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Traffic heat map of Smyth County, Virginia: 218 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 81 and Main Street

Smyth County, Virginia Traffic Counts

Its highways carry the highest truck share of any county in Virginia, 30.4%. This page breaks down traffic in Smyth County, Virginia across 218 miles of monitored roads split into 3,482 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 Smyth County, Virginia

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,264
Trucks

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

23.5%
Average travel time

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

36.8 min
Drivers’ average age

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

51.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$53,999

The average monitored road in Smyth County, Virginia carries 3,264 vehicles per day. Across its 218 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 1,160,993 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈424 million per year). About 1 in 4 vehicles is a truck, well above the 9.6% across Virginia - a freight-heavy mix.

Longer trips than 89% of counties in Virginia

Smyth sees 39% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (3,264 vehicles per day against 5,349), suggesting less demand on each road - lighter roads for freight, but less passing trade for roadside retail. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.5% of Virginia's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 58% of counties in Virginia see more traffic than Smyth's 3,264 vehicles per day.

At 36.8 minutes, the average travel time is 16% higher than the state level. 89% of counties in Virginia have a shorter average travel time than Smyth's 36.8 minutes.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Smyth County, Virginia

Trafficvehicles per day16,390
Trucks30.4%
Average travel time52.7 min
Drivers’ average age51.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$57,720

Most travel in Smyth County, Virginia happens on highways, 71% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 16,390 vehicles per day, 480% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,828 vehicles per day.

Yet highways are only 21% of the road network, 46 miles in 112 segments, so each mile of them is 3.4 times as busy as the average road mile.

63% of counties in Virginia move less traffic on their highways.

The highest highway truck share of any county in Virginia

The concentration of trucks on highways (30.4%) is 132% higher than the state average for similar road classifications. That marks Smyth as a major freight corridor, where highway access is what logistics operators compete on.

By share, Smyth has the highest highway truck concentration in Virginia, at 30.4%. By raw truck volume, Smyth carries more highway trucks than 97% of counties in Virginia.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Smyth County, Virginia

Trafficvehicles per day2,828
Trucks6.3%
Average travel time36.2 min
Drivers’ average age52.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income$51,063

Local roads carry a smaller share of travel in Smyth County, Virginia, 29% of vehicle-miles; most driving happens on highways. The average non-highway road carries 2,828 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 79% of the monitored road miles (171 miles in 3,370 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 331,488 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈121 million per year). About 1 in 16 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (6.3%).

Drivers from lower-income areas than 89% of counties in Virginia

The concentration of trucks on non-highway roads is 79% lower than on highways.

89% of counties in Virginia see higher average driver income among trip origins than Smyth. The driver population here skews older than 79% of counties in Virginia.

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 72% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 13% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +7% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -15% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

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

Smyth County vs. Virginia Traffic Comparison

Smyth County's biggest difference from the Virginia average is its truck share, 145% above it. Its highway truck share is also 132% above.

MetricSmyth CountyVirginia averageDifference
Traffic3,2645,349-39.0%
Truck % (Total Traffic)23.5%9.6%+145.2%
Truck % (Highway)30.4%13.1%+131.8%
Avg. Travel Time36.8 min31.7 min+16.1%

How Smyth County compares

Smyth County against nearby counties

Compared with its 4 closest neighbours, Smyth County runs 10.0 percentage points more truck traffic; it has the second busiest roads of the five. Traffic volume here matches the areas around it, but more of that traffic is trucks - a difference in what routes through, not in how much.

Smyth County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Virginia average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Smyth County3,26423.5%1,160,99336.8 minN/A
Grayson County, Virginia1,2228.8%188,55729.1 min3.2%
Tazewell County, Virginia2,7878.6%851,63529.0 min11.0%
Washington County, Virginia3,89214.6%2,144,29135.2 min15.4%
Wythe County, Virginia3,02021.9%2,429,22929.8 min9.4%
Virginia average5,3499.6%N/A31.7 min16.8%

Smyth County ranked within Virginia

Smyth County posts the highest truck share on highways of any county-level area in Virginia.

Smyth County ranked among 133 county-level areas in Virginia (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 118.
MeasureSmyth CountyVirginia rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,264#77 of 133
Highway vehicle-miles per day829,505#44 of 118
Truck share on highways30.4%#1 of 118
Highway trucks per day4,976#5 of 118
Average travel time36.8 min#15 of 133
Average driver income$53,999#119 of 133
Average driver age51.9 yrs#29 of 133

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #1 of 118 on truck share on highways, against #119 of 133 on average driver income.

Busiest roads in Smyth County, Virginia

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 22,675 vehicles a day, against 3,264 on the average road in Smyth County.

I 81 leads with 35,725 vehicles a day, 10,845 of them trucks (30.4%). No other road comes close: Main Street, in second place, carries 23,710. It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using Main Street are long: a median of 59.1 minutes against 36.8 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Main Street is busy with cars rather than freight: only 5.6% of its traffic is trucks, against 23.5% county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 81Motorway · 35,725vehicles10,845trucks · 30.4%
Road class
Motorway
Median trip time
52.7 min
Drivers’ median age
51.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$57,720

I 81 carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 52.7 minutes, against 36.8 for the county.

2Main StreetPrimary road · 23,710vehicles1,323trucks · 5.6%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
59.1 min
Drivers’ median age
51.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$44,216

At 7.3 times the county average, Main Street draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $44,216 in household income.

3Lee HighwayPrimary road · 8,589vehicles652trucks · 7.6%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
31.7 min
Drivers’ median age
52.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$48,862

Lee Highway carries 2.6 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 31.7 minutes.

4Commerce StreetPrimary road · 8,336vehicles573trucks · 6.9%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
35.2 min
Drivers’ median age
51.9 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$49,670

At 2.6 times the county average, Commerce Street draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $49,670 in household income.

5Adwolfe RoadTertiary road · 5,647vehicles201trucks · 3.6%
Road class
Tertiary road
Median trip time
20.3 min
Drivers’ median age
54.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$50,206

Trips on Adwolfe Road are short, a median 20.3 minutes against 36.8 county-wide, so it mostly serves local errands and commutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 81Motorway · #1 by traffic35,725vehicles10,845trucks · 30.4%
2Main StreetPrimary road · #2 by traffic23,710vehicles1,323trucks · 5.6%
3Lee HighwayPrimary road · #3 by traffic8,589vehicles652trucks · 7.6%
4Commerce StreetPrimary road · #4 by traffic8,336vehicles573trucks · 6.9%
5Nicks Creek RoadPrimary road · 3,453vehicles349trucks · 10.1%
Road class
Primary road
Median trip time
33.3 min
Drivers’ median age
51.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$54,916

Nicks Creek Road is busy by local standards, at 6% more than the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 10.1% of it, below the county-wide 23.5%.

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

SmythDepartment 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 Smyth County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Smyth County, Virginia.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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