Counties in North Carolina by traffic fatalities

Mecklenburg County had the highest traffic fatalities of 100 counties in 2018, at 115. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 10 and the figure for North Carolina was 1,436. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Median10100 counties
North Carolina1,436History

Map of counties, 2018

Alamance County: 15 countAlexander County: 8 countAlleghany County: 2 countAnson County: 5 countAshe County: 1 countAvery County: 2 countBeaufort County: 7 countBertie County: 7 countBladen County: 10 countBrunswick County: 24 countBuncombe County: 34 countBurke County: 20 countCabarrus County: 18 countCaldwell County: 14 countCamden County: 2 countCarteret County: 10 countCaswell County: 5 countCatawba County: 14 countChatham County: 10 countCherokee County: 6 countChowan County: 1 countClay County: 3 countCleveland County: 32 countColumbus County: 17 countCraven County: 10 countCumberland County: 46 countCurrituck County: 0 countDare County: 5 countDavidson County: 34 countDavie County: 6 countDuplin County: 18 countDurham County: 31 countEdgecombe County: 11 countForsyth County: 44 countFranklin County: 10 countGaston County: 32 countGates County: 2 countGraham County: 5 countGranville County: 17 countGreene County: 2 countGuilford County: 60 countHalifax County: 15 countHarnett County: 37 countHaywood County: 12 countHenderson County: 12 countHertford County: 3 countHoke County: 5 countHyde County: 1 countIredell County: 24 countJackson County: 8 countJohnston County: 34 countJones County: 4 countLee County: 13 countLenoir County: 19 countLincoln County: 11 countMcDowell County: 8 countMacon County: 6 countMadison County: 7 countMartin County: 3 countMecklenburg County: 115 countMitchell County: 1 countMontgomery County: 5 countMoore County: 15 countNash County: 30 countNew Hanover County: 12 countNorthampton County: 10 countOnslow County: 20 countOrange County: 8 countPamlico County: 0 countPasquotank County: 8 countPender County: 29 countPerquimans County: 3 countPerson County: 4 countPitt County: 20 countPolk County: 4 countRandolph County: 16 countRichmond County: 12 countRobeson County: 49 countRockingham County: 12 countRowan County: 23 countRutherford County: 10 countSampson County: 17 countScotland County: 5 countStanly County: 6 countStokes County: 6 countSurry County: 11 countSwain County: 2 countTransylvania County: 4 countTyrrell County: 0 countUnion County: 24 countVance County: 8 countWake County: 66 countWarren County: 8 countWashington County: 3 countWatauga County: 3 countWayne County: 18 countWilkes County: 8 countWilson County: 12 countYadkin County: 4 countYancey County: 3 count
  • Under 3
  • 3 to 6
  • 6 to 10
  • 10 to 14
  • 14 to 24
  • 24 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.

Top 40 counties, 2018

Mecklenburg County: 115 countMecklenburg County115Wake County: 66 countWake County66Guilford County: 60 countGuilford County60Robeson County: 49 countRobeson County49Cumberland County: 46 countCumberland County46Forsyth County: 44 countForsyth County44Harnett County: 37 countHarnett County37Buncombe County: 34 countBuncombe County34Davidson County: 34 countDavidson County34Johnston County: 34 countJohnston County34Cleveland County: 32 countCleveland County32Gaston County: 32 countGaston County32Durham County: 31 countDurham County31Nash County: 30 countNash County30Pender County: 29 countPender County29Brunswick County: 24 countBrunswick County24Iredell County: 24 countIredell County24Union County: 24 countUnion County24Rowan County: 23 countRowan County23Burke County: 20 countBurke County20Onslow County: 20 countOnslow County20Pitt County: 20 countPitt County20Lenoir County: 19 countLenoir County19Cabarrus County: 18 countCabarrus County18Duplin County: 18 countDuplin County18Wayne County: 18 countWayne County18Columbus County: 17 countColumbus County17Granville County: 17 countGranville County17Sampson County: 17 countSampson County17Randolph County: 16 countRandolph County16Alamance County: 15 countAlamance County15Halifax County: 15 countHalifax County15Moore County: 15 countMoore County15Caldwell County: 14 countCaldwell County14Catawba County: 14 countCatawba County14Lee County: 13 countLee County13Haywood County: 12 countHaywood County12Henderson County: 12 countHenderson County12New Hanover County: 12 countNew Hanover County12Richmond County: 12 countRichmond County12Mecklenburg County: 115 countMecklenburg County115Wake County: 66 countWake County66Guilford County: 60 countGuilford County60Robeson County: 49 countRobeson County49Cumberland County: 46 countCumberland County46Forsyth County: 44 countForsyth County44Harnett County: 37 countHarnett County37Buncombe County: 34 countBuncombe County34Davidson County: 34 countDavidson County34Johnston County: 34 countJohnston County34Cleveland County: 32 countCleveland County32Gaston County: 32 countGaston County32Durham County: 31 countDurham County31Nash County: 30 countNash County30Pender County: 29 countPender County29Brunswick County: 24 countBrunswick County24Iredell County: 24 countIredell County24Union County: 24 countUnion County24Rowan County: 23 countRowan County23Burke County: 20 countBurke County20Onslow County: 20 countOnslow County20Pitt County: 20 countPitt County20Lenoir County: 19 countLenoir County19Cabarrus County: 18 countCabarrus County18Duplin County: 18 countDuplin County18Wayne County: 18 countWayne County18Columbus County: 17 countColumbus County17Granville County: 17 countGranville County17Sampson County: 17 countSampson County17Randolph County: 16 countRandolph County16Alamance County: 15 countAlamance County15Halifax County: 15 countHalifax County15Moore County: 15 countMoore County15Caldwell County: 14 countCaldwell County14Catawba County: 14 countCatawba County14Lee County: 13 countLee County13Haywood County: 12 countHaywood County12Henderson County: 12 countHenderson County12New Hanover County: 12 countNew Hanover County12Richmond County: 12 countRichmond County12
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

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Mecklenburg County115+0.9%
2Wake County66+24.5%
3Guilford County60-9.1%
4Robeson County49-7.5%
5Cumberland County46+7%
6Forsyth County44+4.8%
7Harnett County37+8.8%
8Buncombe County34+6.3%
8Davidson County34+47.8%
8Johnston County34+6.3%
11Cleveland County32+220%
11Gaston County32+39.1%
13Durham County310%
14Nash County30+76.5%
15Pender County29+70.6%
16Brunswick County24-20%
16Iredell County24-22.6%
16Union County24-14.3%
19Rowan County23+64.3%
20Burke County20+17.6%
20Onslow County20+11.1%
20Pitt County20-4.8%
23Lenoir County19+533.3%
24Cabarrus County18+5.9%
24Duplin County18+100%
24Wayne County18+38.5%
27Columbus County17-43.3%
27Granville County17+41.7%
27Sampson County17-5.6%
30Randolph County16-36%
31Alamance County15-42.3%
31Halifax County15+25%
31Moore County15-21.1%
34Caldwell County14+133.3%
34Catawba County14-26.3%
36Lee County13-31.6%
37Haywood County12+20%
37Henderson County120%
37New Hanover County12-33.3%
37Richmond County12+33.3%
37Rockingham County12+50%
37Wilson County12-40%
43Edgecombe County11-21.4%
43Lincoln County11-21.4%
43Surry County11+37.5%
46Bladen County100%
46Carteret County10+233.3%
46Chatham County10-23.1%
46Craven County10+11.1%
46Franklin County10-28.6%
46Northampton County10+11.1%
46Rutherford County10-9.1%
53Alexander County8+700%
53Jackson County8+100%
53McDowell County8+60%
53Orange County8-20%
53Pasquotank County8+300%
53Vance County8-11.1%
53Warren County8+33.3%
53Wilkes County8-33.3%
61Beaufort County7-36.4%
61Bertie County7-12.5%
61Madison County7+16.7%
64Cherokee County6-45.5%
64Davie County6-33.3%
64Macon County6-14.3%
64Stanly County6-50%
64Stokes County6-14.3%
69Anson County5-16.7%
69Caswell County5-16.7%
69Dare County5+150%
69Graham County5+150%
69Hoke County5-72.2%
69Montgomery County5-61.5%
69Scotland County5-50%
76Jones County4+33.3%
76Person County4-55.6%
76Polk County4+33.3%
76Transylvania County4-42.9%
76Yadkin County4-33.3%
81Clay County30%
81Hertford County3-62.5%
81Martin County3-25%
81Perquimans County3n/a
81Washington County30%
81Watauga County3-25%
81Yancey County3+200%
88Alleghany County20%
88Avery County20%
88Camden County20%
88Gates County20%
88Greene County2-60%
88Swain County2+100%
94Ashe County1-50%
94Chowan County1-66.7%
94Hyde County10%
94Mitchell County1n/a
98Currituck County0-100%
98Pamlico County0n/a
98Tyrrell County0n/a

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_north_carolina_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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/north-carolina-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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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Mecklenburg County, with 115 in 2018, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Tyrrell 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 North Carolina: more rankings