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Traffic heat map of Rhea County, Tennessee: 132 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on US 27 and Rhea County Highway

Rhea County, Tennessee Traffic Counts

Its busiest road, US 27, carries 21,018 vehicles a day, 3.8 times the average road. This page breaks down traffic in Rhea County, Tennessee across 132 miles of monitored roads split into 1,414 segments, using multi-sourced mobile and sensor data. It goes beyond raw counts to truck flow, congestion and who is driving, so site selection and route planning rest on evidence.
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 Rhea County, Tennessee

Traffic

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

vehicles per day5,511
Trucks

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

8.4%
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.

12.6%
Drivers’ average age

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

50.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$61,165

A typical monitored road in Rhea County, Tennessee sees 5,511 vehicles per day, while its 132 miles of monitored roads together handle 635,341 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈232 million per year). About 1 in 12 vehicles is a truck, fewer than the 1 in 9 across Tennessee.

Longer trips than 73% of counties in Tennessee

At 5,511 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Rhea carries 24% less traffic than the state average of 7,251, suggesting less demand on each road - a critical factor for logistics and site planning. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.4% of Tennessee's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 72% of counties in Tennessee see less traffic than Rhea's 5,511 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 33.9 minutes, 6% higher than the state level. Its average travel time of 33.9 minutes is longer than 73% of counties in Tennessee.

The congestion ratio of 12.6% is 22% lower, pointing to smoother traffic flow than the state level - crucial for traffic control improvement and logistics planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Rhea County, Tennessee

Trafficvehicles per day9,408
Trucks8.9%
Average travel time33.9 min
Congestion ratio17.2%
Drivers’ average age50.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$61,272

Highways carry more than half of all travel in Rhea County, Tennessee (60% of vehicle-miles). The average highway carries 9,408 vehicles per day, 156% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 3,673 vehicles per day.

With 43% of the road miles (57 miles in 453 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 379,446 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈138 million per year).

Lower highway truck share than 94% of counties in Tennessee

Highway truck concentration here runs 43% lower than the state average, at 8.9%. Highways here carry mainly commuter and local trips, with little through freight.

94% of counties in Tennessee see a higher highway truck share than Rhea's 8.9%. 69% of counties in Tennessee see more highway trucks per day than Rhea's roughly 836.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Rhea County, Tennessee

Trafficvehicles per day3,673
Trucks7.7%
Average travel time33.9 min
Congestion ratio10.5%
Drivers’ average age50.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$60,960

Local roads carry a significant share of travel in Rhea County, Tennessee: 40% of all vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 3,673 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 57% of the monitored road miles (75 miles in 961 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 255,895 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈93.4 million per year). About 1 in 13 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (7.7%).

Older drivers than 84% of counties in Tennessee

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 14% lower than on highways.

At 32% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 10.5% signals easier movement on local roads.

Rhea's average driver income is higher than 51% of counties in Tennessee. The driver population here skews older than 84% of counties in Tennessee.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Rhea County, Tennessee, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic.

Rhea County vs. Tennessee Traffic Comparison

Rhea County's biggest difference from the Tennessee average is its highway truck share, 43% below it. Its truck share is also 26% below.

MetricRhea CountyTennessee averageDifference
Traffic5,5117,251-24.0%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.4%11.3%-26.0%
Truck % (Highway)8.9%15.6%-43.0%
Avg. Travel Time33.9 min32.1 min+5.7%

How Rhea County compares

Rhea County against nearby counties

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Rhea County is 34.1% more congested and carries 44.5% more traffic on a typical road; it has the second 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.

Rhea County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Tennessee average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Rhea County5,5118.4%635,34133.9 min12.6%
Meigs County, Tennessee3,1958.2%311,73533.9 min7.0%
Bledsoe County, Tennessee1,82810.1%201,66437.9 min5.6%
McMinn County, Tennessee4,51716.7%1,772,41936.2 min11.8%
Cumberland County, Tennessee5,71117.8%2,374,77933.3 min13.3%
Tennessee average7,25111.3%N/A32.1 min16.1%

Rhea County ranked within Tennessee

Rhea County sits in the bottom quarter of the Tennessee field on truck share on highways, at #80 of 86.

Rhea County ranked among 95 county-level areas in Tennessee (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 86.
MeasureRhea CountyTennessee rank
Traffic volume (AADT)5,511#27 of 95
Highway vehicle-miles per day379,446#59 of 86
Truck share on highways8.9%#80 of 86
Highway trucks per day836#60 of 86
Average travel time33.9 min#26 of 95
Average driver income$61,165#47 of 95
Average driver age50.5 yrs#16 of 95

Rhea County ranks #16 of 95 on average driver age but #80 of 86 on truck share on highways - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Rhea County, Tennessee

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 16,017 vehicles a day, against 5,511 on the average road in Rhea County.

US 27 is the busiest road, at 21,018 vehicles a day, 1,839 of them trucks (8.8%). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 27Trunk road · 21,018vehicles1,839trucks · 8.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
22.3%
Median trip time
34.0 min
Drivers’ median age
50.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$61,675

US 27 is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 22% longer than at free-flow speed, against 13% county-wide.

2Rhea County HighwayTrunk road · 14,812vehicles900trucks · 6.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
18.2%
Median trip time
36.4 min
Drivers’ median age
50.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$63,118

On its busiest stretch, Rhea County Highway carries 2.7 times the county average; trucks are 6.1% of it, below the county-wide 8.4%.

3Dayton PikeTrunk road · 12,222vehicles1,125trucks · 9.2%
Road class
Trunk road
Median trip time
39.9 min
Drivers’ median age
49.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,185

Dayton Pike peaks at 12,222 vehicles a day, 2.2 times the county average; trucks are 9.2% of it, above the county-wide 8.4%.

4Watts Bar HighwayPrimary road · 6,777vehicles598trucks · 8.8%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
15.3%
Median trip time
32.9 min
Drivers’ median age
51.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$66,427

At 23% more than the county average, Watts Bar Highway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $66,427 in household income.

5Market StreetSecondary road · 5,702vehicles277trucks · 4.8%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
16.2%
Median trip time
34.5 min
Drivers’ median age
49.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$56,619

Market Street is a quieter road: its busiest stretch carries about the same as the county average; trucks are 4.8% of it, below the county-wide 8.4%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 27Trunk road · #1 by traffic21,018vehicles1,839trucks · 8.8%
2Dayton PikeTrunk road · #3 by traffic12,222vehicles1,125trucks · 9.2%
3Rhea County HighwayTrunk road · #2 by traffic14,812vehicles900trucks · 6.1%
4Watts Bar HighwayPrimary road · #4 by traffic6,777vehicles598trucks · 8.8%
5Dayton Mountain HighwayPrimary road · 5,397vehicles452trucks · 8.4%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
13.2%
Median trip time
31.4 min
Drivers’ median age
48.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$53,826

Even at its busiest, Dayton Mountain Highway carries about the same as the county average; trucks are 8.4% of it, in line with the county-wide 8.4%.

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

RheaDepartment 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 Rhea County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Rhea County, Tennessee.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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