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Traffic heat map of Harding County, South Dakota: 110 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on US 85 and Connel Street

Harding County, South Dakota Traffic Counts

TrafficZoom tracks traffic on 110 road miles in Harding County, South Dakota, divided into 186 segments averaging 3,115 ft. Trips here are among the 3 longest of any county in South Dakota. Built from cross-verified mobile and road-sensor data, these counts help you size up a retail site, plan logistics routes or assess infrastructure needs.
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 Harding County, South Dakota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day775
Trucks

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

16.8%
Average travel time

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

53.9 min
Drivers’ average age

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

54.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$74,111

A typical monitored road in Harding County, South Dakota sees 775 vehicles per day, while its 110 miles of monitored roads together handle 82,684 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈30.2 million per year). About 1 in 6 vehicles is a truck, well above the 10.3% across South Dakota - a freight-heavy mix.

Longer trips than 97% of counties in South Dakota

Harding's average daily traffic volume is 75% lower than the state average - 775 vehicles per day against 3,156 - suggesting less traffic load per road - quiet roads that suit freight movement more than drive-by retail. Across the whole network, that travel is about 0.3% of South Dakota's statewide total. Harding carries less traffic than 75% of counties in South Dakota.

The average trip takes 53.9 minutes, 66% higher than the state level. 97% of counties in South Dakota have a shorter average travel time than Harding's 53.9 minutes.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Harding County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day1,196
Trucks15.6%
Average travel time60.7 min
Drivers’ average age54.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$73,876

Nearly all driving in Harding County, South Dakota happens on highways: 92% of every vehicle-mile. The average highway carries 1,196 vehicles per day, 757% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 140 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 54% of the monitored road miles (59 miles, 112 segments), so they carry more than their share: 76,246 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈27.8 million per year).

Fewer highway trucks than 85% of counties in South Dakota

Highway truck concentration here runs 15% higher than the state average, at 15.6%. The highway traffic mix is typical for South Dakota: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

71% of counties in South Dakota see a lower highway truck share than Harding's 15.6%. Harding's highway truck count is lower than 85% of counties in South Dakota, at roughly 186 trucks per day.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Harding County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day140
Trucks31.1%
Average travel time43.6 min
Drivers’ average age55.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income$74,766

Local roads carry only a small share of the traffic in Harding County, South Dakota, 8% of all vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 140 vehicles per day.

Spread over 51 miles and 74 segments, 46% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 6,438 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈2.3 million per year). About 1 in 3 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (31.1%).

Older drivers than 89% of counties in South Dakota

Unusually, compared to highways, non-highway routes see 100% more trucks by share.

Trip origins here have higher average income than 63% of counties in South Dakota. Harding's median driver age is higher than 89% of counties in South Dakota.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 11:00 AM–12:00 PM and a long afternoon plateau from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 89% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 6% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +30% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -29% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Harding County, South Dakota, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +30% in high season.

Harding County vs. South Dakota Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Harding County apart: 75% below the South Dakota average. Its average travel time, by contrast, is 66% above.

MetricHarding CountySouth Dakota averageDifference
Traffic7753,156-75.4%
Truck % (Total Traffic)16.8%10.3%+63.3%
Truck % (Highway)15.6%13.6%+14.7%
Avg. Travel Time53.9 min32.5 min+66.1%

How Harding County compares

Harding County against nearby counties

Harding 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. Traffic volume here matches the areas around it, but more of that traffic is trucks - a difference in what routes through, not in how much.

Harding County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the South Dakota average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Harding County77516.8%82,68453.9 minN/A
Bowman County, North Dakota1,04611.5%86,20136.8 min3.9%
Carter County, Montana89516.4%117,94051.4 min4.4%
Perkins County, South Dakota78211.4%45,94540.9 minN/A
Slope County, North Dakota76413.4%55,46258.9 min2.8%
South Dakota average3,15610.3%N/A32.5 min12.9%

Harding County ranked within South Dakota

On average travel time, Harding County is among the three highest county-level areas in South Dakota.

Harding County ranked among 66 county-level areas in South Dakota (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 49.
MeasureHarding CountySouth Dakota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)775#50 of 66
Highway vehicle-miles per day76,246#36 of 49
Truck share on highways15.6%#15 of 49
Highway trucks per day186#42 of 49
Average travel time53.9 min#3 of 66
Average driver income$74,111#25 of 66
Average driver age54.4 yrs#8 of 66

Harding County ranks #3 of 66 on average travel time but #42 of 49 on highway truck volume - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Harding County, South Dakota

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 585 vehicles a day, against 775 on the average road in Harding County.

US 85 leads with 1,276 vehicles a day, 201 of them trucks (15.7%). No other road comes close: Connel Street, in second place, carries 258. It also carries the most trucks.

Freight stands out on SD 79 and County Highway 797: trucks are 67.0% and 30.2% of the traffic there, against 16.8% county-wide.

Trips on County Highway 797 are short, a median of 7.2 minutes against 53.9 county-wide, so it serves mostly local traffic.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 85Trunk road · 1,276vehicles201trucks · 15.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
58.5 min
Drivers’ median age
54.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$73,876

At 65% more than the county average, US 85 draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $73,876 in household income.

2Connel StreetSecondary road · 258vehicles31trucks · 12.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
25.0 min
Drivers’ median age
55.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,766

Trips on Connel Street are short, a median 25.0 minutes against 53.9 county-wide, so it mostly serves local errands and commutes.

3SD 20Secondary road · 221vehicles21trucks · 9.5%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
34.0 min
Drivers’ median age
55.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,766

Even at its busiest, SD 20 carries 72% less than the county average; trucks are 9.5% of it, below the county-wide 16.8%.

4SD Highway 20Secondary road · 193vehicles28trucks · 14.3%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
31.8 min
Drivers’ median age
55.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,766

SD Highway 20 is a quieter road: its busiest stretch carries 75% less than the county average; trucks are 14.3% of it, below the county-wide 16.8%.

5SD 79Secondary road · 125vehicles84trucks · 67.0%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
82.2 min

SD 79 carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 82.2 minutes, against 53.9 for the county.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 85Trunk road · #1 by traffic1,276vehicles201trucks · 15.7%
2SD 79Secondary road · #5 by traffic125vehicles84trucks · 67.0%
3County Highway 797Tertiary road · 110vehicles33trucks · 30.2%
Road class
Tertiary road
Median trip time
7.2 min
Drivers’ median age
55.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,766

Even at its busiest, County Highway 797 carries 86% less than the county average; trucks are 30.2% of it, above the county-wide 16.8%.

4Connel StreetSecondary road · #2 by traffic258vehicles31trucks · 12.1%
5County Highway 733Tertiary road · 112vehicles30trucks · 26.5%
Road class
Tertiary road
Median trip time
54.9 min

County Highway 733 leans on freight: 30 trucks a day, 26.5% of its traffic against 16.8% county-wide.

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

HardingDepartment 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 Harding County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Harding County, South Dakota.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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