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Traffic heat map of Portage County, Wisconsin: 662 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 39 and Main Street

Portage County, Wisconsin Traffic Counts

Traffic analytics for Portage County, Wisconsin, calculated from real-world mobile and sensor networks on 5,905 road segments (662 road miles, about 592 ft each). Its busiest road, I 39, carries 32,370 vehicles a day, 12.4 times the average road. Use the figures below to move from assumptions to certainty on retail locations, logistics and road planning.
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 Portage County, Wisconsin

Traffic

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

vehicles per day2,607
Trucks

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

10.3%
Average travel time

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

33.9 min
Congestion ratio

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

10.8%
Drivers’ average age

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

46.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$78,583

The average monitored road in Portage County, Wisconsin carries 2,607 vehicles per day. Across its 662 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 1,958,288 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈715 million per year). Trucks are 10.3% of traffic, close to the 10.2% across Wisconsin.

Longer trips than 68% of counties in Wisconsin

Portage's average daily traffic volume is 31% lower than the state average - 2,607 vehicles per day against 3,802 - suggesting less traffic load per road - less drive-by exposure for retail, but easier access for deliveries. Across the whole network, that travel is about 1.5% of Wisconsin's statewide total. By volume, Portage's 2,607 vehicles per day outpaces 62% of counties in Wisconsin.

Journey times run 5% higher than the state level, at 33.9 minutes on average. 68% of counties in Wisconsin have a shorter average travel time than Portage's 33.9 minutes.

Congestion is somewhat lower than the state level, at a ratio of 10.8% (14% lower) - relevant for traffic control and delivery planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Portage County, Wisconsin

Trafficvehicles per day8,266
Trucks13.4%
Average travel time44.2 min
Congestion ratio17.6%
Drivers’ average age47.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income$78,879

Travel in Portage County, Wisconsin splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (52% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 8,266 vehicles per day, 259% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,301 vehicles per day.

With 20% of the road miles (129 miles in 303 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 1,010,615 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈369 million per year).

That is more highway travel volume than 61% of counties in Wisconsin.

A typical mix of freight and passenger traffic

At 13.4%, highway truck share is 9% lower than the state average. The highway traffic mix is typical for Wisconsin: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

By truck concentration, highways here trail 58% of counties in Wisconsin. By raw truck volume, Portage carries fewer highway trucks than 54% of counties in Wisconsin.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Portage County, Wisconsin

Trafficvehicles per day2,301
Trucks7.0%
Average travel time33.3 min
Congestion ratio10.4%
Drivers’ average age45.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$78,414

Travel in Portage County, Wisconsin splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (48% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 2,301 vehicles per day.

Spread over 532 miles and 5,602 segments, 80% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 947,672 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈346 million per year). Trucks make up 7.0% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 14 vehicles.

Younger drivers than 85% of counties in Wisconsin

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 48% fewer trucks by share.

Non-highway congestion (10.4%) runs slightly lower than the state level (15% lower).

Trip origins here have higher average income than 65% of counties in Wisconsin. Portage's median driver age is lower than 85% of counties in Wisconsin.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–8:00 AM and a long afternoon plateau from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 78% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 14% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +13% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -17% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

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

Portage County vs. Wisconsin Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, average daily traffic per road differs most: Portage County runs 31% below the Wisconsin average.

MetricPortage CountyWisconsin averageDifference
Traffic2,6073,802-31.4%
Truck % (Total Traffic)10.3%10.2%+1.4%
Truck % (Highway)13.4%14.7%-8.6%
Avg. Travel Time33.9 min32.2 min+5.3%

How Portage County compares

Portage County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, Portage County moves 2.1 times the total daily travel; it has the second busiest roads of the five.

Portage County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Wisconsin average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Portage County2,60710.3%1,958,28833.9 min10.8%
Waushara County, Wisconsin1,53811.5%753,35339.7 min6.7%
Waupaca County, Wisconsin2,22810.4%1,314,57832.8 min8.1%
Wood County, Wisconsin3,1457.9%1,233,75731.6 min11.5%
Adams County, Wisconsin1,8109.0%494,34538.4 min8.0%
Wisconsin average3,80210.2%N/A32.2 min12.6%

Portage County ranked within Wisconsin

Average driver age places Portage County #61 of 72 in Wisconsin - the bottom quarter of the state.

Portage County ranked among 72 county-level areas in Wisconsin (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 58.
MeasurePortage CountyWisconsin rank
Traffic volume (AADT)2,607#28 of 72
Highway vehicle-miles per day1,010,615#23 of 58
Truck share on highways13.4%#34 of 58
Highway trucks per day1,111#32 of 58
Average travel time33.9 min#24 of 72
Average driver income$78,583#26 of 72
Average driver age46.5 yrs#61 of 72

Busiest roads in Portage County, Wisconsin

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Portage County carry 23,426 vehicles a day on average, 9.0 times the typical road in the county (2,607).

I 39 is the busiest road, at 32,370 vehicles a day, 2,765 of them trucks (8.5%). No other road comes close: Main Street, in second place, carries 21,357. It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Highway are long: a median of 52.1 minutes against 33.9 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 39Motorway · 32,370vehicles2,765trucks · 8.5%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
37.1%
Median trip time
41.7 min
Drivers’ median age
47.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,733

I 39 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 37% longer than at free-flow speed, against 11% county-wide.

2Main StreetTrunk road · 21,357vehicles1,445trucks · 6.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
28.9%
Median trip time
38.2 min
Drivers’ median age
47.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$80,921

Delays build on Main Street: its congestion ratio of 29% over free-flow time is well above the county's 11%.

3US 10Trunk road · 16,552vehicles1,634trucks · 9.9%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
19.9%
Median trip time
45.2 min
Drivers’ median age
47.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$82,248

US 10 carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 45.2 minutes, against 33.9 for the county.

4Vietnam War Veterans Memorial HighwayTrunk road · 15,371vehicles2,336trucks · 15.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
17.8%
Median trip time
52.1 min
Drivers’ median age
48.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$81,108

Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Highway carries 5.9 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 52.1 minutes.

5Plover RoadPrimary road · 13,659vehicles1,183trucks · 8.7%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
22.8%
Median trip time
31.3 min
Drivers’ median age
48.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,847

At 5.2 times the county average, Plover Road draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $78,847 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 39Motorway · #1 by traffic32,370vehicles2,765trucks · 8.5%
2Vietnam War Veterans Memorial HighwayTrunk road · #4 by traffic15,371vehicles2,336trucks · 15.2%
3US 10Trunk road · #3 by traffic16,552vehicles1,634trucks · 9.9%
4Main StreetTrunk road · #2 by traffic21,357vehicles1,445trucks · 6.8%
5Plover RoadPrimary road · #5 by traffic13,659vehicles1,183trucks · 8.7%
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

PortageDepartment 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 Portage County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Portage County, Wisconsin.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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