Counties in California by traffic fatalities

Los Angeles County had the highest traffic fatalities of 58 counties in 2017, at 751. Modoc County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 26 and the figure for California was 3,884. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Median2658 counties
California3,884History

Map of counties, 2017

Alameda County: 102 countAlpine County: 4 countAmador County: 12 countButte County: 40 countCalaveras County: 20 countColusa County: 10 countContra Costa County: 66 countDel Norte County: 6 countEl Dorado County: 26 countFresno County: 160 countGlenn County: 9 countHumboldt County: 39 countImperial County: 25 countInyo County: 11 countKern County: 185 countKings County: 26 countLake County: 17 countLassen County: 8 countLos Angeles County: 751 countMadera County: 26 countMarin County: 12 countMariposa County: 7 countMendocino County: 30 countMerced County: 70 countModoc County: 0 countMono County: 5 countMonterey County: 57 countNapa County: 15 countNevada County: 16 countOrange County: 210 countPlacer County: 30 countPlumas County: 6 countRiverside County: 305 countSacramento County: 172 countSan Benito County: 9 countSan Bernardino County: 345 countSan Diego County: 240 countSan Francisco County: 25 countSan Joaquin County: 121 countSan Luis Obispo County: 34 countSan Mateo County: 33 countSanta Barbara County: 42 countSanta Clara County: 117 countSanta Cruz County: 19 countShasta County: 30 countSierra County: 3 countSiskiyou County: 14 countSolano County: 33 countSonoma County: 41 countStanislaus County: 76 countSutter County: 23 countTehama County: 13 countTrinity County: 5 countTulare County: 85 countTuolumne County: 14 countVentura County: 52 countYolo County: 20 countYuba County: 12 count
  • Under 9
  • 9 to 15
  • 15 to 26
  • 26 to 40
  • 40 to 110
  • 110 and over
count, 2017. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

Los Angeles County: 751 countLos Angeles County751San Bernardino County: 345 countSan Bernardino County345Riverside County: 305 countRiverside County305San Diego County: 240 countSan Diego County240Orange County: 210 countOrange County210Kern County: 185 countKern County185Sacramento County: 172 countSacramento County172Fresno County: 160 countFresno County160San Joaquin County: 121 countSan Joaquin County121Santa Clara County: 117 countSanta Clara County117Alameda County: 102 countAlameda County102Tulare County: 85 countTulare County85Stanislaus County: 76 countStanislaus County76Merced County: 70 countMerced County70Contra Costa County: 66 countContra Costa County66Monterey County: 57 countMonterey County57Ventura County: 52 countVentura County52Santa Barbara County: 42 countSanta Barbara County42Sonoma County: 41 countSonoma County41Butte County: 40 countButte County40Humboldt County: 39 countHumboldt County39San Luis Obispo County: 34 countSan Luis Obispo County34San Mateo County: 33 countSan Mateo County33Solano County: 33 countSolano County33Mendocino County: 30 countMendocino County30Placer County: 30 countPlacer County30Shasta County: 30 countShasta County30El Dorado County: 26 countEl Dorado County26Kings County: 26 countKings County26Madera County: 26 countMadera County26Imperial County: 25 countImperial County25San Francisco County: 25 countSan Francisco County25Sutter County: 23 countSutter County23Calaveras County: 20 countCalaveras County20Yolo County: 20 countYolo County20Santa Cruz County: 19 countSanta Cruz County19Lake County: 17 countLake County17Nevada County: 16 countNevada County16Napa County: 15 countNapa County15Siskiyou County: 14 countSiskiyou County14Tuolumne County: 14 countTuolumne County14Tehama County: 13 countTehama County13Amador County: 12 countAmador County12Marin County: 12 countMarin County12Yuba County: 12 countYuba County12Inyo County: 11 countInyo County11Colusa County: 10 countColusa County10Glenn County: 9 countGlenn County9San Benito County: 9 countSan Benito County9Lassen County: 8 countLassen County8Mariposa County: 7 countMariposa County7Del Norte County: 6 countDel Norte County6Plumas County: 6 countPlumas County6Mono County: 5 countMono County5Trinity County: 5 countTrinity County5Alpine County: 4 countAlpine County4Sierra County: 3 countSierra County3Modoc County: 0 countModoc County0Los Angeles County: 751 countLos Angeles County751San Bernardino County: 345 countSan Bernardino County345Riverside County: 305 countRiverside County305San Diego County: 240 countSan Diego County240Orange County: 210 countOrange County210Kern County: 185 countKern County185Sacramento County: 172 countSacramento County172Fresno County: 160 countFresno County160San Joaquin County: 121 countSan Joaquin County121Santa Clara County: 117 countSanta Clara County117Alameda County: 102 countAlameda County102Tulare County: 85 countTulare County85Stanislaus County: 76 countStanislaus County76Merced County: 70 countMerced County70Contra Costa County: 66 countContra Costa County66Monterey County: 57 countMonterey County57Ventura County: 52 countVentura County52Santa Barbara County: 42 countSanta Barbara County42Sonoma County: 41 countSonoma County41Butte County: 40 countButte County40Humboldt County: 39 countHumboldt County39San Luis Obispo County: 34 countSan Luis Obispo County34San Mateo County: 33 countSan Mateo County33Solano County: 33 countSolano County33Mendocino County: 30 countMendocino County30Placer County: 30 countPlacer County30Shasta County: 30 countShasta County30El Dorado County: 26 countEl Dorado County26Kings County: 26 countKings County26Madera County: 26 countMadera County26Imperial County: 25 countImperial County25San Francisco County: 25 countSan Francisco County25Sutter County: 23 countSutter County23Calaveras County: 20 countCalaveras County20Yolo County: 20 countYolo County20Santa Cruz County: 19 countSanta Cruz County19Lake County: 17 countLake County17Nevada County: 16 countNevada County16Napa County: 15 countNapa County15Siskiyou County: 14 countSiskiyou County14Tuolumne County: 14 countTuolumne County14Tehama County: 13 countTehama County13Amador County: 12 countAmador County12Marin County: 12 countMarin County12Yuba County: 12 countYuba County12Inyo County: 11 countInyo County11Colusa County: 10 countColusa County10Glenn County: 9 countGlenn County9San Benito County: 9 countSan Benito County9Lassen County: 8 countLassen County8Mariposa County: 7 countMariposa County7Del Norte County: 6 countDel Norte County6Plumas County: 6 countPlumas County6Mono County: 5 countMono County5Trinity County: 5 countTrinity County5Alpine County: 4 countAlpine County4Sierra County: 3 countSierra County3Modoc County: 0 countModoc County0
count. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Los Angeles County751-10.3%
2San Bernardino County345+26.4%
3Riverside County305+2.7%
4San Diego County240-1.2%
5Orange County210+2.9%
6Kern County185+24.2%
7Sacramento County172+1.8%
8Fresno County160+6.7%
9San Joaquin County121+1.7%
10Santa Clara County117+2.6%
11Alameda County102+29.1%
12Tulare County85+6.3%
13Stanislaus County76-3.8%
14Merced County70-2.8%
15Contra Costa County66-18.5%
16Monterey County57+3.6%
17Ventura County52-8.8%
18Santa Barbara County42+23.5%
19Sonoma County41-8.9%
20Butte County40+11.1%
21Humboldt County39+85.7%
22San Luis Obispo County34+6.3%
23San Mateo County33-36.5%
23Solano County33-10.8%
25Mendocino County30+20%
25Placer County30-25%
25Shasta County30+15.4%
28El Dorado County26+36.8%
28Kings County26-13.3%
28Madera County26-33.3%
31Imperial County25-26.5%
31San Francisco County25-30.6%
33Sutter County23+187.5%
34Calaveras County20+122.2%
34Yolo County20-44.4%
36Santa Cruz County19-5%
37Lake County17+13.3%
38Nevada County16+33.3%
39Napa County15+25%
40Siskiyou County14+27.3%
40Tuolumne County14+27.3%
42Tehama County13-27.8%
43Amador County12-14.3%
43Marin County120%
43Yuba County12+20%
46Inyo County11+57.1%
47Colusa County10+100%
48Glenn County9-18.2%
48San Benito County9-18.2%
50Lassen County8-20%
51Mariposa County7+40%
52Del Norte County6-25%
52Plumas County6-40%
54Mono County5+400%
54Trinity County5-37.5%
56Alpine County4-42.9%
57Sierra County3+200%
58Modoc County0-100%

Other periods

About this ranking

People killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the year. FARS counts people who die within 30 days of a crash involving a motor vehicle travelling on a public road, by the place of the crash, not of residence.

A police-based count of deaths. It differs from death certificate counts (CDC) and from the WHO road traffic death rate (road_traffic_death_rate), which is modelled for international comparison.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2026). Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash (Counties in California by traffic fatalities, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip

MLA 9

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash, Counties in California by traffic fatalities, 2017. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 24 June 2026, https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2026. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Counties in California by traffic fatalities, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2026) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash, Counties in California by traffic fatalities, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_california_by_2017,
  author = {{National Highway Traffic Safety Administration}},
  title = {{Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash: Counties in California by traffic fatalities, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash: Counties in California by traffic fatalities, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
PB  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2017/National/FARS2017NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in California by traffic fatalities using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Los Angeles County, with 751 in 2017, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Modoc County, with 0 in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Traffic fatalities: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings