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Traffic heat map of Worcester County, Massachusetts: 2,247 miles of roads shaded from blue (light) to red (heavy traffic), busiest on I 495 and I 290

Worcester County, Massachusetts Traffic Counts

How busy are the roads of Worcester County, Massachusetts? We measure 2,247 road miles, divided into 67,511 segments, with multi-sourced, cross-verified mobile and sensor data. It is one of the top 3 counties in Massachusetts for highway travel volume. 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
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Total Traffic Volume & Performance in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Traffic

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

vehicles per day6,823
Trucks

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

8.7%
Average travel time

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

35.8 min
Congestion ratio

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

19.9%
Drivers’ average age

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

46.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income

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

$108,433

Our data shows 6,823 vehicles per day on the average road in Worcester County, Massachusetts, and 19,369,690 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈7.1 billion per year) across its 2,247 miles of monitored roads. At 8.7%, the truck share runs above the 6.9% across Massachusetts: about 1 in 12 vehicles.

Longer trips than 69% of counties in Massachusetts

Worcester sees 16% lower average daily traffic volume than the state average (6,823 vehicles per day against 8,166), suggesting less demand on each road - a factor worth weighing in site selection and logistics planning. Across the whole network, that travel is about 14% of Massachusetts's statewide total. Worcester carries less traffic than 54% of counties in Massachusetts.

At 35.8 minutes, the average travel time matches the state level closely. On travel time, Worcester runs longer than 69% of counties in Massachusetts.

Congestion runs 17% lower than the state level, at a ratio of 19.9%, which means smoother traffic flow - relevant for traffic control and delivery planning.

Highway vs. Non-Highway Traffic Analysis

highway traffic icon

Highway Traffic in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Trafficvehicles per day22,066
Trucks11.3%
Average travel time45.7 min
Congestion ratio43.5%
Drivers’ average age46.8 yrs
Drivers’ average income$114,046

Highways carry about half of all travel in Worcester County, Massachusetts, 52% of vehicle-miles. The average highway carries 22,066 vehicles per day, 250% more than the average non-highway road in the same area, which carries 6,297 vehicles per day.

With 18% of the road miles (411 miles in 2,250 segments), highways punch above their length, carrying 10,079,334 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈3.7 billion per year).

That puts Worcester among the top 3 counties in Massachusetts for highway travel volume.

More highway trucks than 82% of counties in Massachusetts

At 11.3%, highway truck share is 34% higher than the state average. Highways here lean toward freight, so highway access is a real asset for logistics operators.

By truck concentration, highways here outrank 73% of counties in Massachusetts. By raw truck volume, Worcester carries more highway trucks than 82% of counties in Massachusetts.

non-highway traffic icon

Non-highway Traffic in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Trafficvehicles per day6,297
Trucks5.8%
Average travel time35.4 min
Congestion ratio19.1%
Drivers’ average age46.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income$106,078

Local roads carry about half of all travel in Worcester County, Massachusetts, 48% of vehicle-miles. On the average non-highway road, that comes to 6,297 vehicles per day.

Local roads make up 82% of the monitored road miles (1,835 miles in 65,261 segments) but carry less than their share of travel: 9,290,356 vehicle-miles traveled per day (≈3.4 billion per year). About 1 in 17 vehicles on non-highway roads is a truck (5.8%).

Younger drivers than 69% of counties in Massachusetts

Non-highway roads carry a truck concentration that's 48% lower than the highway network.

The non-highway congestion ratio of 19.1% is 18% lower than the state level, suggesting more efficient local mobility than the state average.

Worcester's average driver income is lower than 54% of counties in Massachusetts. Worcester's median driver age is lower than 69% of counties in Massachusetts.

Time-of-Day & Seasonal Patterns

peak hours icon
Peak Traffic Windows
Weekday peaks:
AM peak 7:00 AM–9:00 AM and a long afternoon plateau from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with volumes reaching approximately 66% higher than the daily average.
Weekend traffic:
Weekends are somewhat quieter: volumes run about 14% below weekday levels, the usual weekend dip.
seasonal traffic icon
Seasonal Fluctuation
Busy season:
June–August is the high season, with volumes +6% versus the annual average.
Lowest month:
January is the quietest month, with volumes -11% versus the annual average - the usual winter low.

Data Finding: Hourly & Seasonal Patterns

In Worcester County, Massachusetts, the peak hour concentrates about 7% of the day's traffic, and there is a noticeable seasonal swing of +6% in high season.

Worcester County vs. Massachusetts Traffic Comparison

Of the four measures, highway truck share differs most: Worcester County runs 34% above the Massachusetts average. Its truck share is also 25% above.

MetricWorcester CountyMassachusetts averageDifference
Traffic6,8238,166-16.4%
Truck % (Total Traffic)8.7%6.9%+24.8%
Truck % (Highway)11.3%8.4%+34.3%
Avg. Travel Time35.8 min34.4 min+4.1%

How Worcester County compares

Worcester County against nearby counties

Worcester County tracks the 4 areas around it closely - no measure in this table sets it far apart from the areas immediately next to it, though it has the third busiest roads of the five. The same kind of road, simply more of it: traffic per road matches the areas around it while the network itself is larger.

Worcester County and the 4 nearest county-level areas by centroid distance, with the Massachusetts average for scale.
AreaAverage daily trafficTruck shareDaily vehicle-milesAverage travel timeCongestion ratio
Worcester County6,8238.7%19,369,69035.8 min19.9%
Franklin County, Massachusetts3,6768.4%1,777,81337.6 min13.8%
Middlesex County, Massachusetts9,5406.7%31,388,71233.4 min27.2%
Hampden County, Massachusetts6,8428.8%8,568,96136.2 min19.6%
Windham County, Connecticut3,9078.6%2,111,30332.4 min11.4%
Massachusetts average8,1666.9%N/A34.4 min24.0%

Worcester County ranked within Massachusetts

Worcester County sits in Massachusetts's top three on highway travel volume and highway truck volume.

Worcester County ranked among 14 county-level areas in Massachusetts (1 = highest); measures without data in every county rank a smaller field, down to 12.
MeasureWorcester CountyMassachusetts rank
Traffic volume (AADT)6,823#8 of 14
Highway vehicle-miles per day10,079,334#2 of 12
Truck share on highways11.3%#4 of 12
Highway trucks per day2,487#3 of 12
Average travel time35.8 min#5 of 14
Average driver income$108,433#8 of 14
Average driver age46.6 yrs#10 of 14

Busiest roads in Worcester County, Massachusetts

On their busiest stretches, the three busiest roads in Worcester County carry 79,663 vehicles a day on average, 11.7 times the typical road in the county (6,823).

I 495 is the busiest road, at 84,344 vehicles a day, 7,241 of them trucks (8.6%). Wilbur Cross Highway carries the most trucks, 12,752 a day (24.0% of its traffic), although it ranks #5 for all traffic.

Trucks make up 24.0% of traffic on Wilbur Cross Highway and 16.6% on Massachusetts Turnpike, against 8.7% across all roads in the county.

Wilbur Cross Highway carries longer journeys than most roads here, with a median trip of 70.2 minutes against 35.8 county-wide.

I 495 draws drivers from wealthier areas: their neighborhoods average $137,586 in household income, 27% above the county's $108,433, while those on Main Street average $75,192, 31% below it.

Ranked by daily traffic (AADT)

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1I 495Motorway · 84,344vehicles7,241trucks · 8.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
65.1%
Median trip time
45.9 min
Drivers’ median age
47.6 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$137,586

I 495 carries 12.4 times the county average on its busiest stretch, where the median trip lasts 45.9 minutes.

2I 290Motorway · 81,773vehicles7,015trucks · 8.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
65.4%
Median trip time
42.5 min
Drivers’ median age
46.4 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$108,346

Travel on I 290's busiest stretch runs 65% over free-flow time, against 20% across the county, so expect slower peak hours.

3Massachusetts TurnpikeMotorway · 72,873vehicles12,104trucks · 16.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
54.8%
Median trip time
63.2 min
Drivers’ median age
47.0 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$120,584

Massachusetts Turnpike carries through traffic: the median trip using it lasts 63.2 minutes, against 35.8 for the county.

4Main StreetSecondary road · 58,527vehicles2,985trucks · 5.1%
Road class
Secondary road
Congestion ratio
91.1%
Median trip time
42.4 min
Drivers’ median age
40.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$75,192

Main Street is one of the more congested roads here: trips take 91% longer than at free-flow speed, against 20% county-wide.

5Wilbur Cross HighwayMotorway · 53,061vehicles12,752trucks · 24.0%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
41.1%
Median trip time
70.2 min
Drivers’ median age
47.5 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$118,614

At 7.8 times the county average, Wilbur Cross Highway draws drivers from neighborhoods averaging $118,614 in household income.

Ranked by trucks per day

Cars and light vehiclesTrucks
1Wilbur Cross HighwayMotorway · #5 by traffic53,061vehicles12,752trucks · 24.0%
2Massachusetts TurnpikeMotorway · #3 by traffic72,873vehicles12,104trucks · 16.6%
3I 495Motorway · #1 by traffic84,344vehicles7,241trucks · 8.6%
4I 290Motorway · #2 by traffic81,773vehicles7,015trucks · 8.6%
5Route 2Motorway · 46,472vehicles4,001trucks · 8.6%
Road class
Motorway
Congestion ratio
48.1%
Median trip time
44.0 min
Drivers’ median age
47.2 yrs
Drivers’ average income
$119,772

A main artery: Route 2's busiest stretch carries 6.8 times the county average; trucks are 8.6% of it, in line with the county-wide 8.7%.

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

WorcesterDepartment 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 Worcester County

The same traffic breakdown for the areas closest to Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Need segment-level traffic data?

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