54, carries 54,116 vehicles a day, 12.7 times the average road. This page breaks down traffic in Cole County, Missouri across 392 miles of monitored roads split into 6,674 segments, using multi-sourced mobile and sensor data. It goes beyond raw counts to truck flow, congestion and who is driving, so site selection and route planning rest on evidence.
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 Cole County, Missouri

Traffic

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

vehicles per day4,248
Trucks

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

7.9%
Average travel time

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

29.1 min
Congestion ratio

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

16.1%
Drivers’ average age

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

46.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$77,758

A typical monitored road in Cole County, Missouri sees 4,248 vehicles per day, while its 392 miles of monitored roads together handle 1,899,346 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈693 million per year). Trucks are a smaller part of the mix than across Missouri: 7.9% against 9.8%.

Shorter trips than 90% of counties in Missouri

Cole sees 25% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (4,248 vehicles per day against 5,631), suggesting less demand on each road - a critical factor for logistics and site planning. Across the whole network, that travel is about 1.1% of Missouri's statewide total. 81% of counties in Missouri see less traffic than Cole's 4,248 vehicles per day.

Journey times run 7% lower than the state level, at 29.1 minutes on average. 90% of counties in Missouri have a longer average travel time than Cole's 29.1 minutes.

Congestion runs 17% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 16.1%, which means smoother traffic flow - relevant for traffic control and delivery planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Cole County, Missouri

Trafficvehicles per day12,396
Trucks10.1%
Average travel time34.3 min
Congestion ratio29.3%
Drivers’ average age47.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$75,839

Highways carry more than half of all travel in Cole County, Missouri (56% of vehicle-miles). The average highway carries 12,396 vehicles per day, 227% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 3,791 vehicles per day.

With 26% of the road miles (101 miles in 354 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 1,072,186 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈391 million per year).

80% of counties in Missouri move less traffic on their highways.

Lower highway truck share than 85% of counties in Missouri

The concentration of trucks on highways (10.1%) is 25% lower than the state average for similar road classifications. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

Cole's highway truck share (10.1%) is lower than 85% of counties in Missouri. 55% of counties in Missouri see more highway trucks per day than Cole's roughly 1,251.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Cole County, Missouri

Trafficvehicles per day3,791
Trucks5.0%
Average travel time28.8 min
Congestion ratio15.4%
Drivers’ average age46.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$79,913

Local roads carry a significant share of travel in Cole County, Missouri: 44% of all vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 3,791 vehicles per day.

Spread over 291 miles and 6,320 segments, 74% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 827,160 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈302 million per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 5.0%.

Drivers from higher-income areas than 89% of counties in Missouri

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 50% lower than on highways.

At 17% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 15.4% signals easier movement on local roads.

89% of counties in Missouri see lower average driver income among trip origins than Cole. The driver population here skews younger than 78% of counties in Missouri.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–8:00 AM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 88% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are much quieter: volumes run about 28% 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 +6% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -10% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Cole County, Missouri, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +6% in high season.

Cole County vs. Missouri Traffic Comparison

The highway truck share sets Cole County apart: 25% below the Missouri average. Its average daily traffic per road is also 25% below.

MetricCole CountyMissouri averageDifference
Traffic4,2485,631-24.6%
Truck % (Total Traffic)7.9%9.8%-19.9%
Truck % (Highway)10.1%13.4%-25.0%
Avg. Travel Time29.1 min31.3 min-7.1%

How Cole County compares

Cole County has the busiest roads among its nearby counties

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, Cole County is 112.5% more congested and carries 79.6% more traffic on a typical road; it has the busiest roads of the five. It is where traffic concentrates in this corner of the map - the local bottleneck, with more vehicles per road AND less room to absorb them.

Cole County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Missouri average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Cole County4,2487.9%1,899,34629.1 min16.1%
Miller County, Missouri2,5978.5%806,24832.5 min13.4%
Osage County, Missouri2,6869.2%504,62628.7 min4.8%
Moniteau County, Missouri2,34911.0%424,57428.6 min4.5%
Callaway County, Missouri1,82514.5%2,086,38531.0 min7.6%
Missouri average5,6319.8%N/A31.3 min19.4%

Cole County ranked within Missouri

Cole County sits in the bottom quarter of the Missouri field on average travel time, at #104 of 115.

Cole County ranked among 115 county-level areas in Missouri (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 93.
MeasureCole CountyMissouri rank
Traffic volume (AADT)4,248#23 of 115
Highway vehicle-miles per day1,072,186#19 of 93
Truck share on highways10.1%#79 of 93
Highway trucks per day1,251#52 of 93
Average travel time29.1 min#104 of 115
Average driver income$77,758#13 of 115
Average driver age46.9 yrs#90 of 115

Cole County ranks #13 of 115 on average driver income but #104 of 115 on average travel time - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Cole County, Missouri

The three busiest roads in Cole County average 42,583 vehicles a day, 10.0 times the county average of 4,248 across all its monitored roads.

US 54 leads with 54,116 vehicles a day, 6,730 of them trucks (12.4%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 54Motorway · 54,116vehicles6,730trucks · 12.4%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
35.7%
Median trip time
34.9 min
Drivers’ median age
45.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$77,314

Travel on US 54's busiest stretch runs 36% over free-flow time, against 16% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2Rex M Whitton ExpresswayTrunk road · 46,724vehicles4,720trucks · 10.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
42.1%
Median trip time
28.2 min
Drivers’ median age
46.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,324

Rex M Whitton Expressway is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 42% longer than at free-flow speed, against 16% county-wide.

3C. F. “Red” Whaley ExpresswayMotorway · 26,909vehicles2,779trucks · 10.3%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
28.8%
Median trip time
37.4 min
Drivers’ median age
47.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$75,470

C. F. “Red” Whaley Expressway carries 6.3 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 37.4 minutes.

4US 50Motorway · 22,953vehicles2,519trucks · 11.0%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
26.5%
Median trip time
28.5 min
Drivers’ median age
46.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,924

At 5.4 times the county average, US 50 draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $74,924 in household income.

5Hartsfield BoulevardTrunk road · 21,271vehicles1,171trucks · 5.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
20.5%
Median trip time
28.8 min
Drivers’ median age
47.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$79,204

A main artery: Hartsfield Boulevard's busiest stretch carries 5.0 times the county average; trucks are 5.5% of it, below the county-wide 7.9%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 54Motorway · #1 by traffic54,116vehicles6,730trucks · 12.4%
2Rex M Whitton ExpresswayTrunk road · #2 by traffic46,724vehicles4,720trucks · 10.1%
3C. F. “Red” Whaley ExpresswayMotorway · #3 by traffic26,909vehicles2,779trucks · 10.3%
4US 50Motorway · #4 by traffic22,953vehicles2,519trucks · 11.0%
5Hartsfield BoulevardTrunk road · #5 by traffic21,271vehicles1,171trucks · 5.5%
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

ColeDepartment 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 Cole County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Cole County, Missouri.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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