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Traffic heat map of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: 1,357 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 94 and Union Avenue

Otter Tail County, Minnesota Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Otter Tail County, Minnesota? We measure 1,357 road miles, divided into 11,253 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its busiest road, I 94, carries 14,528 vehicles a day, 9.8 times the average road. 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 Volume & Performance in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day1,483
Trucks

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

10.4%
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.

5.8%
Drivers’ average age

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

53.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$74,539

The average monitored road in Otter Tail County, Minnesota carries 1,483 vehicles per day. Across its 1,357 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 2,091,978 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈764 million per year). At 10.4%, the truck share runs above the 8.1% across Minnesota: about 1 in 10 vehicles.

Traffic 56% below the Minnesota average

Otter Tail sees 56% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (1,483 vehicles per day against 3,404), suggesting less demand on each road - quiet roads that suit freight movement more than drive-by retail. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 1.5% of Minnesota's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 63% of counties in Minnesota see more traffic than Otter Tail's 1,483 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 32.7 minutes, on par with the state level. Its average travel time of 32.7 minutes is shorter than 56% of counties in Minnesota.

Congestion runs 45% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 5.8%, which means smoother traffic flow - travel times are easy to plan around for scheduled deliveries.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Trafficvehicles per day3,545
Trucks15.2%
Average travel time46.0 min
Congestion ratio8.2%
Drivers’ average age50.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$72,246

Travel in Otter Tail County, Minnesota splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (47% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 3,545 vehicles per day, 162% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 1,353 vehicles per day.

That comes from just 15% of the monitored road miles: 202 miles in 667 segments, carrying 986,719 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈360 million per year).

That is more highway travel volume than 81% of counties in Minnesota.

Higher highway truck share than 85% of counties in Minnesota

At 15.2%, highway truck share is 48% higher than the state average. Highways here lean toward freight, so highway access is a real asset for logistics operators.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 85% of counties in Minnesota. 60% of counties in Minnesota see fewer highway trucks per day than Otter Tail's roughly 537.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Trafficvehicles per day1,353
Trucks6.2%
Average travel time31.9 min
Congestion ratio5.6%
Drivers’ average age54.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income$75,535

Travel in Otter Tail County, Minnesota splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (53% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. The average non-highway road carries 1,353 vehicles per day.

Spread over 1,156 miles and 10,586 segments, 85% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 1,105,259 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈403 million per year). About 1 in 16 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.2%).

Older drivers than 86% of counties in Minnesota

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 59% lower than on highways.

At 42% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 5.6% signals easier movement on local roads.

Otter Tail's average driver income is lower than 52% of counties in Minnesota. Otter Tail's median driver age is higher than 86% of counties in Minnesota.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Otter Tail County, Minnesota, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic.

Otter Tail County vs. Minnesota Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Otter Tail County apart: 56% below the Minnesota average. Its highway truck share, by contrast, is 48% above.

MetricOtter Tail CountyMinnesota averageDifference
Traffic1,4833,404-56.4%
Truck % (Total Traffic)10.4%8.1%+29.2%
Truck % (Highway)15.2%10.3%+47.7%
Avg. Travel Time32.7 min32.2 min+1.4%

How Otter Tail County compares

Otter Tail County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Otter Tail County moves 2.5 times the total daily travel and is 23.6% less congested; it has the fourth busiest roads of the five. It is bigger rather than busier: the extra travel comes from carrying more road, not from heavier roads.

Otter Tail County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Minnesota average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Otter Tail County1,48310.4%2,091,97832.7 min5.8%
Becker County, Minnesota1,7207.1%964,32934.7 min7.7%
Wadena County, Minnesota1,8378.5%372,82836.1 min7.5%
Wilkin County, Minnesota1,09113.4%451,71236.5 min5.4%
Douglas County, Minnesota2,80610.7%1,554,21734.1 min9.7%
Minnesota average3,4048.1%N/A32.2 min10.6%

Otter Tail County ranked within Minnesota

Average driver age places Otter Tail County #13 of 87 in Minnesota - the top quarter of the state.

Otter Tail County ranked among 87 county-level areas in Minnesota (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 81.
MeasureOtter Tail CountyMinnesota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)1,483#55 of 87
Highway vehicle-miles per day986,719#16 of 81
Truck share on highways15.2%#13 of 81
Highway trucks per day537#33 of 81
Average travel time32.7 min#49 of 87
Average driver income$74,539#46 of 87
Average driver age53.2 yrs#13 of 87

Busiest roads in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

The three busiest roads in Otter Tail County average 11,383 vehicles a day, 7.7 times the county average of 1,483 across all its monitored roads.

I 94 leads with 14,528 vehicles a day, 2,206 of them trucks (15.2%). It also carries the most trucks.

Trips using I 94 are long: a median of 61.2 minutes against 32.7 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Few trucks use Union Avenue: 4.9% of its traffic, under half the county's 10.4%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 94Motorway · 14,528vehicles2,206trucks · 15.2%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
15.5%
Median trip time
61.2 min
Drivers’ median age
49.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$70,719

I 94 is a trunk route for the county, carrying 9.8 times the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 15.2% of it, above the county-wide 10.4%.

2Union AvenueSecondary road · 10,720vehicles525trucks · 4.9%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
23.2%
Median trip time
34.9 min
Drivers’ median age
53.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,905

Travel on Union Avenue's busiest stretch runs 23% over free-flow time, against 6% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

3Ash Avenue NorthwestTrunk road · 8,902vehicles847trucks · 9.5%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
21.2%
Median trip time
37.8 min
Drivers’ median age
48.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$64,273

Ash Avenue Northwest is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 21% longer than at free-flow speed, against 6% county-wide.

4Lincoln AvenueSecondary road · 7,936vehicles326trucks · 4.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
19.4%
Median trip time
31.1 min
Drivers’ median age
53.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$61,734

Lincoln Avenue carries 5.4 times the county average at its busiest, 326 of them trucks (4.1%, below the county-wide 10.4%).

53rd Avenue SoutheastSecondary road · 7,921vehicles336trucks · 4.2%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
22.8 min
Drivers’ median age
55.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,263

Trips on 3rd Avenue Southeast are short, a median 22.8 minutes against 32.7 county-wide, so it mostly serves local errands and commutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 94Motorway · #1 by traffic14,528vehicles2,206trucks · 15.2%
2Ash Avenue NorthwestTrunk road · #3 by traffic8,902vehicles847trucks · 9.5%
3US 10Trunk road · 7,891vehicles839trucks · 10.6%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
10.9%
Median trip time
46.9 min
Drivers’ median age
48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,172

US 10 carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 46.9 minutes, against 32.7 for the county.

4Petal DriveTrunk road · 6,297vehicles554trucks · 8.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
35.7 min
Drivers’ median age
51.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$72,598

Petal Drive peaks at 6,297 vehicles a day, 4.2 times the county average; trucks are 8.8% of it, below the county-wide 10.4%.

5Union AvenueSecondary road · #2 by traffic10,720vehicles525trucks · 4.9%
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

Otter TailDepartment 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 Otter Tail County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

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