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Traffic heat map of Thurston County, Washington: 732 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 5 and US 101

Thurston County, Washington Traffic Counts

Our Thurston County, Washington traffic data covers 21,018 road segments over 732 road miles, with an average segment of just 184 ft. Its highways rank among the top 3 counties in Washington for trucks per day. 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 icon

Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Thurston County, Washington

Traffic

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

vehicles per day6,611
Trucks

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

7.5%
Average travel time

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

30.2 min
Congestion ratio

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

20.5%
Drivers’ average age

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

44.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$93,089

The average monitored road in Thurston County, Washington carries 6,611 vehicles per day. Across its 732 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 6,678,193 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈2.4 billion per year). About 1 in 13 vehicles is a truck, in line with Washington (7.1%).

Shorter trips than 89% of counties in Washington

At 6,611 vehicles per day, the average road in Thurston carries somewhat less traffic than the state average of 7,322 (10% less). Network-wide, Thurston accounts for about 4.3% of Washington's statewide total of vehicle-miles. 84% of counties in Washington see less traffic than Thurston's 6,611 vehicles per day.

The average trip takes 30.2 minutes, 9% lower than the state level. Its average travel time of 30.2 minutes is shorter than 89% of counties in Washington.

At 20.5%, the congestion ratio matches the state level closely.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Thurston County, Washington

Trafficvehicles per day32,310
Trucks10.6%
Average travel time44.0 min
Congestion ratio52.9%
Drivers’ average age44.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income$87,840

Highways carry about half of all travel in Thurston County, Washington, 49% of vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 32,310 vehicles per day, 412% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 6,306 vehicles per day.

Yet highways are only 14% of the road network, 106 miles in 246 segments, so each mile of them is 3.4 times as busy as the average road mile.

That is more highway travel volume than 84% of counties in Washington.

More highway trucks than 94% of counties in Washington

Highway truck concentration here runs 12% higher than the state average, at 10.6%. The highway traffic mix is typical for Washington: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 56% of counties in Washington. 94% of counties in Washington see fewer highway trucks per day than Thurston's roughly 3,435.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Thurston County, Washington

Trafficvehicles per day6,306
Trucks4.5%
Average travel time30.0 min
Congestion ratio20.1%
Drivers’ average age44.1 yrs
Drivers’ average income$96,532

Local roads carry about half of all travel in Thurston County, Washington, 51% of vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 6,306 vehicles per day.

Spread over 627 miles and 20,772 segments, 86% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 3,418,502 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈1.2 billion per year). The truck share on non-highway roads is 4.5%.

Drivers from higher-income areas than 84% of counties in Washington

Compared to highways, non-highway routes see 57% fewer trucks by share.

At 20.1%, the non-highway congestion ratio matches the state level closely.

84% of counties in Washington see lower average driver income among trip origins than Thurston. 74% of counties in Washington have an older driver population than Thurston.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 10:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 2:00 PM–5:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 94% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 12% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +8% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -9% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Thurston County, Washington, the peak hour concentrates about 8% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +8% in high season.

Thurston County vs. Washington Traffic Comparison

Thurston County stays close to the Washington average; the largest gap is its highway truck share, 12% above.

MetricThurston CountyWashington averageDifference
Traffic6,6117,322-9.7%
Truck % (Total Traffic)7.5%7.1%+5.5%
Truck % (Highway)10.6%9.5%+11.8%
Avg. Travel Time30.2 min33.2 min-9.0%

How Thurston County compares

Thurston County against nearby counties

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Thurston County is 34.4% more congested; it has the second busiest roads of the five.

Thurston County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Washington average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Thurston County6,6117.5%6,678,19330.2 min20.5%
Mason County, Washington3,4595.8%1,196,38333.7 min12.5%
Lewis County, Washington3,35911.5%2,907,82132.3 min12.7%
Pierce County, Washington9,2425.9%17,922,05133.5 min24.2%
Grays Harbor County, Washington3,4747.6%1,774,89834.7 min11.4%
Washington average7,3227.1%N/A33.2 min19.9%

Thurston County ranked within Washington

On highway truck volume, Thurston County is among the three highest county-level areas in Washington.

Thurston County ranked among 39 county-level areas in Washington (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 33.
MeasureThurston CountyWashington rank
Traffic volume (AADT)6,611#7 of 39
Highway vehicle-miles per day3,259,691#6 of 33
Truck share on highways10.6%#15 of 33
Highway trucks per day3,435#3 of 33
Average travel time30.2 min#35 of 39
Average driver income$93,089#7 of 39
Average driver age44.2 yrs#29 of 39

The two ends of this table sit far apart: #3 of 33 on highway truck volume, against #35 of 39 on average travel time.

Busiest roads in Thurston County, Washington

Traffic concentrates on a few corridors: the three busiest roads average 52,892 vehicles a day, against 6,611 on the average road in Thurston County.

I 5 is the busiest road, at 84,075 vehicles a day, 9,778 of them trucks (11.6%). That is 86% more than the next road, US 101 (45,193). It tops the truck ranking too, with the most trucks.

Trips using I 5 are long: a median of 45.0 minutes against 30.2 county-wide, the mark of a through route.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 5Motorway · 84,075vehicles9,778trucks · 11.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
63.9%
Median trip time
45.0 min
Drivers’ median age
44.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$89,108

Travel on I 5's busiest stretch runs 64% over free-flow time, against 20% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

2US 101Motorway · 45,193vehicles2,501trucks · 5.5%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
53.6%
Median trip time
35.5 min
Drivers’ median age
45.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$88,836

US 101 is a trunk route for the county, carrying 6.8 times the county average on its busiest stretch; trucks are 5.5% of it, below the county-wide 7.5%.

3Yelm Highway SoutheastSecondary road · 29,407vehicles1,132trucks · 3.9%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
80.4%
Median trip time
27.4 min
Drivers’ median age
44.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$98,099

Yelm Highway Southeast is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 80% longer than at free-flow speed, against 20% county-wide.

4College Street SoutheastPrimary road · 28,539vehicles1,152trucks · 4.0%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
50.3%
Median trip time
30.7 min
Drivers’ median age
43.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$95,301

The busiest stretch of College Street Southeast carries 4.3 times the county average; trucks are 4.0% of it, below the county-wide 7.5%.

5Marvin Road SoutheastPrimary road · 26,856vehicles1,217trucks · 4.5%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
31.0%
Median trip time
25.2 min
Drivers’ median age
43.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$97,399

On its busiest stretch, Marvin Road Southeast carries 4.1 times the county average; trucks are 4.5% of it, below the county-wide 7.5%.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 5Motorway · #1 by traffic84,075vehicles9,778trucks · 11.6%
2US 101Motorway · #2 by traffic45,193vehicles2,501trucks · 5.5%
3WA 8Trunk road · 20,053vehicles1,557trucks · 7.8%
Road class
Trunk road
Congestion ratio
23.8%
Median trip time
44.8 min
Drivers’ median age
45.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$79,838

Drivers on WA 8 are on long journeys, a median 44.8 minutes against 30.2 county-wide: a through route more than a local street.

4Marvin Road SoutheastPrimary road · #5 by traffic26,856vehicles1,217trucks · 4.5%
5Yelm AvenuePrimary road · 20,394vehicles1,175trucks · 5.8%
Road class
Primary road
Congestion ratio
45.9%
Median trip time
28.4 min
Drivers’ median age
43.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$96,267

Yelm Avenue peaks at 20,394 vehicles a day, 3.1 times the county average; trucks are 5.8% of it, below the county-wide 7.5%.

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

ThurstonDepartment 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 Thurston County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Thurston County, Washington.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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