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Traffic heat map of Pottawattamie County, Iowa: 708 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 80 and I 29

Pottawattamie County, Iowa Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Pottawattamie County, Iowa? We measure 708 road miles, divided into 8,322 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. It is one of the top 5 counties in Iowa for highway travel volume. 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 Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,940
Trucks

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

15.7%
Average travel time

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

32.1 min
Drivers’ average age

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

47.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$83,020

A typical monitored road in Pottawattamie County, Iowa sees 3,940 vehicles per day, while its 708 miles of monitored roads together handle 3,112,040 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.1 billion per year). Trucks are 15.7% of traffic, more than the 11.0% across Iowa.

Busier roads than 94% of counties in Iowa

Pottawattamie's average daily traffic volume is 30% higher than the state average - 3,940 vehicles per day against 3,042 - suggesting more traffic load per road - more exposure for roadside businesses, and more competition for road space. Across the whole network, that travel is about 3.7% of Iowa's statewide total. Pottawattamie carries more traffic than 94% of counties in Iowa.

Journey times here (32.1 minutes on average) closely track the state level. 71% of counties in Iowa have a longer average travel time than Pottawattamie's 32.1 minutes.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Trafficvehicles per day8,557
Trucks23.3%
Average travel time40.3 min
Drivers’ average age47.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$83,505

A little more than half of the driving in Pottawattamie County, Iowa happens on highways: 56% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 8,557 vehicles per day, 129% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 3,737 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 27% of the monitored road miles (192 miles, 351 segments), so they carry more than their share: 1,732,611 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈632 million per year).

That puts Pottawattamie among the top 5 counties in Iowa for highway travel volume.

More highway trucks than 87% of counties in Iowa

At 23.3%, highway truck share is 44% higher than the state average. Highways here lean toward freight, so highway access is a real asset for logistics operators.

86% of counties in Iowa see a lower highway truck share than Pottawattamie's 23.3%. 87% of counties in Iowa see fewer highway trucks per day than Pottawattamie's roughly 1,990.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Trafficvehicles per day3,737
Trucks6.3%
Average travel time31.8 min
Drivers’ average age47.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$82,750

A significant share of driving in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, 44% of vehicle-miles, happens on local roads. The average non-highway road carries 3,737 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 73% of the monitored road miles (517 miles in 7,971 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 1,379,430 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈503 million per year). About 1 in 16 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.3%).

Drivers from higher-income areas than 88% of counties in Iowa

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 73% fewer trucks by share.

Trip origins here have higher average income than 88% of counties in Iowa. The driver population here skews younger than 78% of counties in Iowa.

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 70% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 8% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
May–July is the high season, with volumes +10% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
February is the quietest month, with volumes -15% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Pottawattamie County, Iowa, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +10% in high season.

Pottawattamie County vs. Iowa Traffic Comparison

Pottawattamie County's biggest difference from the Iowa average is its highway truck share, 44% above it. Its truck share is also 43% above.

MetricPottawattamie CountyIowa averageDifference
Traffic3,9403,042+29.6%
Truck % (Total Traffic)15.7%11.0%+43.0%
Truck % (Highway)23.3%16.1%+44.5%
Avg. Travel Time32.1 min33.0 min-2.6%

How Pottawattamie County compares

Pottawattamie County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Against the 4 nearest areas, Pottawattamie County moves 6.0 times the total daily travel and carries 107.6% more traffic on a typical road; it has the busiest roads of the five. Bigger and busier at once: more road than the areas around it and heavier traffic on it, which makes it the centre of gravity for travel in this part of the map.

Pottawattamie 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
Pottawattamie County3,94015.7%3,112,04032.1 minN/A
Mills County, Iowa2,22811.5%740,14430.2 minN/A
Harrison County, Iowa2,05015.4%854,64935.6 minN/A
Shelby County, Iowa1,3809.2%250,65132.9 minN/A
Montgomery County, Iowa1,9339.1%246,57534.7 minN/A
Iowa average3,04211.0%N/A33.0 min11.4%

Pottawattamie County ranked within Iowa

Highway travel volume places Pottawattamie County #4 of 70 in Iowa - the top quarter of the state.

Pottawattamie County ranked among 99 county-level areas in Iowa (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 70.
MeasurePottawattamie CountyIowa rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,940#7 of 99
Highway vehicle-miles per day1,732,611#4 of 70
Truck share on highways23.3%#11 of 70
Highway trucks per day1,990#10 of 70
Average travel time32.1 min#70 of 99
Average driver income$83,020#13 of 99
Average driver age47.6 yrs#77 of 99

Pottawattamie County ranks #4 of 70 on highway travel volume but #77 of 99 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 24,880 vehicles a day, against 3,940 on the average road in Pottawattamie County.

I 80 leads with 26,653 vehicles a day, 4,914 of them trucks (18.4%). It also carries the most trucks.

Few trucks use Kanesville Boulevard: 5.4% of its traffic, under half the county's 15.7%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 80Motorway · 26,653vehicles4,914trucks · 18.4%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
33.5 min
Drivers’ median age
47.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$87,917

I 80 is a trunk route for the county, carrying 6.8 times the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 18.4% of it, above the county-wide 15.7%.

2I 29Motorway · 24,563vehicles2,413trucks · 9.8%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
31.3 min
Drivers’ median age
47.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,124

I 29 carries 6.2 times the county average at its busiest, 2,413 of them trucks (9.8%, below the county-wide 15.7%).

3Kanesville BoulevardPrimary road · 23,425vehicles1,262trucks · 5.4%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
37.6 min
Drivers’ median age
46.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$65,962

Kanesville Boulevard carries 5.9 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 37.6 minutes.

4South ExpresswayPrimary road · 19,402vehicles918trucks · 4.7%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
34.4 min
Drivers’ median age
47.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,345

South Expressway carries 4.9 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 34.4 minutes.

5Veterans Memorial HighwayPrimary road · 19,336vehicles1,039trucks · 5.4%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
31.0 min
Drivers’ median age
48.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$83,672

At 4.9 times the county average, Veterans Memorial Highway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $83,672 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 80Motorway · #1 by traffic26,653vehicles4,914trucks · 18.4%
2I 80 ExpressMotorway · 17,324vehicles2,442trucks · 14.1%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
32.6 min
Drivers’ median age
46.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$87,903

The busiest stretch of I 80 Express carries 4.4 times the county average; trucks are 14.1% of it, below the county-wide 15.7%.

3I 29Motorway · #2 by traffic24,563vehicles2,413trucks · 9.8%
4Kanesville BoulevardPrimary road · #3 by traffic23,425vehicles1,262trucks · 5.4%
5I 680Motorway · 10,937vehicles1,092trucks · 10.0%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
34.5 min
Drivers’ median age
50.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$91,775

On its busiest stretch, I 680 carries 2.8 times the county average; trucks are 10.0% of it, below the county-wide 15.7%.

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

PottawattamieDepartment 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 Pottawattamie County

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

Need segment-level traffic data?

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