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Traffic heat map of Palo Alto County, Iowa: 219 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on Main Street and 450th Avenue

Palo Alto County, Iowa Traffic Counts

Our Palo Alto County, Iowa traffic data covers 1,888 road segments over 219 road miles, with an average segment of just 611 ft. Its busiest road, Main Street, carries 6,018 vehicles a day, 4.6 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 Palo Alto County, Iowa

Traffic

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

vehicles per day1,315
Trucks

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

8.8%
Average travel time

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

37.6 min
Congestion ratio

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

6.8%
Drivers’ average age

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

51.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$72,982

A typical monitored road in Palo Alto County, Iowa sees 1,315 vehicles per day, while its 219 miles of monitored roads together handle 211,243 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈77.1 million per year). About 1 in 11 vehicles is a truck, fewer than the 1 in 9 across Iowa.

Longer trips than 85% of counties in Iowa

At 1,315 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Palo Alto carries 57% less traffic than the state average of 3,042, suggesting less demand on each road - quiet roads that suit freight movement more than drive-by retail. Network-wide, Palo Alto accounts for about 0.3% of Iowa's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Palo Alto carries less traffic than 79% of counties in Iowa.

The average trip takes 37.6 minutes, 14% higher than the state level. Its average travel time of 37.6 minutes is longer than 85% of counties in Iowa.

The congestion ratio of 6.8% is 40% lower, pointing to smoother traffic flow than the state level - travel times are easy to plan around for scheduled deliveries.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
A long morning plateau from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM and a long afternoon plateau from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 79% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are much quieter: volumes run about 27% below weekday levels, the signature of a commute-driven road network.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
May–July is the high season, with volumes +13% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -19% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Palo Alto County, Iowa, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +13% in high season.

Palo Alto County vs. Iowa Traffic Comparison

Palo Alto County's biggest difference from the Iowa average is its average daily traffic per road, 57% below it. Its truck share is also 20% below.

MetricPalo Alto CountyIowa averageDifference
Traffic1,3153,042-56.8%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.8%11.0%-20.3%
Avg. Travel Time37.6 min33.0 min+14.1%

How Palo Alto County compares

Palo Alto County against nearby counties

Nothing in this table sets Palo Alto County sharply apart from the 4 areas nearest to it, though it has the second busiest roads of the five.

Palo Alto County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Iowa average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Palo Alto County1,3158.8%211,24337.6 min6.8%
Emmet County, Iowa1,0778.7%130,12533.4 min6.1%
Pocahontas County, Iowa75910.5%163,91244.3 min5.3%
Kossuth County, Iowa97010.6%377,96139.7 min5.3%
Clay County, Iowa1,8339.1%380,53635.3 min6.9%
Iowa average3,04211.0%N/A33.0 min11.4%

Palo Alto County ranked within Iowa

Palo Alto County sits in the top quarter of the Iowa field on average travel time, at #16 of 99.

Palo Alto County ranked among 99 county-level areas in Iowa (1 = highest).
MeasurePalo Alto CountyIowa rank
Traffic volume (AADT)1,315#78 of 99
Average travel time37.6 min#16 of 99
Average driver income$72,982#45 of 99
Average driver age51.5 yrs#27 of 99

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #16 of 99 on average travel time, against #78 of 99 on average daily traffic volume.

Busiest roads in Palo Alto County, Iowa

The three busiest roads in Palo Alto County average 4,827 vehicles a day, 3.7 times the county average of 1,315 across all its monitored roads.

Main Street leads with 6,018 vehicles a day, 355 of them trucks (5.9%). 360th Street carries the most trucks, 366 a day (9.0% of its traffic), although it ranks #3 for all traffic.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Main StreetPrimary road · 6,018vehicles355trucks · 5.9%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
16.1%
Median trip time
35.8 min
Drivers’ median age
51.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$67,075

Delays build on Main Street: its congestion ratio of 16% over free-flow time is well above the county's 7%.

2450th AvenuePrimary road · 4,384vehicles276trucks · 6.3%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
11.1%
Median trip time
38.7 min
Drivers’ median age
51.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$67,412

450th Avenue peaks at 4,384 vehicles a day, 3.3 times the county average; trucks are 6.3% of it, below the county-wide 8.8%.

3360th StreetPrimary road · 4,079vehicles366trucks · 9.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
9.3%
Median trip time
42.6 min
Drivers’ median age
51.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,134

360th Street carries 3.1 times the county average at its busiest, 366 of them trucks (9.0%, in line with the county-wide 8.8%).

4Broadway StreetPrimary road · 3,564vehicles264trucks · 7.4%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
11.6%
Median trip time
36.0 min
Drivers’ median age
50.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$68,440

Broadway Street carries 2.7 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 36.0 minutes.

5370th StreetPrimary road · 2,722vehicles264trucks · 9.7%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
7.4%
Median trip time
34.6 min
Drivers’ median age
52.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,006

At 2.1 times the county average, 370th Street draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $78,006 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1360th StreetPrimary road · #3 by traffic4,079vehicles366trucks · 9.0%
2Main StreetPrimary road · #1 by traffic6,018vehicles355trucks · 5.9%
3450th AvenuePrimary road · #2 by traffic4,384vehicles276trucks · 6.3%
4Broadway StreetPrimary road · #4 by traffic3,564vehicles264trucks · 7.4%
5370th StreetPrimary road · #5 by traffic2,722vehicles264trucks · 9.7%
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

Palo AltoDepartment 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 Palo Alto County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Palo Alto County, Iowa.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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