Counties in California by traffic fatalities

Los Angeles County had the highest traffic fatalities of 58 counties in 2018, at 733. Inyo County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 30 and the figure for California was 3,798. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Median3058 counties
California3,798History

Map of counties, 2018

Alameda County: 83 countAlpine County: 2 countAmador County: 12 countButte County: 36 countCalaveras County: 14 countColusa County: 12 countContra Costa County: 79 countDel Norte County: 10 countEl Dorado County: 32 countFresno County: 120 countGlenn County: 9 countHumboldt County: 24 countImperial County: 37 countInyo County: 0 countKern County: 155 countKings County: 21 countLake County: 11 countLassen County: 12 countLos Angeles County: 733 countMadera County: 36 countMarin County: 16 countMariposa County: 4 countMendocino County: 38 countMerced County: 55 countModoc County: 2 countMono County: 10 countMonterey County: 47 countNapa County: 15 countNevada County: 18 countOrange County: 206 countPlacer County: 29 countPlumas County: 6 countRiverside County: 313 countSacramento County: 142 countSan Benito County: 12 countSan Bernardino County: 322 countSan Diego County: 267 countSan Francisco County: 27 countSan Joaquin County: 111 countSan Luis Obispo County: 41 countSan Mateo County: 30 countSanta Barbara County: 35 countSanta Clara County: 116 countSanta Cruz County: 22 countShasta County: 32 countSierra County: 1 countSiskiyou County: 18 countSolano County: 59 countSonoma County: 40 countStanislaus County: 85 countSutter County: 24 countTehama County: 22 countTrinity County: 8 countTulare County: 72 countTuolumne County: 9 countVentura County: 53 countYolo County: 31 countYuba County: 22 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 18
  • 18 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 98
  • 98 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Los Angeles County: 733 countLos Angeles County733San Bernardino County: 322 countSan Bernardino County322Riverside County: 313 countRiverside County313San Diego County: 267 countSan Diego County267Orange County: 206 countOrange County206Kern County: 155 countKern County155Sacramento County: 142 countSacramento County142Fresno County: 120 countFresno County120Santa Clara County: 116 countSanta Clara County116San Joaquin County: 111 countSan Joaquin County111Stanislaus County: 85 countStanislaus County85Alameda County: 83 countAlameda County83Contra Costa County: 79 countContra Costa County79Tulare County: 72 countTulare County72Solano County: 59 countSolano County59Merced County: 55 countMerced County55Ventura County: 53 countVentura County53Monterey County: 47 countMonterey County47San Luis Obispo County: 41 countSan Luis Obispo County41Sonoma County: 40 countSonoma County40Mendocino County: 38 countMendocino County38Imperial County: 37 countImperial County37Butte County: 36 countButte County36Madera County: 36 countMadera County36Santa Barbara County: 35 countSanta Barbara County35El Dorado County: 32 countEl Dorado County32Shasta County: 32 countShasta County32Yolo County: 31 countYolo County31San Mateo County: 30 countSan Mateo County30Placer County: 29 countPlacer County29San Francisco County: 27 countSan Francisco County27Humboldt County: 24 countHumboldt County24Sutter County: 24 countSutter County24Santa Cruz County: 22 countSanta Cruz County22Tehama County: 22 countTehama County22Yuba County: 22 countYuba County22Kings County: 21 countKings County21Nevada County: 18 countNevada County18Siskiyou County: 18 countSiskiyou County18Marin County: 16 countMarin County16Napa County: 15 countNapa County15Calaveras County: 14 countCalaveras County14Amador County: 12 countAmador County12Colusa County: 12 countColusa County12Lassen County: 12 countLassen County12San Benito County: 12 countSan Benito County12Lake County: 11 countLake County11Del Norte County: 10 countDel Norte County10Mono County: 10 countMono County10Glenn County: 9 countGlenn County9Tuolumne County: 9 countTuolumne County9Trinity County: 8 countTrinity County8Plumas County: 6 countPlumas County6Mariposa County: 4 countMariposa County4Alpine County: 2 countAlpine County2Modoc County: 2 countModoc County2Sierra County: 1 countSierra County1Inyo County: 0 countInyo County0Los Angeles County: 733 countLos Angeles County733San Bernardino County: 322 countSan Bernardino County322Riverside County: 313 countRiverside County313San Diego County: 267 countSan Diego County267Orange County: 206 countOrange County206Kern County: 155 countKern County155Sacramento County: 142 countSacramento County142Fresno County: 120 countFresno County120Santa Clara County: 116 countSanta Clara County116San Joaquin County: 111 countSan Joaquin County111Stanislaus County: 85 countStanislaus County85Alameda County: 83 countAlameda County83Contra Costa County: 79 countContra Costa County79Tulare County: 72 countTulare County72Solano County: 59 countSolano County59Merced County: 55 countMerced County55Ventura County: 53 countVentura County53Monterey County: 47 countMonterey County47San Luis Obispo County: 41 countSan Luis Obispo County41Sonoma County: 40 countSonoma County40Mendocino County: 38 countMendocino County38Imperial County: 37 countImperial County37Butte County: 36 countButte County36Madera County: 36 countMadera County36Santa Barbara County: 35 countSanta Barbara County35El Dorado County: 32 countEl Dorado County32Shasta County: 32 countShasta County32Yolo County: 31 countYolo County31San Mateo County: 30 countSan Mateo County30Placer County: 29 countPlacer County29San Francisco County: 27 countSan Francisco County27Humboldt County: 24 countHumboldt County24Sutter County: 24 countSutter County24Santa Cruz County: 22 countSanta Cruz County22Tehama County: 22 countTehama County22Yuba County: 22 countYuba County22Kings County: 21 countKings County21Nevada County: 18 countNevada County18Siskiyou County: 18 countSiskiyou County18Marin County: 16 countMarin County16Napa County: 15 countNapa County15Calaveras County: 14 countCalaveras County14Amador County: 12 countAmador County12Colusa County: 12 countColusa County12Lassen County: 12 countLassen County12San Benito County: 12 countSan Benito County12Lake County: 11 countLake County11Del Norte County: 10 countDel Norte County10Mono County: 10 countMono County10Glenn County: 9 countGlenn County9Tuolumne County: 9 countTuolumne County9Trinity County: 8 countTrinity County8Plumas County: 6 countPlumas County6Mariposa County: 4 countMariposa County4Alpine County: 2 countAlpine County2Modoc County: 2 countModoc County2Sierra County: 1 countSierra County1Inyo County: 0 countInyo 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

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/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.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, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.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, 2018. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 24 June 2026, https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2018. 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, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2018.

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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_california_by_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.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, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
PB  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/california-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/National/FARS2018NationalCSV.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 733 in 2018, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Inyo County, with 0 in 2018.

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