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Traffic heat map of Hays County, Texas: 590 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Purple Heart Trail and US 290

Hays County, Texas Traffic Counts

Traffic analytics for Hays County, Texas, calculated from real-world mobile and sensor networks on 13,442 road segments (590 road miles, about 232 ft each). Its average highway carries more trucks than in any other county in Texas, about 6,583 a day. 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 Hays County, Texas

Traffic

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

vehicles per day8,054
Trucks

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

9.4%
Average travel time

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

32.5 min
Congestion ratio

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

17.4%
Drivers’ average age

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

40.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$94,324

Our data shows 8,054 vehicles per day on the average road in Hays County, Texas, and 6,411,692 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈2.3 billion per year) across its 590 miles of monitored roads. Trucks are 9.4% of traffic, close to the 9.8% across Texas.

Busier roads than 94% of counties in Texas

Hays sees 17% higher average daily traffic volume than the state average (8,054 vehicles per day against 6,895), suggesting more demand on each road - a critical factor for logistics and site planning. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.9% of Texas's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 94% of counties in Texas see less traffic than Hays's 8,054 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 32.5 minutes, on par with the state level. Its average travel time of 32.5 minutes is shorter than 71% of counties in Texas.

The congestion ratio of 17.4% runs slightly higher than the state level (6% higher).

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Hays County, Texas

Trafficvehicles per day32,302
Trucks13.5%
Average travel time44.9 min
Congestion ratio37.5%
Drivers’ average age40.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$93,519

Travel in Hays County, Texas splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (52% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 32,302 vehicles per day, 383% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 6,694 vehicles per day.

That comes from just 12% of the monitored road miles: 69 miles in 714 segments, carrying 3,358,344 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.2 billion per year).

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

The most highway trucks of any county in Texas

Highway truck concentration here (13.5%) closely tracks the state average for similar road classifications. The highway traffic mix is typical for Texas: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

Hays's highway truck share (13.5%) is lower than 63% of counties in Texas. At roughly 6,583 trucks per day, Hays carries the highest volume of highway trucks in Texas.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Hays County, Texas

Trafficvehicles per day6,694
Trucks4.8%
Average travel time31.8 min
Congestion ratio16.3%
Drivers’ average age39.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income$94,834

Travel in Hays County, Texas splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (48% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. The average non-highway road carries 6,694 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 88% of the monitored road miles (521 miles in 12,728 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 3,053,349 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.1 billion per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 4.8%.

Younger drivers than 93% of counties in Texas

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 64% lower than the highway network.

At 16.3%, the non-highway congestion ratio matches the state level closely.

92% of counties in Texas see lower average driver income among trip origins than Hays. The driver population here skews younger than 93% of counties in Texas.

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 PM peak 4:00 PM–7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 72% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekend traffic is about as busy as on weekdays (+1%): leisure and through trips largely replace the commute.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
Traffic is nearly flat through the year: even June–August, the busiest stretch, runs only +2% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -6% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Hays County, Texas, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and traffic stays steady through the year (+2% in high season).

Hays County vs. Texas Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, average daily traffic per road differs most: Hays County runs 17% above the Texas average. The other measures stay close to the average.

MetricHays CountyTexas averageDifference
Traffic8,0546,895+16.8%
Truck % (Total Traffic)9.4%9.8%-4.2%
Truck % (Highway)13.5%13.8%-2.0%
Avg. Travel Time32.5 min32.6 min-0.4%

How Hays County compares

Hays County against nearby counties

Nothing in this table sets Hays County sharply apart from the 4 areas nearest to it, though it has the third busiest roads of the five.

Hays County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Texas average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Hays County8,0549.4%6,411,69232.5 min17.4%
Travis County, Texas9,7187.2%27,140,61732.9 min20.9%
Comal County, Texas8,1158.6%5,938,81233.5 min22.4%
Blanco County, Texas4,5639.8%810,61846.8 min9.5%
Caldwell County, Texas4,37012.4%1,509,68240.0 min10.2%
Texas average6,8959.8%N/A32.6 min16.4%

Hays County ranked within Texas

Hays County posts the highest highway truck volume of any county-level area in Texas.

Hays County ranked among 254 county-level areas in Texas (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 227.
MeasureHays CountyTexas rank
Traffic volume (AADT)8,054#15 of 254
Highway vehicle-miles per day3,358,344#19 of 227
Truck share on highways13.5%#143 of 227
Highway trucks per day4,351#1 of 227
Average travel time32.5 min#181 of 254
Average driver income$94,324#21 of 254
Average driver age40.0 yrs#237 of 254

Hays County ranks #1 of 227 on highway truck volume but #237 of 254 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Hays County, Texas

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 59,486 vehicles a day, against 8,054 on the average road in Hays County.

Purple Heart Trail leads with 115,053 vehicles a day, 16,692 of them trucks (14.5%). That is 3.5 times the next road, US 290 (32,828). It also carries the most trucks.

US 290 draws drivers from wealthier areas: their neighborhoods average $148,141 in household income, 57% above the county's $94,324, while those on Aquarena Springs Drive average $52,079, 45% below it.

Trips using Purple Heart Trail are long: a median of 48.6 minutes against 32.5 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

TX 80 is busy with cars rather than freight: only 3.2% of its traffic is trucks, against 9.4% county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Purple Heart TrailMotorway · 115,053vehicles16,692trucks · 14.5%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
86.5%
Median trip time
48.6 min
Drivers’ median age
39.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$82,545

Delays build on Purple Heart Trail: its congestion ratio of 86% over free-flow time is well above the county's 17%.

2US 290Trunk road · 32,828vehicles1,715trucks · 5.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
39.7%
Median trip time
32.6 min
Drivers’ median age
47.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$148,141

US 290 carries 4.1 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 32.6 minutes.

3TX 80Primary road · 30,577vehicles988trucks · 3.2%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
37.8%
Median trip time
35.9 min
Drivers’ median age
38.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$60,209

At 3.8 times the county average, TX 80 draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $60,209 in household income.

4FM 1626Primary road · 29,106vehicles1,156trucks · 4.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
31.8%
Median trip time
28.4 min
Drivers’ median age
41.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$118,570

The busiest stretch of FM 1626 carries 3.6 times the county average; trucks are 4.0% of it, below the county-wide 9.4%.

5Aquarena Springs DriveSecondary road · 26,379vehicles750trucks · 2.8%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
39.5%
Median trip time
27.8 min
Drivers’ median age
35.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$52,079

On its busiest stretch, Aquarena Springs Drive carries 3.3 times the county average; trucks are 2.8% of it, below the county-wide 9.4%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Purple Heart TrailMotorway · #1 by traffic115,053vehicles16,692trucks · 14.5%
2US 290Trunk road · #2 by traffic32,828vehicles1,715trucks · 5.2%
3Wonder World DriveSecondary road · 25,058vehicles1,262trucks · 5.0%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
53.0%
Median trip time
31.1 min
Drivers’ median age
38.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$70,184

Travel on Wonder World Drive's busiest stretch runs 53% over free-flow time, against 17% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

4Camino RealPrimary road · 15,130vehicles1,250trucks · 8.3%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
34.4%
Median trip time
43.3 min
Drivers’ median age
36.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$83,422

Camino Real carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 43.3 minutes, against 32.5 for the county.

5FM 1626Primary road · #4 by traffic29,106vehicles1,156trucks · 4.0%
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

HaysDepartment 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 Hays County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Hays County, Texas.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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