DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38584
title: National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA): Traffic Volume by Census Tract and ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 1963-2019
title: Archival Version

description: This dataset contains measures of traffic volume per census tract and ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) in the United States from 1963 to 2019 (primarily 1997 to 2019). High traffic volume may be used as a proxy for heavy traffic, high traffic speeds, and impediments to walking or biking. The dataset contains measures of the average, maximum, and minimum traffic volume per year or per ZCTA per year. These figures are available for all streets, highways, and non-highways. In the ZCTA dataset, data is collected intermittently across locations over time, therefore traffic volume has been interpolated for years in which no measures are available. Data Source: Traffic volume measurements are derived from Kalibrate's TrafficMetrix database accessed via Esri Demographics. Census tract boundaries come from the 2010 TIGER/Line shapefiles. ZCTA boundaries come from the 2019 TIGER/Line shapefiles.
description: The purpose of this study is to characterize the average volume of traffic passing through a census tract and a ZIP code tabulation area in a given year.
description: The research team used three different types of traffic counts within TrafficMetrix: average annual daily traffic, average annual weekday traffic, and average daily traffic. For each corresponding location, the team obtained its latitude and longitude and whether the location is on a highway, then assigned latitudes and longitudes to census tracts and zip code tabulation areas (ZCTA). The team then determined the average, maximum, minimum, and number of traffic volume measurements across all locations in a tract and ZCTA in a given year. Separate measurements were created for highway traffic vs. non-highway traffic.
Traffic measurements are not available in every year. For the ZCTA data, the team interpolated values for certain years between observations due to the lack of measurements taken during that year. Missing values were created using a linear interpolation of the two nearest non-missing years. In the census tract data, measures were not interpolated for missing years.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Traffic Volume by Census Tract Data
DS2: Traffic Volume by ZIP Code Tabulation Area Data
description: Census tracts or ZIP code tabulation areas in the United States, excluding U.S. island territories. Smallest Geographic Unit: census tract and ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA)
description: The data and documentation for National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA): Traffic Volume by Census Tract, United States, 1963-2019 and National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA): Traffic Volume by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 1963-2019 were originally deposited in openICPSR.A ZIP code to ZCTA crosswalk must be used to combine this dataset with ZIP code geocoded data. A crosswalk and sample code for merging the crosswalk with National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA) datasets are available in the ICPSR Linkage Library.Data users interested in walkability and neighborhood disamenities (such as pollution and traffic) might find useful data in these other NaNDA datasets:

Polluting Sites by Census Tract, United States, 2000-2018
Polluting Sites by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2000-2018
Primary and Secondary Roads by Census Tract, United States, 2010
Primary and Secondary Roads by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2010
Street Connectivity by Census Tract, United States, 2010
Street Connectivity by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2010
Data users interested in other resources that contribute to walkability, such as parks, public transit, and retail and other destinations, may find the following additional NaNDA datasets to be of use:

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation Organizations by Census Tract, United States, 2003-2017
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation Organizations by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2003-2017
Eating and Drinking Places by Census Tract, United States, 2003-2017
Eating and Drinking Places by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2003-2017
Retail Establishments by Census Tract, United States, 2003-2017
Retail Establishments by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2003-2017
Parks by Census Tract, United States, 2018
Parks by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2018
Public Transit Stops by Census Tract, United States, 2016-2018
Public Transit Stops by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, United States, 2016-2018
For additional information see the National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA).