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Traffic heat map of Jackson County, North Carolina: 218 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Main Street

Jackson County, North Carolina Traffic Counts

Our Jackson County, North Carolina traffic data covers 2,902 road segments over 218 road miles, with an average segment of just 396 ft. Its busiest road, Main Street, carries 28,020 vehicles a day, 4.3 times the average road. Whether you are evaluating a new retail location, planning routes or assessing infrastructure, these numbers replace guesswork.
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 Jackson County, North Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day6,474
Trucks

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

7.5%
Average travel time

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

31.1 min
Congestion ratio

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

18.5%
Drivers’ average age

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

47.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$53,351

Our data shows 6,474 vehicles per day on the average road in Jackson County, North Carolina, and 1,313,651 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈479 million per year) across its 218 miles of monitored roads. Trucks are 7.5% of traffic, close to the 8.7% across North Carolina.

Busier roads than 78% of counties in North Carolina

The average road in Jackson carries 6,474 vehicles per day, essentially matching the state average of 6,332. Network-wide, Jackson accounts for about 0.5% of North Carolina's statewide total of vehicle-miles. By volume, Jackson's 6,474 vehicles per day outpaces 78% of counties in North Carolina.

The average trip takes 31.1 minutes, on par with the state level. 68% of counties in North Carolina have a longer average travel time than Jackson's 31.1 minutes.

Congestion here (18.5%) closely tracks the state level.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Jackson County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day14,058
Trucks8.1%
Average travel time36.1 min
Congestion ratio25.8%
Drivers’ average age47.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$52,246

A little more than half of the driving in Jackson County, North Carolina happens on highways: 69% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 14,058 vehicles per day, 246% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 4,063 vehicles per day.

With 37% of the road miles (81 miles in 700 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 907,061 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈331 million per year).

By highway travel volume, Jackson outranks 52% of counties in North Carolina.

Lower highway truck share than 82% of counties in North Carolina

At 8.1%, highway truck share is 33% lower than the state average. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

82% of counties in North Carolina see a higher highway truck share than Jackson's 8.1%. Jackson's highway truck count is lower than 64% of counties in North Carolina, at roughly 1,137 trucks per day.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Jackson County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day4,063
Trucks6.3%
Average travel time29.5 min
Congestion ratio16.2%
Drivers’ average age46.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$56,449

A significant share of driving in Jackson County, North Carolina, 31% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 4,063 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 63% of the monitored road miles (137 miles in 2,202 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 406,590 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈148 million per year). About 1 in 16 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.3%).

Drivers from lower-income areas than 89% of counties in North Carolina

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 22% lower than the highway network.

Non-highway congestion (16.2%) runs slightly lower than the state level (9% lower).

89% of counties in North Carolina see higher average driver income among trip origins than Jackson. 71% of counties in North Carolina have an older driver population than Jackson.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Jackson County, North Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic.

Jackson County vs. North Carolina Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, highway truck share differs most: Jackson County runs 33% below the North Carolina average.

MetricJackson CountyNorth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic6,4746,332+2.2%
Truck % (Total Traffic)7.5%8.7%-13.6%
Truck % (Highway)8.1%12.1%-33.0%
Avg. Travel Time31.1 min32.3 min-3.7%

How Jackson County compares

Jackson County is more congested than any nearby county

Against the 4 nearest areas, Jackson County is 31.7% more congested; it has the busiest roads of the five.

Jackson County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the North Carolina average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Jackson County6,4747.5%1,313,65131.1 min18.5%
Transylvania County, North Carolina5,8245.9%583,49831.1 min14.2%
Haywood County, North Carolina5,56013.2%2,415,04933.4 min15.5%
Macon County, North Carolina4,0767.0%854,64631.1 min14.0%
Swain County, North Carolina3,4657.7%493,63929.9 min12.5%
North Carolina average6,3328.7%N/A32.3 min18.6%

Jackson County ranked within North Carolina

Jackson County sits in the bottom quarter of the North Carolina field on average driver income, at #89 of 100.

Jackson County ranked among 100 county-level areas in North Carolina (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 97.
MeasureJackson CountyNorth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)6,474#23 of 100
Highway vehicle-miles per day907,061#47 of 97
Truck share on highways8.1%#80 of 97
Highway trucks per day1,137#62 of 97
Average travel time31.1 min#68 of 100
Average driver income$53,351#89 of 100
Average driver age47.2 yrs#71 of 100

Jackson County ranks #23 of 100 on average daily traffic volume but #89 of 100 on average driver income - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Jackson County, North Carolina

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Jackson County carry 24,316 vehicles a day on average, 3.8 times the typical road in the county (6,474).

Main Street is the busiest road, at 28,020 vehicles a day, 1,476 of them trucks (5.3%). Great Smoky Mountains Expressway carries the most trucks, 2,499 a day (9.9% of its traffic), although it ranks #2 for all traffic.

Great Smoky Mountains Expressway carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 48.6 minutes against 31.1 county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Main StreetTrunk road · 28,020vehicles1,476trucks · 5.3%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
39.5%
Median trip time
29.4 min
Drivers’ median age
47.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$51,338

Delays build on Main Street: its congestion ratio of 40% over free-flow time is well above the county's 18%.

2Great Smoky Mountains ExpresswayTrunk road · 25,219vehicles2,499trucks · 9.9%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
29.9%
Median trip time
48.6 min
Drivers’ median age
48.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$56,757

Travel on Great Smoky Mountains Expressway's busiest stretch runs 30% over free-flow time, against 18% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

3Shoaler Church LoopTrunk road · 19,709vehicles1,196trucks · 6.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
23.7%
Median trip time
29.8 min
Drivers’ median age
45.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$50,303

The busiest stretch of Shoaler Church Loop carries 3.0 times the county average; trucks are 6.1% of it, below the county-wide 7.5%.

4US 441Trunk road · 19,033vehicles1,225trucks · 6.4%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
23.3%
Median trip time
29.7 min
Drivers’ median age
46.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$50,452

On its busiest stretch, US 441 carries 2.9 times the county average; trucks are 6.4% of it, below the county-wide 7.5%.

5US 23Trunk road · 17,706vehicles1,564trucks · 8.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
21.8%
Median trip time
44.1 min
Drivers’ median age
47.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$51,419

Drivers on US 23 are on long journeys, a median 44.1 minutes against 31.1 county-wide: a through route more than a local street.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Great Smoky Mountains ExpresswayTrunk road · #2 by traffic25,219vehicles2,499trucks · 9.9%
2US 23Trunk road · #5 by traffic17,706vehicles1,564trucks · 8.8%
3Main StreetTrunk road · #1 by traffic28,020vehicles1,476trucks · 5.3%
4US 441Trunk road · #4 by traffic19,033vehicles1,225trucks · 6.4%
5Shoaler Church LoopTrunk road · #3 by traffic19,709vehicles1,196trucks · 6.1%
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

JacksonDepartment 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 Jackson County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Jackson County, North Carolina.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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