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Traffic heat map of Penobscot County, Maine: 1,058 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 95 and I 395

Penobscot County, Maine Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Penobscot County, Maine? We measure 1,058 road miles, divided into 8,888 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Trips here are the shortest of any county in Maine, a median 32.4 minutes. 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 icon

Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Penobscot County, Maine

Traffic

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

vehicles per day5,025
Trucks

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

9.6%
Average travel time

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

32.4 min
Congestion ratio

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

15.9%
Drivers’ average age

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

48.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$71,655

The average monitored road in Penobscot County, Maine carries 5,025 vehicles per day. Across its 1,058 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 3,894,050 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.4 billion per year). About 1 in 10 vehicles is a truck, in line with Maine (8.7%).

The shortest trips of any county in Maine

The average road in Penobscot carries 5,025 vehicles per day, essentially matching the state average of 4,836. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 12% of Maine's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 73% of counties in Maine see less traffic than Penobscot's 5,025 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 32.4 minutes, 6% lower than the state level. At 32.4 minutes, Penobscot also has the lowest average travel time in Maine.

Congestion is somewhat higher than the state level, at a ratio of 15.9% (9% higher).

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Penobscot County, Maine

Trafficvehicles per day8,803
Trucks13.0%
Average travel time38.4 min
Congestion ratio22.7%
Drivers’ average age49.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income$75,387

Travel in Penobscot County, Maine splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (45% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 8,803 vehicles per day, 89% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 4,653 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 26% of the monitored road miles (272 miles, 796 segments), so they carry more than their share: 1,768,575 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈646 million per year).

No more than 2 other counties in Maine move more traffic on their highways.

Higher highway truck share than 71% of counties in Maine

At 13.0%, highway truck share is 5% higher than the state average. The highway traffic mix is typical for Maine: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 71% of counties in Maine. Penobscot's highway truck count is higher than 57% of counties in Maine, at roughly 1,146 trucks per day.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Penobscot County, Maine

Trafficvehicles per day4,653
Trucks6.8%
Average travel time31.9 min
Congestion ratio15.2%
Drivers’ average age47.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$69,404

Travel in Penobscot County, Maine splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (55% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. A typical local road sees 4,653 vehicles per day.

Spread over 787 miles and 8,092 segments, 74% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 2,125,475 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈776 million per year). About 1 in 15 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.8%).

Younger drivers than 93% of counties in Maine

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 48% lower than the highway network.

Non-highway congestion (15.2%) runs slightly higher than the state level (9% higher).

Penobscot's average driver income is higher than 60% of counties in Maine. Penobscot's median driver age is lower than 93% of counties in Maine.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–8:00 AM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 78% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 16% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
July–September is the high season, with volumes +15% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -23% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Penobscot County, Maine, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +15% in high season.

Penobscot County vs. Maine Traffic Comparison

Penobscot County stays close to the Maine average; the largest gap is its truck share, 10% above.

MetricPenobscot CountyMaine averageDifference
Traffic5,0254,836+3.9%
Truck % (Total Traffic)9.6%8.7%+10.4%
Truck % (Highway)13.0%12.3%+5.4%
Avg. Travel Time32.4 min34.6 min-6.3%

How Penobscot County compares

Penobscot County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Penobscot County moves 3.4 times the total daily travel and is 67.5% more congested; it has the busiest roads of the five. It is where traffic concentrates in this corner of the map - the local bottleneck, with more vehicles per road AND less room to absorb them.

Penobscot County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Maine average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Penobscot County5,0259.6%3,894,05032.4 min15.9%
Piscataquis County, Maine2,6098.9%370,85737.8 min8.9%
Washington County, Maine1,9209.1%825,65536.3 min6.9%
Hancock County, Maine4,0167.6%1,756,95134.6 min12.9%
Aroostook County, Maine3,02110.3%1,628,97536.9 min9.2%
Maine average4,8368.7%N/A34.6 min14.6%

Penobscot County ranked within Maine

On highway travel volume, Penobscot County is among the three highest county-level areas in Maine.

Penobscot County ranked among 16 county-level areas in Maine (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 15.
MeasurePenobscot CountyMaine rank
Traffic volume (AADT)5,025#5 of 16
Highway vehicle-miles per day1,768,575#3 of 15
Truck share on highways13.0%#5 of 15
Highway trucks per day1,146#7 of 15
Average travel time32.4 min#16 of 16
Average driver income$71,655#7 of 16
Average driver age48.1 yrs#15 of 16

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #3 of 15 on highway travel volume, against #16 of 16 on average travel time.

Busiest roads in Penobscot County, Maine

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Penobscot County carry 29,174 vehicles a day on average, 5.8 times the typical road in the county (5,025).

I 95 is the busiest road, at 38,709 vehicles a day, 3,126 of them trucks (8.1%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 95Motorway · 38,709vehicles3,126trucks · 8.1%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
39.4%
Median trip time
34.9 min
Drivers’ median age
48.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,687

I 95 carries 7.7 times the county average at its busiest, 3,126 of them trucks (8.1%, below the county-wide 9.6%).

2I 395Motorway · 29,271vehicles2,738trucks · 9.4%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
38.6%
Median trip time
32.3 min
Drivers’ median age
48.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$79,007

I 395 carries 5.8 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 32.3 minutes.

3Main RoadTrunk road · 19,542vehicles1,621trucks · 8.3%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
47.2%
Median trip time
41.7 min
Drivers’ median age
50.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$80,789

Delays build on Main Road: its congestion ratio of 47% over free-flow time is well above the county's 16%.

4Wilson StreetTrunk road · 17,356vehicles931trucks · 5.4%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
42.1%
Median trip time
41.1 min
Drivers’ median age
50.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$81,470

On its busiest stretch, Wilson Street carries 3.5 times the county average; trucks are 5.4% of it, below the county-wide 9.6%.

5Stillwater AvenuePrimary road · 16,203vehicles806trucks · 5.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
48.9%
Median trip time
30.4 min
Drivers’ median age
44.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,058

Travel on Stillwater Avenue's busiest stretch runs 49% over free-flow time, against 16% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 95Motorway · #1 by traffic38,709vehicles3,126trucks · 8.1%
2I 395Motorway · #2 by traffic29,271vehicles2,738trucks · 9.4%
3Main RoadTrunk road · #3 by traffic19,542vehicles1,621trucks · 8.3%
4Hammond StreetPrimary road · 15,054vehicles1,375trucks · 9.1%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
35.8%
Median trip time
30.5 min
Drivers’ median age
49.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$79,201

Hammond Street peaks at 15,054 vehicles a day, 3.0 times the county average; trucks are 9.1% of it, below the county-wide 9.6%.

5Ox Bow RoadTrunk road · 15,120vehicles1,222trucks · 8.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
39.1%
Median trip time
40.3 min
Drivers’ median age
51.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$57,556

Ox Bow Road carries 3.0 times the county average at its busiest, 1,222 of them trucks (8.1%, below the county-wide 9.6%).

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

PenobscotDepartment 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 Penobscot County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Penobscot County, Maine.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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