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Traffic heat map of Stephenson County, Illinois: 372 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on West Avenue and US 20

Stephenson County, Illinois Traffic Counts

Our Stephenson County, Illinois traffic data covers 3,848 road segments over 372 road miles, with an average segment of just 511 ft. Its busiest road, West Avenue, carries 16,873 vehicles a day, 5.7 times the average road. 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 Stephenson County, Illinois

Traffic

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

vehicles per day2,979
Trucks

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

8.1%
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.

10.1%
Drivers’ average age

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

53.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$70,238

A typical monitored road in Stephenson County, Illinois sees 2,979 vehicles per day, while its 372 miles of monitored roads together handle 893,938 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈326 million per year). About 1 in 12 vehicles is a truck, fewer than the 1 in 10 across Illinois.

Traffic 65% below the Illinois average

Stephenson's average daily traffic volume is 65% lower than the state average - 2,979 vehicles per day against 8,480 - suggesting less traffic load per road - very light roads: easy truck access, but little passing trade for roadside retail. Across the whole network, that travel is about 0.4% of Illinois's statewide total. By volume, Stephenson's 2,979 vehicles per day outpaces 50% of counties in Illinois.

Journey times here (33.9 minutes on average) closely track the state level. Its average travel time of 33.9 minutes is longer than 55% of counties in Illinois.

The congestion ratio of 10.1% is 51% lower, pointing to smoother traffic flow than the state level - delays are rare enough to plan travel times almost to the minute.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Stephenson County, Illinois

Trafficvehicles per day7,343
Trucks11.7%
Average travel time47.7 min
Congestion ratio18.5%
Drivers’ average age53.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income$74,006

Highways carry a significant share of travel in Stephenson County, Illinois: 32% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 7,343 vehicles per day, 170% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,716 vehicles per day.

Highways make up 13% of the monitored road miles (48 miles, 219 segments), so they carry more than their share: 285,286 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈104 million per year).

Lower highway truck share than 88% of counties in Illinois

The concentration of trucks on highways (11.7%) is 32% lower than the state average for similar road classifications. Highways here mostly serve passenger trips, so local access matters more than long-haul routing for logistics operators.

88% of counties in Illinois see a higher highway truck share than Stephenson's 11.7%. 83% of counties in Illinois see more highway trucks per day than Stephenson's roughly 859.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Stephenson County, Illinois

Trafficvehicles per day2,716
Trucks6.5%
Average travel time33.0 min
Congestion ratio9.6%
Drivers’ average age53.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$69,389

A little more than half of the driving in Stephenson County, Illinois happens on local roads: 68% of all vehicle-miles. The average non-highway road carries 2,716 vehicles per day.

Spread over 324 miles and 3,629 segments, 87% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 608,652 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈222 million per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 6.5%.

Older drivers than 95% of counties in Illinois

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 45% fewer trucks by share.

At 53% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 9.6% signals easier movement on local roads.

Trip origins here have lower average income than 54% of counties in Illinois. 95% of counties in Illinois have a younger driver population than Stephenson.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

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

Stephenson County vs. Illinois Traffic Comparison

The average daily traffic per road sets Stephenson County apart: 65% below the Illinois average. Its highway truck share is also 32% below.

MetricStephenson CountyIllinois averageDifference
Traffic2,9798,480-64.9%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.1%10.2%-20.1%
Truck % (Highway)11.7%17.3%-32.5%
Avg. Travel Time33.9 min34.1 min-0.8%

How Stephenson County compares

Stephenson County against nearby counties

Nothing in this table sets Stephenson County sharply apart from the 4 areas nearest to it, though it has the second busiest roads of the five. The same kind of road, just less of it: traffic per road matches the areas around it while the network itself is smaller.

Stephenson County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Illinois average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Stephenson County2,9798.1%893,93833.9 min10.1%
Green County, Wisconsin1,6897.4%672,05435.2 min8.2%
Winnebago County, Illinois6,4739.7%5,336,85534.9 min19.3%
Carroll County, Illinois2,1358.5%310,09035.2 min8.0%
Jo Daviess County, Illinois2,22910.8%485,59433.7 min6.9%
Illinois average8,48010.2%N/A34.1 min20.6%

Stephenson County ranked within Illinois

Stephenson County sits in the top quarter of the Illinois field on average driver age, at #6 of 102.

Stephenson County ranked among 102 county-level areas in Illinois (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 82.
MeasureStephenson CountyIllinois rank
Traffic volume (AADT)2,979#52 of 102
Highway vehicle-miles per day285,286#57 of 82
Truck share on highways11.7%#72 of 82
Highway trucks per day859#68 of 82
Average travel time33.9 min#46 of 102
Average driver income$70,238#56 of 102
Average driver age53.3 yrs#6 of 102

Stephenson County ranks #6 of 102 on average driver age but #72 of 82 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 Stephenson County, Illinois

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Stephenson County carry 13,673 vehicles a day on average, 4.6 times the typical road in the county (2,979).

West Avenue is the busiest road, at 16,873 vehicles a day, 729 of them trucks (4.3%). US 20 carries the most trucks, 1,484 a day (11.1% of its traffic), although it ranks #2 for all traffic.

US 20 carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 48.6 minutes against 33.9 county-wide.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1West AvenuePrimary road · 16,873vehicles729trucks · 4.3%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
26.9%
Median trip time
34.6 min
Drivers’ median age
53.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$57,323

Delays build on West Avenue: its congestion ratio of 27% over free-flow time is well above the county's 10%.

2US 20Trunk road · 13,330vehicles1,484trucks · 11.1%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
15.0%
Median trip time
48.6 min
Drivers’ median age
52.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$73,160

US 20 carries 4.5 times the county average at its busiest, 1,484 of them trucks (11.1%, above the county-wide 8.1%).

3IL 26Primary road · 10,816vehicles606trucks · 5.6%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
14.9%
Median trip time
27.0 min
Drivers’ median age
53.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$73,088

IL 26 carries 3.6 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 27.0 minutes.

4Galena AvenueSecondary road · 9,271vehicles287trucks · 3.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
24.1%
Median trip time
32.2 min
Drivers’ median age
53.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$61,429

At 3.1 times the county average, Galena Avenue draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $61,429 in household income.

5South StreetPrimary road · 9,229vehicles313trucks · 3.4%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
25.8%
Median trip time
35.7 min
Drivers’ median age
53.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$60,894

Travel on South Street's busiest stretch runs 26% over free-flow time, against 10% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1US 20Trunk road · #2 by traffic13,330vehicles1,484trucks · 11.1%
2West AvenuePrimary road · #1 by traffic16,873vehicles729trucks · 4.3%
3IL 26Primary road · #3 by traffic10,816vehicles606trucks · 5.6%
4IL-26Primary road · 7,953vehicles566trucks · 7.1%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
19.1%
Median trip time
26.8 min
Drivers’ median age
53.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$73,539

The busiest stretch of IL-26 carries 2.7 times the county average; trucks are 7.1% of it, below the county-wide 8.1%.

5US 20 BusinessPrimary road · 7,858vehicles541trucks · 6.9%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
18.3%
Median trip time
40.3 min
Drivers’ median age
53.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$69,747

On its busiest stretch, US 20 Business carries 2.6 times the county average; trucks are 6.9% of it, below the county-wide 8.1%.

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

StephensonDepartment 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 Stephenson County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Stephenson County, Illinois.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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