M-72 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) like all other parts of the state trunkline highway system. As a part of its maintenance duties, the department tracks the traffic volumes along its roads using a metric called average annual daily traffic (AADT). This figure is a calculation of the traffic level along a segment of roadway for any average day of the year. In 2009, the MDOT surveys found that the highest traffic levels along M-72 were the 33,720 vehicles per day in Traverse City. The lowest AADT was 807 vehicles near Hubbard Lake Road in Alcona County near Lincoln. Commercial traffic varied between the 555 trucks a day in Graylling and the 72 trucks daily west of Harrisville. M-72 has been listed on the National Highway System (NHS) between the intersection of Division Street and Grandview Parkway in Traverse City and the southern junction with BL I-75 in Grayling. The NHS is a network of roads important to the country's defense, mobility and economy. In addition to the NHS listing, M-72 has been included on the Lake Michigan Circle Tour along its segments concurrent with M-22 and US 31 in the Traverse City area.