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Traffic heat map of Orange County, North Carolina: 540 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 40 and I 85

Orange County, North Carolina Traffic Counts

Our Orange County, North Carolina traffic data covers 14,647 road segments over 540 road miles, with an average segment of just 195 ft. Its highways rank among the top 5 counties in North Carolina for trucks per day. 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 Orange County, North Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day5,286
Trucks

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

10.1%
Average travel time

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

32.7 min
Congestion ratio

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

14.6%
Drivers’ average age

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

41.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$94,350

Our data shows 5,286 vehicles per day on the average road in Orange County, North Carolina, and 4,407,047 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.6 billion per year) across its 540 miles of monitored roads. Trucks are 10.1% of traffic, more than the 8.7% across North Carolina.

Congestion 21% below the North Carolina average

Orange's average daily traffic volume is 17% lower than the state average - 5,286 vehicles per day against 6,332 - suggesting less traffic load per road - a factor worth weighing in site selection and logistics planning. Across the whole network, that travel is about 1.6% of North Carolina's statewide total. Orange carries more traffic than 64% of counties in North Carolina.

Journey times here (32.7 minutes on average) closely track the state level. On travel time, Orange runs longer than 59% of counties in North Carolina.

Congestion runs 21% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 14.6%, which means smoother traffic flow - relevant for traffic control and delivery planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Orange County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day14,938
Trucks12.6%
Average travel time46.0 min
Congestion ratio31.8%
Drivers’ average age42.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income$90,922

Highways carry more than half of all travel in Orange County, North Carolina (65% of vehicle-miles). The average highway carries 14,938 vehicles per day, 247% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 4,302 vehicles per day.

That comes from just 21% of the monitored road miles: 111 miles in 1,355 segments, carrying 2,866,284 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.0 billion per year).

91% of counties in North Carolina move less traffic on their highways.

More highway trucks than 96% of counties in North Carolina

At 12.6%, the highway truck share matches the state average for similar road classifications. The highway traffic mix is typical for North Carolina: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

57% of counties in North Carolina see a lower highway truck share than Orange's 12.6%. By raw truck volume, Orange carries more highway trucks than 96% of counties in North Carolina.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Orange County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day4,302
Trucks5.3%
Average travel time31.3 min
Congestion ratio12.9%
Drivers’ average age39.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$99,218

A significant share of driving in Orange County, North Carolina, 35% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. A typical local road sees 4,302 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 79% of the monitored road miles (429 miles in 13,292 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 1,540,763 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈562 million per year). Trucks make up 5.3% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 19 vehicles.

Drivers from higher-income areas than 96% of counties in North Carolina

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 58% lower than on highways.

Non-highway congestion (12.9%) runs 27% lower than the state average, pointing to smoother local traffic flow.

Orange's average driver income is higher than 96% of counties in North Carolina. Orange's median driver age is lower than 96% of counties in North Carolina.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

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

Orange County vs. North Carolina Traffic Comparison

Orange County's biggest difference from the North Carolina average is its average daily traffic per road, 17% below it. Its truck share, by contrast, is 15% above.

MetricOrange CountyNorth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic5,2866,332-16.5%
Truck % (Total Traffic)10.1%8.7%+15.2%
Truck % (Highway)12.6%12.1%+4.6%
Avg. Travel Time32.7 min32.3 min+1.2%

How Orange County compares

Orange County against nearby counties

Nothing in this table sets Orange County sharply apart from the 4 areas nearest to it, though it has the third busiest roads of the five. The same kind of road, simply more of it: traffic per road matches the areas around it while the network itself is larger.

Orange 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
Orange County5,28610.1%4,407,04732.7 min14.6%
Durham County, North Carolina9,0997.5%8,155,63932.4 min20.9%
Alamance County, North Carolina5,4788.4%4,111,53532.2 min14.8%
Person County, North Carolina3,0296.8%722,15128.8 min8.5%
Caswell County, North Carolina1,76610.6%565,85234.5 min6.2%
North Carolina average6,3328.7%N/A32.3 min18.6%

Orange County ranked within North Carolina

Orange County sits in the top quarter of the North Carolina field on average driver income, at #5 of 100.

Orange 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.
MeasureOrange CountyNorth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)5,286#37 of 100
Highway vehicle-miles per day2,866,284#10 of 97
Truck share on highways12.6%#42 of 97
Highway trucks per day1,888#5 of 97
Average travel time32.7 min#41 of 100
Average driver income$94,350#5 of 100
Average driver age41.2 yrs#96 of 100

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #5 of 100 on average driver income, against #96 of 100 on average driver age.

Busiest roads in Orange County, North Carolina

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 75,017 vehicles a day, against 5,286 on the average road in Orange County.

I 40 leads with 117,229 vehicles a day, 13,842 of them trucks (11.8%). No other road comes close: I 85, in second place, carries 63,055. It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

I 40 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 52.3 minutes against 32.7 county-wide.

Trucks make up 15.8% of traffic on I 85, against 10.1% across all roads in the county.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · 117,229vehicles13,842trucks · 11.8%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
61.2%
Median trip time
52.3 min
Drivers’ median age
42.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$82,288

Travel on I 40's busiest stretch runs 61% over free-flow time, against 15% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2I 85Motorway · 63,055vehicles9,978trucks · 15.8%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
56.7%
Median trip time
47.8 min
Drivers’ median age
44.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$95,200

I 85 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 57% longer than at free-flow speed, against 15% county-wide.

3Fordham BoulevardTrunk road · 44,766vehicles2,750trucks · 6.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
51.1%
Median trip time
31.3 min
Drivers’ median age
41.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$101,514

Fordham Boulevard carries 8.5 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 31.3 minutes.

4Raleigh RoadPrimary road · 42,940vehicles2,066trucks · 4.8%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
36.4%
Median trip time
30.3 min
Drivers’ median age
39.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$99,337

At 8.1 times the county average, Raleigh Road draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $99,337 in household income.

5Durham-Chapel Hill BoulevardTrunk road · 42,545vehicles2,243trucks · 5.3%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
40.4%
Median trip time
33.6 min
Drivers’ median age
38.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$85,527

A main artery: Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard's busiest stretch carries 8.0 times the county average; trucks are 5.3% of it, below the county-wide 10.1%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · #1 by traffic117,229vehicles13,842trucks · 11.8%
2I 85Motorway · #2 by traffic63,055vehicles9,978trucks · 15.8%
3Fordham BoulevardTrunk road · #3 by traffic44,766vehicles2,750trucks · 6.1%
4Durham-Chapel Hill BoulevardTrunk road · #5 by traffic42,545vehicles2,243trucks · 5.3%
5Raleigh RoadPrimary road · #4 by traffic42,940vehicles2,066trucks · 4.8%
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

OrangeDepartment 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 Orange County

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

Need segment-level traffic data?

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