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Traffic heat map of Dawson County, Nebraska: 373 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 80 and Plum Creek Parkway

Dawson County, Nebraska Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Dawson County, Nebraska? We measure 373 road miles, divided into 3,543 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its highways rank among the top 5 counties in Nebraska for trucks per day. 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 Dawson County, Nebraska

Traffic

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

vehicles per day1,960
Trucks

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

21.9%
Average travel time

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

29.6 min
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.

$76,511

The average monitored road in Dawson County, Nebraska carries 1,960 vehicles per day. Across its 373 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 1,286,622 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈470 million per year). About 1 in 5 vehicles is a truck, well above the 11.5% across Nebraska - a freight-heavy mix.

Shorter trips than 95% of counties in Nebraska

Dawson sees 46% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (1,960 vehicles per day against 3,598), suggesting less demand on each road - lighter roads for freight, but less passing trade for roadside retail. Network-wide, Dawson accounts for about 2.5% of Nebraska's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Dawson carries more traffic than 68% of counties in Nebraska.

Journey times run 10% lower than the state level, at 29.6 minutes on average. Its average travel time of 29.6 minutes is shorter than 95% of counties in Nebraska.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Dawson County, Nebraska

Trafficvehicles per day8,303
Trucks27.8%
Average travel time53.2 min
Drivers’ average age49.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$81,245

Highways carry most of the traffic in Dawson County, Nebraska: 71% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 8,303 vehicles per day, 363% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 1,792 vehicles per day.

With 25% of the road miles (93 miles in 91 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 919,581 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈336 million per year).

That is more highway travel volume than 92% of counties in Nebraska.

Higher highway truck share than 93% of counties in Nebraska

Highway truck concentration here runs 58% higher than the state average, at 27.8%. That marks Dawson as a major freight corridor, where highway access is what logistics operators compete on.

Dawson's highway truck share (27.8%) is higher than 93% of counties in Nebraska. By raw truck volume, Dawson carries more highway trucks than 93% of counties in Nebraska.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Dawson County, Nebraska

Trafficvehicles per day1,792
Trucks7.1%
Average travel time29.0 min
Drivers’ average age46.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$72,586

Local roads carry a smaller share of travel in Dawson County, Nebraska, 29% of vehicle-miles; most driving happens on highways. The average non-highway road carries 1,792 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 75% of the monitored road miles (280 miles in 3,452 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 367,041 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈134 million per year). About 1 in 14 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (7.1%).

Drivers from higher-income areas than 80% of counties in Nebraska

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 75% lower than on highways.

Trip origins here have higher average income than 80% of counties in Nebraska. 79% of counties in Nebraska have an older driver population than Dawson.

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 a long afternoon plateau from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 60% 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:
July–September is the high season, with volumes +20% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -22% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Dawson County, Nebraska, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +20% in high season.

Dawson County vs. Nebraska Traffic Comparison

Dawson County's biggest difference from the Nebraska average is its truck share, 90% above it. Its highway truck share is also 58% above.

MetricDawson CountyNebraska averageDifference
Traffic1,9603,598-45.5%
Truck % (Total Traffic)21.9%11.5%+89.5%
Truck % (Highway)27.8%17.6%+57.8%
Avg. Travel Time29.6 min33.0 min-10.3%

How Dawson County compares

Dawson County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Dawson County moves 6.6 times the total daily travel and runs 12.2 percentage points more truck traffic; it has the second busiest roads of the five. Busier roads and shorter trips together - destinations here sit closer to one another than in the areas around it.

Dawson County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Nebraska average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Dawson County1,96021.9%1,286,62229.6 minN/A
Gosper County, Nebraska1,0378.8%66,71633.2 minN/A
Phelps County, Nebraska3,0199.0%331,92538.2 minN/A
Frontier County, Nebraska1,00710.6%84,19340.2 minN/A
Custer County, Nebraska1,14610.5%300,29737.3 minN/A
Nebraska average3,59811.5%N/A33.0 min17.5%

Dawson County ranked within Nebraska

Average travel time places Dawson County #88 of 93 in Nebraska - the bottom quarter of the state.

Dawson County ranked among 93 county-level areas in Nebraska (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 61.
MeasureDawson CountyNebraska rank
Traffic volume (AADT)1,960#30 of 93
Highway vehicle-miles per day919,581#6 of 61
Truck share on highways27.8%#5 of 61
Highway trucks per day2,305#5 of 61
Average travel time29.6 min#88 of 93
Average driver income$76,511#19 of 93
Average driver age47.8 yrs#74 of 93

Dawson County ranks #5 of 61 on truck share on highways but #88 of 93 on average travel time - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Dawson County, Nebraska

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Dawson County carry 12,121 vehicles a day on average, 6.2 times the typical road in the county (1,960).

I 80 is the busiest road, at 19,706 vehicles a day, 5,470 of them trucks (27.8%). No other road comes close: Plum Creek Parkway, in second place, carries 9,390. It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

I 80 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 53.2 minutes against 29.6 county-wide.

NE 47 is busy with cars rather than freight: only 4.0% of its traffic is trucks, against 21.9% county-wide.

The truck ranking looks different from the traffic one, sharing just 2 of its 5 roads.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 80Motorway · 19,706vehicles5,470trucks · 27.8%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
53.2 min
Drivers’ median age
49.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$81,245

A main artery: I 80's busiest stretch carries 10.1 times the county average; trucks are 27.8% of it, above the county-wide 21.9%.

2Plum Creek ParkwayPrimary road · 9,390vehicles419trucks · 4.5%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
26.8 min
Drivers’ median age
46.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,626

On its busiest stretch, Plum Creek Parkway carries 4.8 times the county average; trucks are 4.5% of it, below the county-wide 21.9%.

3NE 47Secondary road · 7,267vehicles288trucks · 4.0%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
27.3 min
Drivers’ median age
50.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$79,851

NE 47 peaks at 7,267 vehicles a day, 3.7 times the county average; trucks are 4.0% of it, below the county-wide 21.9%.

4NE 21Secondary road · 6,754vehicles275trucks · 4.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
24.4 min
Drivers’ median age
48.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$58,651

NE 21 carries 3.4 times the county average at its busiest, 275 of them trucks (4.1%, below the county-wide 21.9%).

5Avenue GSecondary road · 6,729vehicles284trucks · 4.2%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
28.8 min
Drivers’ median age
50.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$80,239

Avenue G carries 3.4 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 28.8 minutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 80Motorway · #1 by traffic19,706vehicles5,470trucks · 27.8%
2Plum Creek ParkwayPrimary road · #2 by traffic9,390vehicles419trucks · 4.5%
3Pacific AvenuePrimary road · 4,256vehicles356trucks · 8.4%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
36.8 min
Drivers’ median age
46.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,777

At 2.2 times the county average, Pacific Avenue draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $66,777 in household income.

4NE 30Primary road · 3,241vehicles348trucks · 10.7%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
34.7 min
Drivers’ median age
46.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,931

NE 30 peaks at 3,241 vehicles a day, 65% more than the county average; trucks are 10.7% of it, below the county-wide 21.9%.

5Adams StreetSecondary road · 6,426vehicles306trucks · 4.8%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
25.6 min
Drivers’ median age
45.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,234

The busiest stretch of Adams Street carries 3.3 times the county average; trucks are 4.8% of it, below the county-wide 21.9%.

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

DawsonDepartment 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 Dawson County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Dawson County, Nebraska.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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