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Traffic heat map of Knox County, Tennessee: 843 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 40 and I 75

Knox County, Tennessee Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Knox County, Tennessee? We measure 843 road miles, divided into 17,328 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. It ranks among the top 3 counties in Tennessee for average daily traffic. The breakdown below covers volume, trucks, congestion and driver profiles for retailers, logistics planners and engineers.
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 Knox County, Tennessee

Traffic

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

vehicles per day10,860
Trucks

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

9.8%
Average travel time

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

31.9 min
Congestion ratio

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

22.1%
Drivers’ average age

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

45.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$83,726

The average monitored road in Knox County, Tennessee carries 10,860 vehicles per day. Across its 843 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 12,073,911 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈4.4 billion per year). About 1 in 10 vehicles is a truck, in line with Tennessee (11.3%).

Busier roads than 98% of counties in Tennessee

Knox sees 50% higher average daily traffic volume than the state average (10,860 vehicles per day against 7,251), suggesting more demand on each road - a busier backdrop for retail sites, at the cost of slower access. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 6.7% of Tennessee's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 98% of counties in Tennessee see less traffic than Knox's 10,860 vehicles per day.

At 31.9 minutes, the average travel time matches the state level closely. On travel time, Knox runs shorter than 63% of counties in Tennessee.

The congestion ratio of 22.1% is 37% higher, pointing to more pronounced congestion than the state level - a factor for delivery windows and signal timing.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Knox County, Tennessee

Trafficvehicles per day22,523
Trucks13.0%
Average travel time40.9 min
Congestion ratio31.4%
Drivers’ average age46.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$77,878

Highways carry more than half of all travel in Knox County, Tennessee (62% of vehicle-miles). The average highway carries 22,523 vehicles per day, 139% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 9,429 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 30% of the monitored road miles (250 miles, 1,895 segments), so they carry more than their share: 7,427,910 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈2.7 billion per year).

No more than 2 other counties in Tennessee move more traffic on their highways.

More highway trucks than 84% of counties in Tennessee

Highway truck concentration here runs 17% lower than the state average, at 13.0%. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

53% of counties in Tennessee see a lower highway truck share than Knox's 13.0%. 84% of counties in Tennessee see fewer highway trucks per day than Knox's roughly 2,923.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Knox County, Tennessee

Trafficvehicles per day9,429
Trucks4.6%
Average travel time30.8 min
Congestion ratio20.9%
Drivers’ average age45.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$90,259

A significant share of driving in Knox County, Tennessee, 38% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. A typical local road sees 9,429 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 70% of the monitored road miles (593 miles in 15,433 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 4,646,002 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.7 billion per year). Trucks make up 4.6% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 22 vehicles.

Drivers from higher-income areas than 93% of counties in Tennessee

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 65% fewer trucks by share.

Non-highway congestion (20.9%) runs 36% higher than the state average, pointing to slower local traffic flow.

93% of counties in Tennessee see lower average driver income among trip origins than Knox. Knox's median driver age is lower than 83% of counties in Tennessee.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–9:00 AM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 82% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 19% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
Traffic is nearly flat through the year: even March–May, the busiest stretch, runs only +2% 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 Knox County, Tennessee, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic, and traffic stays steady through the year (+2% in high season).

Knox County vs. Tennessee Traffic Comparison

Knox County's biggest difference from the Tennessee average is its average daily traffic per road, 50% above it. Its highway truck share, by contrast, is 17% below.

MetricKnox CountyTennessee averageDifference
Traffic10,8607,251+49.8%
Truck % (Total Traffic)9.8%11.3%-14.0%
Truck % (Highway)13.0%15.6%-16.8%
Avg. Travel Time31.9 min32.1 min-0.5%

How Knox County compares

Knox County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Against the 4 nearest areas, Knox County moves 6.8 times the total daily travel and carries 81.1% more traffic on a typical road; it has the busiest roads of the five. It is where traffic concentrates in this corner of the map - the local bottleneck, with more vehicles per road AND less room to absorb them.

Knox County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Tennessee average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Knox County10,8609.8%12,073,91131.9 min22.1%
Anderson County, Tennessee5,33510.5%1,950,12931.2 min11.1%
Blount County, Tennessee8,5606.7%2,287,00434.7 min22.1%
Union County, Tennessee4,3877.3%347,21533.6 min11.9%
Jefferson County, Tennessee5,70717.7%2,559,37834.3 min12.6%
Tennessee average7,25111.3%N/A32.1 min16.1%

Knox County ranked within Tennessee

Knox County sits in Tennessee's top three on average daily traffic volume and highway travel volume.

Knox County ranked among 95 county-level areas in Tennessee (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 86.
MeasureKnox CountyTennessee rank
Traffic volume (AADT)10,860#3 of 95
Highway vehicle-miles per day7,427,910#3 of 86
Truck share on highways13.0%#41 of 86
Highway trucks per day2,923#15 of 86
Average travel time31.9 min#60 of 95
Average driver income$83,726#8 of 95
Average driver age45.9 yrs#79 of 95

Knox County ranks #3 of 95 on average daily traffic volume but #79 of 95 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Knox County, Tennessee

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Knox County carry 82,940 vehicles a day on average, 7.6 times the typical road in the county (10,860).

I 40 is the busiest road, at 127,468 vehicles a day, 15,901 of them trucks (12.5%). That is 2.0 times the next road, I 75 (63,552). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Freight stands out on I 75: trucks are 16.2% of the traffic there, against 9.8% county-wide.

Trips using I 40 are long: a median of 42.1 minutes against 31.9 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · 127,468vehicles15,901trucks · 12.5%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
85.5%
Median trip time
42.1 min
Drivers’ median age
47.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$83,718

Travel on I 40's busiest stretch runs 85% over free-flow time, against 22% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2I 75Motorway · 63,552vehicles10,301trucks · 16.2%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
60.6%
Median trip time
42.1 min
Drivers’ median age
46.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$73,268

I 75 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 61% longer than at free-flow speed, against 22% county-wide.

3I 275Motorway · 57,802vehicles5,932trucks · 10.3%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
47.1%
Median trip time
36.0 min
Drivers’ median age
45.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,202

I 275 carries 5.3 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 36.0 minutes.

4Alcoa HighwayMotorway · 55,601vehicles5,188trucks · 9.3%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
41.2%
Median trip time
35.6 min
Drivers’ median age
46.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$72,308

At 5.1 times the county average, Alcoa Highway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $72,308 in household income.

5Knoxville BypassMotorway · 54,177vehicles6,850trucks · 12.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
37.1%
Median trip time
38.9 min
Drivers’ median age
46.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$74,850

On its busiest stretch, Knoxville Bypass carries 5.0 times the county average; trucks are 12.6% of it, above the county-wide 9.8%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · #1 by traffic127,468vehicles15,901trucks · 12.5%
2I 75Motorway · #2 by traffic63,552vehicles10,301trucks · 16.2%
3Knoxville BypassMotorway · #5 by traffic54,177vehicles6,850trucks · 12.6%
4I 275Motorway · #3 by traffic57,802vehicles5,932trucks · 10.3%
5Alcoa HighwayMotorway · #4 by traffic55,601vehicles5,188trucks · 9.3%
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

KnoxDepartment 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 Knox County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Knox County, Tennessee.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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