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Traffic heat map of Stearns County, Minnesota: 1,197 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on MN 15 and 1st Street

Stearns County, Minnesota Traffic Counts

Its busiest road, MN 15, carries 36,531 vehicles a day, 11.4 times the average road. This page breaks down traffic in Stearns County, Minnesota across 1,197 miles of monitored roads split into 14,865 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 Stearns County, Minnesota

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,209
Trucks

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

10.4%
Average travel time

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

31.7 min
Congestion ratio

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

10.3%
Drivers’ average age

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

43.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$85,233

A typical monitored road in Stearns County, Minnesota sees 3,209 vehicles per day, while its 1,197 miles of monitored roads together handle 4,492,251 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.6 billion per year). At 10.4%, the truck share runs above the 8.1% across Minnesota: about 1 in 10 vehicles.

Busier roads than 88% of counties in Minnesota

Stearns's average daily traffic volume is 6% lower than the state average - 3,209 vehicles per day against 3,404. Network-wide, Stearns accounts for about 3.2% of Minnesota's statewide total of vehicle-miles. By volume, Stearns's 3,209 vehicles per day outpaces 88% of counties in Minnesota.

At 31.7 minutes, the average travel time matches the state level closely. 72% of counties in Minnesota have a longer average travel time than Stearns's 31.7 minutes.

The congestion ratio of 10.3% is in line with the state level.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Stearns County, Minnesota

Trafficvehicles per day10,334
Trucks13.8%
Average travel time36.3 min
Congestion ratio23.0%
Drivers’ average age43.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$84,407

A little more than half of the driving in Stearns County, Minnesota happens on highways: 58% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 10,334 vehicles per day, 286% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,680 vehicles per day.

With 20% of the road miles (234 miles in 1,027 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 2,588,943 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈945 million per year).

By highway travel volume, Stearns outranks 94% of counties in Minnesota.

More highway trucks than 89% of counties in Minnesota

The concentration of trucks on highways (13.8%) is 35% higher than the state average for similar road classifications. Highways here lean toward freight, so highway access is a real asset for logistics operators.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 77% of counties in Minnesota. By raw truck volume, Stearns carries more highway trucks than 89% of counties in Minnesota.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Stearns County, Minnesota

Trafficvehicles per day2,680
Trucks5.6%
Average travel time31.4 min
Congestion ratio9.4%
Drivers’ average age42.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$85,997

Local roads carry a significant share of travel in Stearns County, Minnesota: 42% of all vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 2,680 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 80% of the monitored road miles (964 miles in 13,838 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 1,903,308 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈695 million per year). Trucks make up 5.6% of non-highway traffic, about 1 in 18 vehicles.

Younger drivers than 94% of counties in Minnesota

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 59% fewer trucks by share.

At 9.4%, the non-highway congestion ratio matches the state level closely.

Stearns's average driver income is higher than 80% of counties in Minnesota. Stearns's median driver age is lower than 94% of counties in Minnesota.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and a long afternoon plateau from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 76% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 15% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +13% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
February is the quietest month, with volumes -16% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Stearns County, Minnesota, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a strong seasonal swing of +13% in high season.

Stearns County vs. Minnesota Traffic Comparison

The highway truck share sets Stearns County apart: 35% above the Minnesota average. Its truck share is also 28% above.

MetricStearns CountyMinnesota averageDifference
Traffic3,2093,404-5.7%
Truck % (Total Traffic)10.4%8.1%+28.4%
Truck % (Highway)13.8%10.3%+34.8%
Avg. Travel Time31.7 min32.2 min-1.7%

How Stearns County compares

Stearns County moves more traffic than any nearby county

Against the 4 nearest areas, Stearns County moves 4.5 times the total daily travel and carries 71.2% 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.

Stearns County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Minnesota average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Stearns County3,20910.4%4,492,25131.7 min10.3%
Meeker County, Minnesota1,8869.2%634,58437.1 min7.0%
Todd County, Minnesota1,10710.3%824,04536.2 min6.2%
Benton County, Minnesota2,3548.2%1,323,50630.2 min8.6%
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota2,1478.4%1,242,11729.9 min7.7%
Minnesota average3,4048.1%N/A32.2 min10.6%

Stearns County ranked within Minnesota

Stearns County sits in the bottom quarter of the Minnesota field on average driver age, at #82 of 87.

Stearns County ranked among 87 county-level areas in Minnesota (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 81.
MeasureStearns CountyMinnesota rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,209#11 of 87
Highway vehicle-miles per day2,588,943#6 of 81
Truck share on highways13.8%#19 of 81
Highway trucks per day1,429#10 of 81
Average travel time31.7 min#63 of 87
Average driver income$85,233#18 of 87
Average driver age43.4 yrs#82 of 87

Stearns County ranks #6 of 81 on highway travel volume but #82 of 87 on average driver age - the two describe the same roads and are worth reading together rather than either on its own.

Busiest roads in Stearns County, Minnesota

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 34,008 vehicles a day, against 3,209 on the average road in Stearns County.

MN 15 leads with 36,531 vehicles a day, 1,716 of them trucks (4.7%). I 94 carries the most trucks, 4,591 a day (17.1% of its traffic), although it ranks #4 for all traffic.

I 94 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 52.7 minutes against 31.7 county-wide.

Freight stands out on I 94: trucks are 17.1% of the traffic there, against 10.4% county-wide.

Few trucks use MN 15: 4.7% of its traffic, under half the county's 10.4%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1MN 15Trunk road · 36,531vehicles1,716trucks · 4.7%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
44.5%
Median trip time
33.3 min
Drivers’ median age
43.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$77,676

Travel on MN 15's busiest stretch runs 45% over free-flow time, against 10% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

21st StreetTrunk road · 32,870vehicles1,784trucks · 5.4%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
38.6%
Median trip time
36.0 min
Drivers’ median age
43.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$70,107

1st Street is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 39% longer than at free-flow speed, against 10% county-wide.

3MN 15 / MN 23 / County Road 75Trunk road · 32,623vehicles1,964trucks · 6.0%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
33.7%
Median trip time
36.7 min
Drivers’ median age
43.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$78,711

MN 15 / MN 23 / County Road 75 is a trunk route for the county, carrying 10.2 times the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 6.0% of it, below the county-wide 10.4%.

4I 94Motorway · 26,868vehicles4,591trucks · 17.1%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
24.5%
Median trip time
52.7 min
Drivers’ median age
45.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$87,539

I 94 carries 8.4 times the county average at its busiest, 4,591 of them trucks (17.1%, above the county-wide 10.4%).

5Division StreetTrunk road · 25,294vehicles1,349trucks · 5.3%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
28.6%
Median trip time
32.0 min
Drivers’ median age
43.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$72,944

Division Street carries 7.9 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 32.0 minutes.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 94Motorway · #4 by traffic26,868vehicles4,591trucks · 17.1%
2MN 15 / MN 23 / County Road 75Trunk road · #3 by traffic32,623vehicles1,964trucks · 6.0%
31st StreetTrunk road · #2 by traffic32,870vehicles1,784trucks · 5.4%
4MN 15Trunk road · #1 by traffic36,531vehicles1,716trucks · 4.7%
5MN 23Trunk road · 14,685vehicles1,557trucks · 10.6%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
13.8%
Median trip time
35.8 min
Drivers’ median age
46.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$89,246

MN 23 carries 4.6 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 35.8 minutes.

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

StearnsDepartment 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 Stearns County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Stearns County, Minnesota.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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