Need segment-level traffic data?

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

Get insights →
Traffic heat map of Unicoi County, Tennessee: 106 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on James H. Quillen Parkway

Unicoi County, Tennessee Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Unicoi County, Tennessee? We measure 106 road miles, divided into 1,240 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. Its busiest road, James H. Quillen Parkway, carries 14,237 vehicles a day, 4.4 times the average road. The breakdown below covers volume, trucks, congestion and driver profiles for retailers, logistics planners and engineers.
Data sourced from TrafficZoom's proprietary analytics platform.
Data current as of:
Q3 2026
Updated:
September 29, 2026
Find my place
total traffic icon

Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Unicoi County, Tennessee

Traffic

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

vehicles per day3,272
Trucks

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

11.7%
Average travel time

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

33.0 min
Congestion ratio

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

9.3%
Drivers’ average age

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

49.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$56,091

The average monitored road in Unicoi County, Tennessee carries 3,272 vehicles per day. Across its 106 miles of monitored roads, that adds up to 486,434 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈178 million per year). About 1 in 9 vehicles is a truck, in line with Tennessee (11.3%).

Traffic 55% below the Tennessee average

Unicoi's average daily traffic volume is 55% lower than the state average - 3,272 vehicles per day against 7,251 - suggesting less traffic load per road - quiet roads that suit freight movement more than drive-by retail. In total volume terms, its road network carries about 0.3% of Tennessee's statewide total of vehicle-miles. By volume, Unicoi's 3,272 vehicles per day trails 68% of counties in Tennessee.

The average trip takes 33.0 minutes, on par with the state level. 60% of counties in Tennessee have a shorter average travel time than Unicoi's 33.0 minutes.

The congestion ratio of 9.3% is 42% lower, pointing to smoother traffic flow than the state level - fewer delays make delivery windows more reliable.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Unicoi County, Tennessee

Trafficvehicles per day6,846
Trucks13.6%
Average travel time45.5 min
Congestion ratio14.3%
Drivers’ average age48.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$58,526

Highways carry most of the traffic in Unicoi County, Tennessee: 77% of all vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 6,846 vehicles per day, 150% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 2,742 vehicles per day.

With 50% of the road miles (53 miles in 160 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 374,099 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈137 million per year).

A typical mix of freight and passenger traffic

Highway truck concentration here runs 13% lower than the state average, at 13.6%. The highway traffic mix is typical for Tennessee: neither freight- nor commuter-dominated.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 54% of counties in Tennessee. By raw truck volume, Unicoi carries fewer highway trucks than 55% of counties in Tennessee.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Unicoi County, Tennessee

Trafficvehicles per day2,742
Trucks5.5%
Average travel time31.2 min
Congestion ratio8.6%
Drivers’ average age51.3 yrs
Drivers’ average income$53,065

At 23% of vehicle-miles, local roads carry a smaller share of the traffic in Unicoi County, Tennessee than highways. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 2,742 vehicles per day.

Spread over 53 miles and 1,080 segments, 50% of the road network, local roads carry a lighter load per mile: 112,334 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈41.0 million per year). About 1 in 18 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (5.5%).

Older drivers than 73% of counties in Tennessee

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 59% lower than the highway network.

At 44% lower than the state level, the non-highway congestion ratio of 8.6% signals easier movement on local roads.

Trip origins here have lower average income than 70% of counties in Tennessee. The driver population here skews older than 73% of counties in Tennessee.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 11:00 AM–12:00 PM and PM peak 4:00 PM–6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 79% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are busier than weekdays: volumes run about 12% above weekday levels, which usually points to leisure, tourism or shopping traffic.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
May–July is the high season, with volumes +5% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
December is the quietest month, with volumes -9% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Unicoi County, Tennessee, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +5% in high season.

Unicoi County vs. Tennessee Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, average daily traffic per road differs most: Unicoi County runs 55% below the Tennessee average.

MetricUnicoi CountyTennessee averageDifference
Traffic3,2727,251-54.9%
Truck % (Total Traffic)11.7%11.3%+3.2%
Truck % (Highway)13.6%15.6%-13.2%
Avg. Travel Time33.0 min32.1 min+3.0%

How Unicoi County compares

Unicoi County against nearby counties

Set against the average of the 4 areas nearest to it, Unicoi County moves 47.3% of the total daily travel and is 24.5% less congested; it has the third 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.

Unicoi County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Tennessee average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Unicoi County3,27211.7%486,43433.0 min9.3%
Washington County, Tennessee6,2257.2%2,853,79232.0 min15.0%
Yancey County, North Carolina2,3387.9%393,81528.7 min8.4%
Madison County, North Carolina3,42010.6%541,72831.6 min14.8%
Mitchell County, North Carolina2,6586.2%321,44730.3 min11.3%
Tennessee average7,25111.3%N/A32.1 min16.1%

Unicoi County ranked within Tennessee

Unicoi County ranked among 95 county-level areas in Tennessee (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 86.
MeasureUnicoi CountyTennessee rank
Traffic volume (AADT)3,272#65 of 95
Highway vehicle-miles per day374,099#60 of 86
Truck share on highways13.6%#40 of 86
Highway trucks per day928#48 of 86
Average travel time33.0 min#39 of 95
Average driver income$56,091#67 of 95
Average driver age49.5 yrs#26 of 95

Busiest roads in Unicoi County, Tennessee

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Unicoi County carry 9,447 vehicles a day on average, 2.9 times the typical road in the county (3,272).

James H. Quillen Parkway is the busiest road, at 14,237 vehicles a day, 1,929 of them trucks (13.6%). That is 2.0 times the next road, 2nd Street (7,210). It also carries the most trucks.

James H. Quillen Parkway carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 45.5 minutes against 33.0 county-wide.

Few trucks use 2nd Street: 4.9% of its traffic, under half the county's 11.7%.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1James H. Quillen ParkwayMotorway · 14,237vehicles1,929trucks · 13.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
14.3%
Median trip time
45.5 min
Drivers’ median age
48.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$58,526

At 4.4 times the county average, James H. Quillen Parkway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $58,526 in household income.

22nd StreetSecondary road · 7,210vehicles356trucks · 4.9%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
18.7%
Median trip time
30.4 min
Drivers’ median age
50.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$52,686

Travel on 2nd Street's busiest stretch runs 19% over free-flow time, against 9% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

3Love StreetSecondary road · 6,894vehicles360trucks · 5.2%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
12.8%
Median trip time
36.0 min
Drivers’ median age
50.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$51,768

The busiest stretch of Love Street carries 2.1 times the county average; trucks are 5.2% of it, below the county-wide 11.7%.

4Main AvenueSecondary road · 6,562vehicles281trucks · 4.3%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
15.5%
Median trip time
30.2 min
Drivers’ median age
50.7 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$51,250

Main Avenue is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 15% longer than at free-flow speed, against 9% county-wide.

5Erwin HighwaySecondary road · 5,426vehicles275trucks · 5.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
11.6%
Median trip time
30.7 min
Drivers’ median age
52.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$50,578

Erwin Highway carries 66% more than the county average at its busiest, 275 of them trucks (5.1%, below the county-wide 11.7%).

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1James H. Quillen ParkwayMotorway · #1 by traffic14,237vehicles1,929trucks · 13.6%
2Love StreetSecondary road · #3 by traffic6,894vehicles360trucks · 5.2%
32nd StreetSecondary road · #2 by traffic7,210vehicles356trucks · 4.9%
4Main AvenueSecondary road · #4 by traffic6,562vehicles281trucks · 4.3%
5Erwin HighwaySecondary road · #5 by traffic5,426vehicles275trucks · 5.1%
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

UnicoiDepartment 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.
link arrow icon
Data current as of:
Q3 2026

Explore further

TrafficZoom platform

— street-level analytics and custom corridor reports.

Map AI

— demographics, housing and mobility data.

Counties near Unicoi County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Unicoi County, Tennessee.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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