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Traffic heat map of Potter County, South Dakota: 105 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on US 83 and Garfield Avenue

Potter County, South Dakota Traffic Counts

Our Potter County, South Dakota traffic data covers 334 road segments over 105 road miles, with an average segment of just 1,665 ft. The average road here carries 631 vehicles a day, 80% less than the South Dakota average of 3,156. 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 Potter County, South Dakota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day631
Trucks

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

12.4%
Average travel time

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

35.0 min
Drivers’ average age

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

55.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$70,374

The average monitored road in Potter County, South Dakota carries 631 vehicles per day. Across its 105 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 62,438 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈22.8 million per year). At 12.4%, the truck share runs above the 10.3% across South Dakota: about 1 in 8 vehicles.

Traffic 80% below the South Dakota average

At 631 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Potter carries 80% less traffic than the state average of 3,156, suggesting less demand on each road - very light roads: easy truck access, but little passing trade for roadside retail. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.3% of South Dakota's statewide total of vehicle-miles. By volume, Potter's 631 vehicles per day trails 83% of counties in South Dakota.

The average trip takes 35.0 minutes, 8% higher than the state level. 55% of counties in South Dakota have a longer average travel time than Potter's 35.0 minutes.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Potter County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day899
Trucks15.0%
Average travel time63.8 min
Drivers’ average age55.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$66,757

Highways carry about half of all travel in Potter County, South Dakota, 47% of vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 899 vehicles per day, 58% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 568 vehicles per day.

With 25% of the road miles (27 miles in 63 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 29,113 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈10.6 million per year).

Fewer highway trucks than 88% of counties in South Dakota

The concentration of trucks on highways (15.0%) is 10% higher than the state average for similar road classifications. The highway traffic mix is typical for South Dakota: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

60% of counties in South Dakota see a lower highway truck share than Potter's 15.0%. Potter's highway truck count is lower than 88% of counties in South Dakota, at roughly 135 trucks per day.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Potter County, South Dakota

Trafficvehicles per day568
Trucks10.2%
Average travel time28.3 min
Drivers’ average age55.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income$71,087

Local roads carry about half of all travel in Potter County, South Dakota, 53% of vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 568 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 75% of the monitored road miles (79 miles in 271 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 33,325 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈12.2 million per year). Trucks make up 10.2% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 10 vehicles.

Older drivers than 92% of counties in South Dakota

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 32% fewer trucks by share.

Trip origins here have lower average income than 55% of counties in South Dakota. Potter's median driver age is higher than 92% of counties in South Dakota.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Potter County, South Dakota, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic.

Potter County vs. South Dakota Traffic Comparison

Potter County's biggest difference from the South Dakota average is its average daily traffic per road, 80% below it. Its truck share, by contrast, is 21% above.

MetricPotter CountySouth Dakota averageDifference
Traffic6313,156-80.0%
Truck % (Total Traffic)12.4%10.3%+20.8%
Truck % (Highway)15.0%13.6%+10.5%
Avg. Travel Time35.0 min32.5 min+7.8%

How Potter County compares

Potter County against nearby counties

Potter 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.

Potter County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the South Dakota average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Potter County63112.4%62,43835.0 minN/A
Sully County, South Dakota69713.4%50,79135.8 minN/A
Walworth County, South Dakota1,11013.1%130,33827.5 minN/A
Faulk County, South Dakota54810.3%63,47348.3 minN/A
Hyde County, South Dakota96111.3%62,58935.6 minN/A
South Dakota average3,15610.3%N/A32.5 min12.9%

Potter County ranked within South Dakota

Potter County sits in the top quarter of the South Dakota field on average driver age, at #6 of 66.

Potter County ranked among 66 county-level areas in South Dakota (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 49.
MeasurePotter CountySouth Dakota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)631#55 of 66
Highway vehicle-miles per day29,113#44 of 49
Truck share on highways15.0%#20 of 49
Highway trucks per day135#43 of 49
Average travel time35.0 min#37 of 66
Average driver income$70,374#37 of 66
Average driver age55.8 yrs#6 of 66

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #6 of 66 on average driver age, against #44 of 49 on highway travel volume.

Busiest roads in Potter County, South Dakota

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Potter County carry 1,604 vehicles a day on average, 2.5 times the typical road in the county (631).

US 83 leads with 1,729 vehicles a day, 236 of them trucks (13.7%). Garfield Avenue is practically level with it at 1,713. It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks on the list.

Trips using US 83 are long: a median of 61.5 minutes against 35.0 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 83Trunk road · 1,729vehicles236trucks · 13.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
61.5 min
Drivers’ median age
55.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,145

The busiest stretch of US 83 carries 2.7 times the county average; trucks are 13.7% of it, above the county-wide 12.4%.

2Garfield AvenuePrimary road · 1,713vehicles131trucks · 7.6%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
28.8 min
Drivers’ median age
55.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$63,244

On its busiest stretch, Garfield Avenue carries 2.7 times the county average; trucks are 7.6% of it, below the county-wide 12.4%.

3US 212Primary road · 1,369vehicles122trucks · 8.9%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
28.7 min
Drivers’ median age
56.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$68,508

US 212 peaks at 1,369 vehicles a day, 2.2 times the county average; trucks are 8.9% of it, below the county-wide 12.4%.

4Lewis and Clark TrailPrimary road · 461vehicles44trucks · 9.5%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
29.5 min
Drivers’ median age
56.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$81,205

Lewis and Clark Trail is a quieter road: its busiest stretch carries 27% less than the county average; trucks are 9.5% of it, below the county-wide 12.4%.

5Main StreetSecondary road · 420vehicles39trucks · 9.2%
Road class
Secondary road
Median trip time
23.2 min
Drivers’ median age
55.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$76,802

Trips on Main Street are short, a median 23.2 minutes against 35.0 county-wide, so it mostly serves local errands and commutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Only named roads are listed. Some unnamed segments, such as ramps or unlabeled carriageways, may carry as much traffic as the roads shown.

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 83Trunk road · #1 by traffic1,729vehicles236trucks · 13.7%
2Garfield AvenuePrimary road · #2 by traffic1,713vehicles131trucks · 7.6%
3US 212Primary road · #3 by traffic1,369vehicles122trucks · 8.9%
4Lewis and Clark TrailPrimary road · #4 by traffic461vehicles44trucks · 9.5%
5Main StreetSecondary road · #5 by traffic420vehicles39trucks · 9.2%
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

PotterDepartment 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 Potter County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Potter County, South Dakota.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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