Wisconsin sees vehicle miles traveled increase 9% to 60 billion miles in 2014

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Drivers in Wisconsin spent so much time on the roads last year, they could have traveled to the sun and back to Earth 322 times.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, drivers clocked a high of 60 billion vehicle miles traveled in 2014. That’s 550 million miles, or 9 percent, more than in 2013. WisDOT attributes the increase to more commercial traffic and more residents moving into the state.

The state’s population has increased by 30 percent in the past 45 years, but in that same period, the amount of vehicle miles traveled has more than doubled.

The breakdown of vehicle miles traveled in the state shows that the majority of the driving happened on more rural roads and on local jurisdiction roads. Nearly 80 percent of the miles travelled were on rural streets and highways, while nearly 90 percent were in a local jurisdiction.

WisDOT said the average Wisconsinite drove a total of 10,430 miles last year, with 4.2 million licensed drivers.

The state was able to measure the data by using 28,000 traffic count locations throughout Wisconsin, as well as using statewide fuel consumption and average vehicle gas mileage.

A county-by-county breakdown can be found on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website.