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Traffic heat map of McKinley County, New Mexico: 638 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 40 and US 491

McKinley County, New Mexico Traffic Counts

Traffic analytics for McKinley County, New Mexico, calculated from real-world mobile and sensor networks on 3,345 road segments (638 road miles, about 1,008 ft each). It is one of the top 3 counties in New Mexico for highway travel volume. 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 McKinley County, New Mexico

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,989
Trucks

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

28.2%
Average travel time

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

31.5 min
Congestion ratio

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

13.7%
Drivers’ average age

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

43.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$58,613

A typical monitored road in McKinley County, New Mexico sees 3,989 vehicles per day, while its 638 miles of monitored roads together handle 3,488,111 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.3 billion per year). About 1 in 4 vehicles is a truck, well above the 16.2% across New Mexico - a freight-heavy mix.

Shorter trips than 81% of counties in New Mexico

At 3,989 vehicles per day, the average road in McKinley carries somewhat less traffic than the state average of 4,562 (13% less) - a critical factor for logistics and site planning. Network-wide, McKinley accounts for about 5.4% of New Mexico's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 72% of counties in New Mexico see less traffic than McKinley's 3,989 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 31.5 minutes, 7% lower than the state level. Its average travel time of 31.5 minutes is shorter than 81% of counties in New Mexico.

Congestion here (13.7%) closely tracks the state level.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in McKinley County, New Mexico

Trafficvehicles per day8,356
Trucks32.8%
Average travel time35.6 min
Congestion ratio18.8%
Drivers’ average age45.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$58,138

The vast majority of driving in McKinley County, New Mexico happens on highways: 82% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 8,356 vehicles per day, 161% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 3,207 vehicles per day.

With 44% of the road miles (284 miles in 508 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 2,849,521 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.0 billion per year).

By highway travel volume, that ranks McKinley in the top 3 counties in New Mexico.

More highway trucks than 90% of counties in New Mexico

Highway truck concentration here runs 48% higher than the state average, at 32.8%. Highways here lean toward freight, so highway access is a real asset for logistics operators.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 81% of counties in New Mexico. 90% of counties in New Mexico see fewer highway trucks per day than McKinley's roughly 2,740.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in McKinley County, New Mexico

Trafficvehicles per day3,207
Trucks8.0%
Average travel time30.8 min
Congestion ratio12.8%
Drivers’ average age41.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income$59,976

Local roads carry a smaller share of travel in McKinley County, New Mexico, 18% of vehicle-miles; most driving happens on highways. The average non-highway road carries 3,207 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 56% of the monitored road miles (355 miles in 2,837 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 638,590 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈233 million per year). About 1 in 13 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (8.0%).

Younger drivers than 81% of counties in New Mexico

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 76% fewer trucks by share.

Non-highway congestion (12.8%) runs slightly lower than the state level (15% lower).

Trip origins here have higher average income than 59% of counties in New Mexico. The driver population here skews younger than 81% of counties in New Mexico.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
A long morning plateau from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and PM peak 3:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 60% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 8% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
May–July is the high season, with volumes +5% 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 McKinley County, New Mexico, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +5% in high season.

McKinley County vs. New Mexico Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, truck share differs most: McKinley County runs 74% above the New Mexico average. Its highway truck share is also 48% above.

MetricMcKinley CountyNew Mexico averageDifference
Traffic3,9894,562-12.6%
Truck % (Total Traffic)28.2%16.2%+73.8%
Truck % (Highway)32.8%22.2%+47.8%
Avg. Travel Time31.5 min34.0 min-7.3%

How McKinley County compares

McKinley County against nearby counties

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, McKinley County runs 9.8 percentage points more truck traffic; it has the second 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.

McKinley County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the New Mexico average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
McKinley County3,98928.2%3,488,11131.5 min13.7%
Cibola County, New Mexico2,42730.7%2,174,34830.9 min8.1%
San Juan County, New Mexico3,78312.0%3,387,73635.7 min12.0%
Apache County, Arizona2,76821.3%2,813,05936.5 min8.0%
Sandoval County, New Mexico4,86910.0%3,798,49530.5 min18.4%
New Mexico average4,56216.2%N/A34.0 min14.4%

McKinley County ranked within New Mexico

McKinley County sits in New Mexico's top three on highway travel volume.

McKinley County ranked among 33 county-level areas in New Mexico (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 32.
MeasureMcKinley CountyNew Mexico rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,989#10 of 33
Highway vehicle-miles per day2,849,521#3 of 32
Truck share on highways32.8%#7 of 32
Highway trucks per day2,740#4 of 32
Average travel time31.5 min#27 of 33
Average driver income$58,613#14 of 33
Average driver age43.5 yrs#27 of 33

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #3 of 32 on highway travel volume, against #27 of 33 on average travel time.

Busiest roads in McKinley County, New Mexico

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in McKinley County carry 21,036 vehicles a day on average, 5.3 times the typical road in the county (3,989).

I 40 leads with 26,306 vehicles a day, 10,113 of them trucks (38.4%). It also carries the most trucks.

Trucks make up 50.8% of traffic on Purple Heart Trail, against 28.2% across all roads in the county.

Munoz Drive is busy with cars rather than freight: only 5.8% of its traffic is trucks, against 28.2% county-wide.

Trips using 2nd Street are long: a median of 44.0 minutes against 31.5 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · 26,306vehicles10,113trucks · 38.4%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
30.2%
Median trip time
37.5 min
Drivers’ median age
46.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$59,184

A main artery: I 40's busiest stretch carries 6.6 times the county average; trucks are 38.4% of it, above the county-wide 28.2%.

2US 491Trunk road · 19,004vehicles1,800trucks · 9.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
21.4%
Median trip time
29.4 min
Drivers’ median age
42.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$51,897

US 491 carries 4.8 times the county average at its busiest, 1,800 of them trucks (9.5%, below the county-wide 28.2%).

3Munoz DriveTrunk road · 17,799vehicles1,025trucks · 5.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
22.4%
Median trip time
27.6 min
Drivers’ median age
41.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$59,293

Munoz Drive carries 4.5 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 27.6 minutes.

4Historic Highway 66Primary road · 16,253vehicles854trucks · 5.3%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
41.7%
Median trip time
27.9 min
Drivers’ median age
40.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$63,718

Travel on Historic Highway 66's busiest stretch runs 42% over free-flow time, against 14% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

52nd StreetPrimary road · 14,553vehicles846trucks · 5.8%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
41.2%
Median trip time
44.0 min
Drivers’ median age
42.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$62,993

2nd Street is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 41% longer than at free-flow speed, against 14% county-wide.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · #1 by traffic26,306vehicles10,113trucks · 38.4%
2Purple Heart TrailMotorway · 8,036vehicles4,082trucks · 50.8%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
43.4 min
Drivers’ median age
39.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,251

Purple Heart Trail carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 43.4 minutes, against 31.5 for the county.

3US 491Trunk road · #2 by traffic19,004vehicles1,800trucks · 9.5%
4Munoz DriveTrunk road · #3 by traffic17,799vehicles1,025trucks · 5.8%
5Historic Highway 66Primary road · #4 by traffic16,253vehicles854trucks · 5.3%
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

McKinleyDepartment 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 McKinley County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to McKinley County, New Mexico.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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