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Traffic heat map of District of Columbia: 539 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Kenilworth Avenue Freeway

District of Columbia Traffic Counts

Traffic analytics for District of Columbia, calculated from real-world mobile and sensor networks on 21,067 road segments (539 road miles, about 135 ft each). It accounts for 100% of all vehicle-miles driven in District of Columbia. Use the figures below to move from assumptions to certainty on retail locations, logistics and road planning.
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 District of Columbia

Traffic

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

vehicles per day8,168
Trucks

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

6.0%
Average travel time

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

38.8 min
Congestion ratio

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

21.6%
Drivers’ average age

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

39.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$123,449

The average monitored road in District of Columbia carries 8,168 vehicles per day. Across its 539 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 4,142,343 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.5 billion per year). About 1 in 17 vehicles is a truck, in line with District of Columbia (6.0%).

100% of District of Columbia's vehicle-miles

The average road in District of Columbia carries 8,168 vehicles per day, essentially matching the state average of 8,168. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 100% of District of Columbia's statewide total of vehicle-miles.

Journey times here (38.8 minutes on average) closely track the state level.

At 21.6%, the congestion ratio matches the state level closely.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in District of Columbia

Trafficvehicles per day15,983
Trucks7.4%
Average travel time38.4 min
Congestion ratio30.9%
Drivers’ average age39.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income$119,655

Highways carry a smaller share of travel in District of Columbia, 25% of vehicle-miles; most driving happens on local roads. The average highway carries 15,983 vehicles per day, 112% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 7,543 vehicles per day.

With 14% of the road miles (75 miles in 1,560 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 1,051,152 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈384 million per year).

A typical mix of freight and passenger traffic

At 7.4%, the highway truck share matches the state average for similar road classifications. The highway traffic mix is typical for District of Columbia: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in District of Columbia

Trafficvehicles per day7,543
Trucks5.6%
Average travel time38.8 min
Congestion ratio20.9%
Drivers’ average age38.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$124,268

Most travel in District of Columbia happens on local roads, 75% of all vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 7,543 vehicles per day.

Local roads also make up about 86% of the monitored road miles: 464 miles in 19,507 segments, together carrying 3,091,191 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.1 billion per year). Trucks make up 5.6% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 18 vehicles.

Local roads carry 25% fewer trucks by share than highways

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 25% lower than the highway network.

The non-highway congestion ratio of 20.9% is in line with the state level.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–9:00 AM and a long afternoon plateau from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 48% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 14% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
Traffic is nearly flat through the year: even April–June, the busiest stretch, runs only +3% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -9% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In District of Columbia, traffic is spread evenly through the day, with the busiest hour carrying only about 6%, and traffic stays steady through the year (+3% in high season).

District of Columbia vs. District of Columbia Traffic Comparison

On all four measures, District of Columbia stays closely in line with the District of Columbia average, within 5%.

MetricDistrict of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia averageDifference
Traffic8,1688,168+0.0%
Truck % (Total Traffic)6.0%6.0%+0.0%
Truck % (Highway)7.4%7.4%+0.0%
Avg. Travel Time38.8 min38.8 min+0.0%

How District of Columbia compares

Trips in District of Columbia run longer than in any nearby county or city

District of Columbia tracks the 4 areas around it closely - no measure in this table sets it far apart from the areas immediately next to it, though it has the third busiest roads of the five. The same kind of road, just less of it: traffic per road matches the areas around it while the network itself is smaller.

District of Columbia and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the District of Columbia average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
District of Columbia8,1686.0%4,142,34338.8 min21.6%
Arlington County, Virginia7,7436.3%2,258,17134.9 min16.4%
Alexandria City, Virginia7,6016.2%1,376,11531.9 min16.6%
Prince George's County, Maryland11,0766.7%21,646,15134.9 min24.7%
Falls Church City, Virginia10,4346.5%129,96534.1 min31.3%
District of Columbia average8,1686.0%N/A38.8 min21.6%

Busiest roads in District of Columbia

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in District of Columbia carry 49,454 vehicles a day on average, 6.1 times the typical road in the county (8,168).

Kenilworth Avenue Freeway leads with 54,310 vehicles a day, 4,273 of them trucks (7.9%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Drivers on Kenilworth Avenue Freeway come from neighborhoods with an average household income of $86,104, 30% below the county average of $123,449.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Kenilworth Avenue FreewayMotorway · 54,310vehicles4,273trucks · 7.9%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
44.2%
Median trip time
34.3 min
Drivers’ median age
40.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$86,104

Kenilworth Avenue Freeway is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 44% longer than at free-flow speed, against 22% county-wide.

2Southeast FreewayMotorway · 52,633vehicles4,030trucks · 7.7%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
42.4%
Median trip time
36.6 min
Drivers’ median age
42.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$108,107

Southeast Freeway carries 6.4 times the county average at its busiest, 4,030 of them trucks (7.7%, above the county-wide 6.0%).

3Southwest FreewayMotorway · 41,419vehicles3,027trucks · 7.3%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
34.8%
Median trip time
36.9 min
Drivers’ median age
40.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$115,965

Southwest Freeway carries 5.1 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 36.9 minutes.

4New York Avenue NorthwestTrunk road · 40,322vehicles2,413trucks · 6.0%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
45.7%
Median trip time
36.6 min
Drivers’ median age
37.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$118,292

Delays build on New York Avenue Northwest: its congestion ratio of 46% over free-flow time is well above the county's 22%.

5Anacostia FreewayMotorway · 37,007vehicles3,350trucks · 9.1%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
43.5%
Median trip time
35.4 min
Drivers’ median age
42.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$97,316

Anacostia Freeway peaks at 37,007 vehicles a day, 4.5 times the county average; trucks are 9.1% of it, above the county-wide 6.0%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Kenilworth Avenue FreewayMotorway · #1 by traffic54,310vehicles4,273trucks · 7.9%
2Southeast FreewayMotorway · #2 by traffic52,633vehicles4,030trucks · 7.7%
3Anacostia FreewayMotorway · #5 by traffic37,007vehicles3,350trucks · 9.1%
4Francis Case Memorial BridgeMotorway · 34,022vehicles3,124trucks · 9.2%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
31.6%
Median trip time
35.0 min
Drivers’ median age
39.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$123,397

Francis Case Memorial Bridge carries 4.2 times the county average at its busiest, 3,124 of them trucks (9.2%, above the county-wide 6.0%).

5Southwest FreewayMotorway · #3 by traffic41,419vehicles3,027trucks · 7.3%
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

District of ColumbiaDepartment 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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TrafficZoom platform

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Counties near District of Columbia

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to District of Columbia.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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