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Traffic heat map of Richland County, South Carolina: 895 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 26 and I 20

Richland County, South Carolina Traffic Counts

Our Richland County, South Carolina traffic data covers 22,162 road segments over 895 road miles, with an average segment of just 213 ft. Its drivers are the youngest of any county in South Carolina, a median 42 years. 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 Richland County, South Carolina

Traffic

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

vehicles per day9,686
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.

32.7 min
Congestion ratio

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

20.6%
Drivers’ average age

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

42.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$79,896

Our data shows 9,686 vehicles per day on the average road in Richland County, South Carolina, and 10,314,230 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈3.8 billion per year) across its 895 miles of monitored roads. Trucks are 8.4% of traffic, close to the 9.5% across South Carolina.

Busier roads than 91% of counties in South Carolina

At 9,686 vehicles per day, the average monitored road in Richland carries 38% more traffic than the state average of 7,040, suggesting more demand on each road - a busier backdrop for retail sites, at the cost of slower access. Network-wide, Richland accounts for about 7.0% of South Carolina's statewide total of vehicle-miles. Richland carries more traffic than 91% of counties in South Carolina.

At 32.7 minutes, the average travel time matches the state level closely. On travel time, Richland runs shorter than 78% of counties in South Carolina.

The congestion ratio of 20.6% runs slightly higher than the state level (13% higher) - crucial for traffic control improvement and logistics planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Richland County, South Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day24,745
Trucks11.9%
Average travel time40.0 min
Congestion ratio43.2%
Drivers’ average age43.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$77,220

Travel in Richland County, South Carolina splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (54% of vehicle-miles) on highways. The average highway carries 24,745 vehicles per day, 174% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 9,027 vehicles per day.

With 21% of the road miles (192 miles in 929 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 5,545,837 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈2.0 billion per year).

By highway travel volume, that ranks Richland in the top 3 counties in South Carolina.

More highway trucks than 79% of counties in South Carolina

At 11.9%, highway truck share is 13% lower than the state average. The highway traffic mix is typical for South Carolina: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

69% of counties in South Carolina see a higher highway truck share than Richland's 11.9%. Richland's highway truck count is higher than 79% of counties in South Carolina, at roughly 2,955 trucks per day.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Richland County, South Carolina

Trafficvehicles per day9,027
Trucks4.2%
Average travel time32.3 min
Congestion ratio19.6%
Drivers’ average age41.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$82,058

Travel in Richland County, South Carolina splits roughly evenly, with about half of it (46% of vehicle-miles) on local roads. A typical local road sees 9,027 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 79% of the monitored road miles (703 miles in 21,233 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 4,768,393 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.7 billion per year). About 1 in 24 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (4.2%).

The youngest drivers of any county in South Carolina

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 64% fewer trucks by share.

At 16% higher than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 19.6% signals more friction on local roads.

87% of counties in South Carolina see lower average driver income among trip origins than Richland. Richland has the lowest median driver age in South Carolina - 42 years.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 75% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are much quieter: volumes run about 26% below weekday levels, the signature of a commute-driven road network.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
March–May is the high season, with volumes +4% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
July is the quietest month, with volumes -6% versus the annual average - an unusual summer low, when most places are at their busiest.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Richland County, South Carolina, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +4% in high season.

Richland County vs. South Carolina Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, average daily traffic per road differs most: Richland County runs 38% above the South Carolina average.

MetricRichland CountySouth Carolina averageDifference
Traffic9,6867,040+37.6%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.4%9.5%-11.8%
Truck % (Highway)11.9%13.7%-12.8%
Avg. Travel Time32.7 min33.3 min-1.9%

How Richland County compares

Richland County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, Richland County is 89.7% more congested and carries 117.1% more traffic on a typical road; 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.

Richland County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the South Carolina average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Richland County9,6868.4%10,314,23032.7 min20.6%
Calhoun County, South Carolina1,88716.4%1,706,51633.1 min7.1%
Fairfield County, South Carolina2,22716.4%1,599,90035.0 min6.6%
Lexington County, South Carolina9,1659.1%9,067,14031.5 min18.5%
Kershaw County, South Carolina4,56410.8%2,266,07133.1 min11.1%
South Carolina average7,0409.5%N/A33.3 min18.2%

Richland County ranked within South Carolina

On highway travel volume, Richland County is among the three highest county-level areas in South Carolina.

Richland County ranked among 46 county-level areas in South Carolina (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 43.
MeasureRichland CountySouth Carolina rank
Traffic volume (AADT)9,686#5 of 46
Highway vehicle-miles per day5,545,837#2 of 43
Truck share on highways11.9%#30 of 43
Highway trucks per day2,955#10 of 43
Average travel time32.7 min#36 of 46
Average driver income$79,896#7 of 46
Average driver age42.1 yrs#46 of 46

Richland County ranks #2 of 43 on highway travel volume but #46 of 46 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Richland County, South Carolina

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 78,495 vehicles a day, against 9,686 on the average road in Richland County.

I 26 leads with 82,651 vehicles a day, 6,779 of them trucks (8.2%). Southeastern Beltway carries the most trucks, 11,651 a day (16.0% of its traffic), although it ranks #3 for all traffic.

Freight stands out on Southeastern Beltway and I 77: trucks are 16.0% and 14.9% of the traffic there, against 8.4% county-wide.

Trips using I 77 are long: a median of 46.7 minutes against 32.7 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 26Motorway · 82,651vehicles6,779trucks · 8.2%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
57.0%
Median trip time
38.1 min
Drivers’ median age
44.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$84,877

I 26 is a trunk route for the county, carrying 8.5 times the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 8.2% of it, in line with the county-wide 8.4%.

2I 20Motorway · 79,989vehicles9,628trucks · 12.0%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
61.4%
Median trip time
42.0 min
Drivers’ median age
44.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$76,052

Travel on I 20's busiest stretch runs 61% over free-flow time, against 21% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

3Southeastern BeltwayMotorway · 72,844vehicles11,651trucks · 16.0%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
51.8%
Median trip time
44.7 min
Drivers’ median age
43.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,735

Southeastern Beltway carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 44.7 minutes, against 32.7 for the county.

4I 77Motorway · 58,572vehicles8,738trucks · 14.9%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
47.9%
Median trip time
46.7 min
Drivers’ median age
42.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,965

I 77 carries 6.0 times the county average at its busiest, 8,738 of them trucks (14.9%, above the county-wide 8.4%).

5I 126Motorway · 55,854vehicles3,378trucks · 6.0%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
38.4%
Median trip time
33.1 min
Drivers’ median age
43.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$77,271

I 126 carries 5.8 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 33.1 minutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Southeastern BeltwayMotorway · #3 by traffic72,844vehicles11,651trucks · 16.0%
2I 20Motorway · #2 by traffic79,989vehicles9,628trucks · 12.0%
3I 77Motorway · #4 by traffic58,572vehicles8,738trucks · 14.9%
4I 26Motorway · #1 by traffic82,651vehicles6,779trucks · 8.2%
5Southeastern Beltway (I-77S)Motorway · 47,996vehicles4,694trucks · 9.8%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
61.8%
Median trip time
40.7 min
Drivers’ median age
42.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$76,060

Southeastern Beltway (I-77S) is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 62% longer than at free-flow speed, against 21% county-wide.

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

RichlandDepartment 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 Richland County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Richland County, South Carolina.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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