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Traffic heat map of Pender County, North Carolina: 362 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on US 17 and I 40

Pender County, North Carolina Traffic Counts

TrafficZoom tracks traffic on 362 road miles in Pender County, North Carolina, divided into 3,687 segments averaging 518 ft. Trips here are the shortest of any county in North Carolina, a median 27.4 minutes. Built from cross-verified mobile and road-sensor data, these counts help you size up a retail site, plan logistics routes or assess infrastructure needs.
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 Pender County, North Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day7,327
Trucks

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

8.6%
Average travel time

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

27.4 min
Congestion ratio

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

20.0%
Drivers’ average age

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

44.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$81,916

The average monitored road in Pender County, North Carolina carries 7,327 vehicles per day. Across its 362 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 2,438,870 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈890 million per year). Trucks are 8.6% of traffic, close to the 8.7% across North Carolina.

The shortest trips of any county in North Carolina

At 7,327 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Pender carries 16% more traffic than the state average of 6,332, suggesting more demand on each road - a factor worth weighing in site selection and logistics planning. Across the whole network, that travel is about 0.9% of North Carolina's statewide total. 86% of counties in North Carolina see less traffic than Pender's 7,327 vehicles per day.

Journey times run 15% lower than the state level, at 27.4 minutes on average. It also posts the lowest average travel time in North Carolina, at 27.4 minutes.

Congestion is somewhat higher than the state level, at a ratio of 20.0% (7% higher).

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Pender County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day22,040
Trucks10.4%
Average travel time33.9 min
Congestion ratio39.3%
Drivers’ average age43.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$83,391

Highways carry more than half of all travel in Pender County, North Carolina (60% of vehicle-miles). The average highway carries 22,040 vehicles per day, 331% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 5,109 vehicles per day.

With 31% of the road miles (112 miles in 483 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 1,454,195 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈531 million per year).

That is more highway travel volume than 70% of counties in North Carolina.

A typical mix of freight and passenger traffic

The concentration of trucks on highways (10.4%) is 14% lower than the state average for similar road classifications. The highway traffic mix is typical for North Carolina: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

Pender's highway truck share (10.4%) is lower than 61% of counties in North Carolina. By raw truck volume, Pender carries more highway trucks than 59% of counties in North Carolina.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Pender County, North Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day5,109
Trucks5.9%
Average travel time26.4 min
Congestion ratio17.0%
Drivers’ average age46.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income$79,910

A significant share of driving in Pender County, North Carolina, 40% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. The average non-highway road carries 5,109 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 69% of the monitored road miles (250 miles in 3,204 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 984,676 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈359 million per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 5.9%.

Younger drivers than 89% of counties in North Carolina

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 43% lower than the highway network.

The non-highway congestion ratio of 17.0% is in line with the state level.

Trip origins here have higher average income than 87% of counties in North Carolina. The driver population here skews younger than 89% of counties in North Carolina.

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 PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 75% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 11% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +10% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -15% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Pender County, North Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +10% in high season.

Pender County vs. North Carolina Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Pender County apart: 16% above the North Carolina average. Its average travel time, by contrast, is 15% below.

MetricPender CountyNorth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic7,3276,332+15.7%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.6%8.7%-1.6%
Truck % (Highway)10.4%12.1%-13.9%
Avg. Travel Time27.4 min32.3 min-15.1%

How Pender County compares

Pender County has the shortest trips among its nearby counties

Pender County tracks the 4 areas around it closely - no measure in this table sets it far apart from the areas immediately next to it, though it has the fourth busiest roads of the five. The same kind of road, just less of it: traffic per road matches the areas around it while the network itself is smaller.

Pender 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
Pender County7,3278.6%2,438,87027.4 min20.0%
New Hanover County, North Carolina11,9605.2%4,535,82630.7 min28.0%
Duplin County, North Carolina3,52911.2%2,005,17138.6 min11.9%
Onslow County, North Carolina9,6026.0%3,826,28431.8 min21.0%
Brunswick County, North Carolina8,4246.0%4,580,42030.5 min22.9%
North Carolina average6,3328.7%N/A32.3 min18.6%

Pender County ranked within North Carolina

No county-level area in North Carolina records a lower average travel time than Pender County.

Pender 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.
MeasurePender CountyNorth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)7,327#15 of 100
Highway vehicle-miles per day1,454,195#30 of 97
Truck share on highways10.4%#60 of 97
Highway trucks per day2,292#40 of 97
Average travel time27.4 min#100 of 100
Average driver income$81,916#14 of 100
Average driver age44.1 yrs#89 of 100

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #14 of 100 on average driver income, against #100 of 100 on average travel time.

Busiest roads in Pender County, North Carolina

The three busiest roads in Pender County average 31,364 vehicles a day, 4.3 times the county average of 7,327 across all its monitored roads.

US 17 is the busiest road, at 44,251 vehicles a day, 1,843 of them trucks (4.2%). That is 54% more than the next road, I 40 (28,762). I 40 carries the most trucks, 4,044 a day (14.1% of its traffic), although it ranks #2 for all traffic.

I 40 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 55.4 minutes against 27.4 county-wide.

Freight stands out on I 40: trucks are 14.1% of the traffic there, against 8.6% county-wide.

Drivers on US 421 come from neighborhoods with an average household income of $56,023, 32% below the county average of $81,916.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 17Trunk road · 44,251vehicles1,843trucks · 4.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
55.3%
Median trip time
32.3 min
Drivers’ median age
43.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$91,578

Travel on US 17's busiest stretch runs 55% over free-flow time, against 20% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2I 40Motorway · 28,762vehicles4,044trucks · 14.1%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
30.7%
Median trip time
55.4 min
Drivers’ median age
47.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$76,045

At 3.9 times the county average, I 40 draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $76,045 in household income.

3NC 50 / NC 210Secondary road · 21,078vehicles849trucks · 4.0%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
43.8%
Median trip time
23.6 min
Drivers’ median age
44.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$88,500

The busiest stretch of NC 50 / NC 210 carries 2.9 times the county average; trucks are 4.0% of it, below the county-wide 8.6%.

4Roland AvenueSecondary road · 20,740vehicles619trucks · 3.0%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
53.0%
Median trip time
23.5 min
Drivers’ median age
44.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$88,540

Roland Avenue is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 53% longer than at free-flow speed, against 20% county-wide.

5Wilmington HighwayTrunk road · 19,682vehicles1,392trucks · 7.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
26.1%
Median trip time
45.3 min
Drivers’ median age
39.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$91,470

Wilmington Highway carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 45.3 minutes, against 27.4 for the county.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 40Motorway · #2 by traffic28,762vehicles4,044trucks · 14.1%
2US 17Trunk road · #1 by traffic44,251vehicles1,843trucks · 4.2%
3Wilmington HighwayTrunk road · #5 by traffic19,682vehicles1,392trucks · 7.1%
4NC 50 / NC 210Secondary road · #3 by traffic21,078vehicles849trucks · 4.0%
5US 421Trunk road · 6,912vehicles766trucks · 11.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
9.9%
Median trip time
39.0 min
Drivers’ median age
48.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$56,023

Drivers on US 421 are on long journeys, a median 39.0 minutes against 27.4 county-wide: a through route more than a local street.

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

PenderDepartment 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 Pender County

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

Need segment-level traffic data?

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