Counties in Kentucky by traffic fatalities

Jefferson County had the highest traffic fatalities of 120 counties in 2017, at 107. Wayne County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 4 and the figure for Kentucky was 782. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Map of counties, 2017

Adair County: 6 countAllen County: 7 countAnderson County: 5 countBallard County: 2 countBarren County: 9 countBath County: 2 countBell County: 11 countBoone County: 19 countBourbon County: 7 countBoyd County: 6 countBoyle County: 8 countBracken County: 1 countBreathitt County: 6 countBreckinridge County: 7 countBullitt County: 10 countButler County: 4 countCaldwell County: 3 countCalloway County: 5 countCampbell County: 10 countCarlisle County: 2 countCarroll County: 3 countCarter County: 9 countCasey County: 5 countChristian County: 11 countClark County: 8 countClay County: 2 countClinton County: 2 countCrittenden County: 4 countCumberland County: 3 countDaviess County: 9 countEdmonson County: 2 countElliott County: 2 countEstill County: 2 countFayette County: 35 countFleming County: 1 countFloyd County: 11 countFranklin County: 10 countFulton County: 2 countGallatin County: 6 countGarrard County: 1 countGrant County: 3 countGraves County: 9 countGrayson County: 11 countGreen County: 3 countGreenup County: 7 countHancock County: 3 countHardin County: 16 countHarlan County: 1 countHarrison County: 4 countHart County: 3 countHenderson County: 2 countHenry County: 1 countHickman County: 1 countHopkins County: 4 countJackson County: 7 countJefferson County: 107 countJessamine County: 3 countJohnson County: 3 countKenton County: 17 countKnott County: 1 countKnox County: 5 countLarue County: 3 countLaurel County: 18 countLawrence County: 6 countLee County: 1 countLeslie County: 4 countLetcher County: 4 countLewis County: 3 countLincoln County: 10 countLivingston County: 2 countLogan County: 4 countLyon County: 5 countMcCracken County: 11 countMcCreary County: 7 countMcLean County: 2 countMadison County: 10 countMagoffin County: 5 countMarion County: 6 countMarshall County: 11 countMartin County: 1 countMason County: 4 countMeade County: 10 countMenifee County: 4 countMercer County: 5 countMetcalfe County: 0 countMonroe County: 1 countMontgomery County: 5 countMorgan County: 1 countMuhlenberg County: 12 countNelson County: 14 countNicholas County: 3 countOhio County: 4 countOldham County: 5 countOwen County: 4 countOwsley County: 0 countPendleton County: 3 countPerry County: 7 countPike County: 12 countPowell County: 2 countPulaski County: 9 countRobertson County: 0 countRockcastle County: 9 countRowan County: 7 countRussell County: 2 countScott County: 5 countShelby County: 4 countSimpson County: 3 countSpencer County: 5 countTaylor County: 3 countTodd County: 1 countTrigg County: 6 countTrimble County: 1 countUnion County: 3 countWarren County: 26 countWashington County: 4 countWayne County: 0 countWebster County: 4 countWhitley County: 7 countWolfe County: 3 countWoodford County: 2 count
  • Under 2
  • 2 to 3
  • 3 to 4
  • 4 to 6
  • 6 to 10
  • 10 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.

Top 40 counties, 2017

Jefferson County: 107 countJefferson County107Fayette County: 35 countFayette County35Warren County: 26 countWarren County26Boone County: 19 countBoone County19Laurel County: 18 countLaurel County18Kenton County: 17 countKenton County17Hardin County: 16 countHardin County16Nelson County: 14 countNelson County14Muhlenberg County: 12 countMuhlenberg County12Pike County: 12 countPike County12Bell County: 11 countBell County11Christian County: 11 countChristian County11Floyd County: 11 countFloyd County11Grayson County: 11 countGrayson County11Marshall County: 11 countMarshall County11McCracken County: 11 countMcCracken County11Bullitt County: 10 countBullitt County10Campbell County: 10 countCampbell County10Franklin County: 10 countFranklin County10Lincoln County: 10 countLincoln County10Madison County: 10 countMadison County10Meade County: 10 countMeade County10Barren County: 9 countBarren County9Carter County: 9 countCarter County9Daviess County: 9 countDaviess County9Graves County: 9 countGraves County9Pulaski County: 9 countPulaski County9Rockcastle County: 9 countRockcastle County9Boyle County: 8 countBoyle County8Clark County: 8 countClark County8Allen County: 7 countAllen County7Bourbon County: 7 countBourbon County7Breckinridge County: 7 countBreckinridge County7Greenup County: 7 countGreenup County7Jackson County: 7 countJackson County7McCreary County: 7 countMcCreary County7Perry County: 7 countPerry County7Rowan County: 7 countRowan County7Whitley County: 7 countWhitley County7Adair County: 6 countAdair County6Jefferson County: 107 countJefferson County107Fayette County: 35 countFayette County35Warren County: 26 countWarren County26Boone County: 19 countBoone County19Laurel County: 18 countLaurel County18Kenton County: 17 countKenton County17Hardin County: 16 countHardin County16Nelson County: 14 countNelson County14Muhlenberg County: 12 countMuhlenberg County12Pike County: 12 countPike County12Bell County: 11 countBell County11Christian County: 11 countChristian County11Floyd County: 11 countFloyd County11Grayson County: 11 countGrayson County11Marshall County: 11 countMarshall County11McCracken County: 11 countMcCracken County11Bullitt County: 10 countBullitt County10Campbell County: 10 countCampbell County10Franklin County: 10 countFranklin County10Lincoln County: 10 countLincoln County10Madison County: 10 countMadison County10Meade County: 10 countMeade County10Barren County: 9 countBarren County9Carter County: 9 countCarter County9Daviess County: 9 countDaviess County9Graves County: 9 countGraves County9Pulaski County: 9 countPulaski County9Rockcastle County: 9 countRockcastle County9Boyle County: 8 countBoyle County8Clark County: 8 countClark County8Allen County: 7 countAllen County7Bourbon County: 7 countBourbon County7Breckinridge County: 7 countBreckinridge County7Greenup County: 7 countGreenup County7Jackson County: 7 countJackson County7McCreary County: 7 countMcCreary County7Perry County: 7 countPerry County7Rowan County: 7 countRowan County7Whitley County: 7 countWhitley County7Adair County: 6 countAdair County6
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
1Jefferson County107+8.1%
2Fayette County35-30%
3Warren County26+13%
4Boone County19+35.7%
5Laurel County18+63.6%
6Kenton County17+88.9%
7Hardin County160%
8Nelson County14+7.7%
9Muhlenberg County12+100%
9Pike County12-25%
11Bell County11+37.5%
11Christian County11-8.3%
11Floyd County11+37.5%
11Grayson County11+22.2%
11Marshall County11+120%
11McCracken County11-26.7%
17Bullitt County10-16.7%
17Campbell County10-33.3%
17Franklin County100%
17Lincoln County10+400%
17Madison County100%
17Meade County10+42.9%
23Barren County90%
23Carter County9+350%
23Daviess County9-55%
23Graves County9-10%
23Pulaski County9-43.8%
23Rockcastle County9+200%
29Boyle County8+33.3%
29Clark County8+14.3%
31Allen County7+40%
31Bourbon County7+16.7%
31Breckinridge County7+75%
31Greenup County7+250%
31Jackson County7+133.3%
31McCreary County7+16.7%
31Perry County7-50%
31Rowan County70%
31Whitley County7-46.2%
40Adair County6-14.3%
40Boyd County6+50%
40Breathitt County6-25%
40Gallatin County6+100%
40Lawrence County6+100%
40Marion County6+50%
40Trigg County6+100%
47Anderson County5-16.7%
47Calloway County5-28.6%
47Casey County5+150%
47Knox County5+25%
47Lyon County5+25%
47Magoffin County5+25%
47Mercer County50%
47Montgomery County5+25%
47Oldham County5+66.7%
47Scott County5-44.4%
47Spencer County5+150%
58Butler County40%
58Crittenden County4+300%
58Harrison County4+300%
58Hopkins County4-69.2%
58Leslie County4+100%
58Letcher County4+33.3%
58Logan County4+300%
58Mason County4+100%
58Menifee County4+33.3%
58Ohio County4-55.6%
58Owen County4+33.3%
58Shelby County4-66.7%
58Washington County40%
58Webster County4+33.3%
72Caldwell County3-50%
72Carroll County3-40%
72Cumberland County3n/a
72Grant County30%
72Green County3+200%
72Hancock County3+50%
72Hart County3-62.5%
72Jessamine County3-57.1%
72Johnson County3+50%
72Larue County3-62.5%
72Lewis County3-40%
72Nicholas County3+50%
72Pendleton County3+50%
72Simpson County3-57.1%
72Taylor County3-50%
72Union County3-66.7%
72Wolfe County3-50%
89Ballard County2-66.7%
89Bath County2-33.3%
89Carlisle County2+100%
89Clay County2-71.4%
89Clinton County20%
89Edmonson County2+100%
89Elliott County2+100%
89Estill County2+100%
89Fulton County2n/a
89Henderson County2-77.8%
89Livingston County20%
89McLean County20%
89Powell County2-77.8%
89Russell County2-66.7%
89Woodford County2-60%
104Bracken County10%
104Fleming County1-66.7%
104Garrard County1-66.7%
104Harlan County1-85.7%
104Henry County1-87.5%
104Hickman County1n/a
104Knott County1-66.7%
104Lee County10%
104Martin County10%
104Monroe County10%
104Morgan County1-50%
104Todd County1-75%
104Trimble County1-75%
117Metcalfe County0-100%
117Owsley County0-100%
117Robertson County0n/a
117Wayne 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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/kentucky-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 Kentucky 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/kentucky-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 Kentucky 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/kentucky-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_kentucky_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 Kentucky 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/kentucky-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 Kentucky 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/kentucky-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/kentucky-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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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Jefferson County, with 107 in 2017, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Wayne 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 Kentucky: more rankings