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Traffic heat map of Essex County, Virginia: 217 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Tappahannock Boulevard and US 360

Essex County, Virginia Traffic Counts

Traffic analytics for Essex County, Virginia, calculated from real-world mobile and sensor networks on 2,488 road segments (217 road miles, about 461 ft each). Its busiest road, Tappahannock Boulevard, carries 28,054 vehicles a day, 12.5 times the average road. 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 Volume & Performance in Essex County, Virginia

Traffic

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

vehicles per day2,248
Trucks

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

8.0%
Average travel time

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

36.9 min
Congestion ratio

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

5.0%
Drivers’ average age

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

51.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$65,440

Our data shows 2,248 vehicles per day on the average road in Essex County, Virginia, and 448,031 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈164 million per year) across its 217 miles of monitored roads. About 1 in 13 vehicles is a truck, fewer than the 1 in 10 across Virginia.

Longer trips than 90% of counties in Virginia

At 2,248 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Essex carries 58% less traffic than the state average of 5,349, suggesting less demand on each road - very light roads: easy truck access, but little passing trade for roadside retail. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.2% of Virginia's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 77% of counties in Virginia see more traffic than Essex's 2,248 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 36.9 minutes, 17% higher than the state level. 90% of counties in Virginia have a shorter average travel time than Essex's 36.9 minutes.

Congestion runs 70% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 5.0%, which means smoother traffic flow - free-flowing roads make scheduled deliveries highly predictable.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Essex County, Virginia

Trafficvehicles per day5,878
Trucks8.4%
Average travel time39.5 min
Drivers’ average age51.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income$66,302

Highways carry most of the traffic in Essex County, Virginia: 78% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 5,878 vehicles per day, 564% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 885 vehicles per day.

With 43% of the road miles (93 miles in 679 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 347,784 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈127 million per year).

Fewer highway trucks than 92% of counties in Virginia

Highway truck concentration here runs 35% lower than the state average, at 8.4%. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

84% of counties in Virginia see a higher highway truck share than Essex's 8.4%. Essex's highway truck count is lower than 92% of counties in Virginia, at roughly 497 trucks per day.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Essex County, Virginia

Trafficvehicles per day885
Trucks6.3%
Average travel time36.0 min
Congestion ratio5.0%
Drivers’ average age52.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$63,072

At 22% of vehicle-miles, local roads carry a smaller share of the traffic in Essex County, Virginia than highways. The average non-highway road carries 885 vehicles per day.

Spread over 124 miles and 1,809 segments, 57% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 100,246 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈36.6 million per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 6.3%.

Local congestion 68% below the Virginia average

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 26% lower than on highways.

Non-highway congestion (5.0%) runs 68% lower than the state average, pointing to smoother local traffic flow.

Trip origins here have lower average income than 68% of counties in Virginia. The driver population here skews older than 74% of counties in Virginia.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 11:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 74% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are busier than weekdays: volumes run about 8% above weekday levels, which usually points to leisure, tourism or shopping traffic.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +13% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -17% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Essex County, Virginia, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +13% in high season.

Essex County vs. Virginia Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Essex County apart: 58% below the Virginia average. Its highway truck share is also 35% below.

MetricEssex CountyVirginia averageDifference
Traffic2,2485,349-58.0%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.0%9.6%-16.9%
Truck % (Highway)8.4%13.1%-35.5%
Avg. Travel Time36.9 min31.7 min+16.7%

How Essex County compares

Essex County against nearby counties

Essex County 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 fourth busiest roads of the five.

Essex County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Virginia average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Essex County2,2488.0%448,03136.9 min5.0%
Richmond County, Virginia2,2826.8%288,27932.1 min4.1%
King and Queen County, Virginia1,8458.9%316,13235.8 minN/A
Westmoreland County, Virginia2,3406.9%344,10433.0 min11.3%
King William County, Virginia3,4347.6%723,42331.6 min5.6%
Virginia average5,3499.6%N/A31.7 min16.8%

Essex County ranked within Virginia

Essex County sits in the bottom quarter of the Virginia field on highway truck volume, at #109 of 118.

Essex County ranked among 133 county-level areas in Virginia (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 118.
MeasureEssex CountyVirginia rank
Traffic volume (AADT)2,248#102 of 133
Highway vehicle-miles per day347,784#78 of 118
Truck share on highways8.4%#99 of 118
Highway trucks per day497#109 of 118
Average travel time36.9 min#14 of 133
Average driver income$65,440#91 of 133
Average driver age51.5 yrs#35 of 133

Essex County ranks #14 of 133 on average travel time but #109 of 118 on highway truck volume - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Essex County, Virginia

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 20,091 vehicles a day, against 2,248 on the average road in Essex County.

Tappahannock Boulevard is the busiest road, at 28,054 vehicles a day, 1,328 of them trucks (4.7%). No other road comes close: US 360, in second place, carries 16,565. It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using Richmond-Tappahannock Highway are long: a median of 49.9 minutes against 36.9 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Tappahannock BoulevardTrunk road · 28,054vehicles1,328trucks · 4.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
37.2 min
Drivers’ median age
51.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$64,617

Tappahannock Boulevard is a trunk route for the county, carrying 12.5 times the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 4.7% of it, below the county-wide 8.0%.

2US 360Primary road · 16,565vehicles682trucks · 4.1%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
36.3 min
Drivers’ median age
52.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,674

US 360 carries 7.4 times the county average at its busiest, 682 of them trucks (4.1%, below the county-wide 8.0%).

3Queen StreetPrimary road · 15,654vehicles802trucks · 5.1%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
38.0 min
Drivers’ median age
52.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,578

Queen Street carries 7.0 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 38.0 minutes.

4Church LaneTrunk road · 11,900vehicles613trucks · 5.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
38.2 min
Drivers’ median age
50.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$61,566

At 5.3 times the county average, Church Lane draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $61,566 in household income.

5Richmond HighwayTrunk road · 10,468vehicles785trucks · 7.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
42.9 min
Drivers’ median age
50.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,420

At 4.7 times the county average, Richmond Highway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $69,420 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Tappahannock BoulevardTrunk road · #1 by traffic28,054vehicles1,328trucks · 4.7%
2Queen StreetPrimary road · #3 by traffic15,654vehicles802trucks · 5.1%
3Richmond HighwayTrunk road · #5 by traffic10,468vehicles785trucks · 7.5%
4Richmond-Tappahannock HighwayTrunk road · 8,456vehicles782trucks · 9.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
49.9 min
Drivers’ median age
49.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,087

The busiest stretch of Richmond-Tappahannock Highway carries 3.8 times the county average; trucks are 9.2% of it, above the county-wide 8.0%.

5US 360Primary road · #2 by traffic16,565vehicles682trucks · 4.1%
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

EssexDepartment 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 Essex County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Essex County, Virginia.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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