Counties in Tennessee by traffic fatalities

Shelby County had the highest traffic fatalities of 95 counties in 2016, at 132. Unicoi County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 7 and the figure for Tennessee was 1,037. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest132Shelby County
Median795 counties
Tennessee1,037History

Map of counties, 2016

Anderson County: 15 countBedford County: 7 countBenton County: 3 countBledsoe County: 0 countBlount County: 18 countBradley County: 11 countCampbell County: 11 countCannon County: 1 countCarroll County: 6 countCarter County: 7 countCheatham County: 5 countChester County: 1 countClaiborne County: 11 countClay County: 2 countCocke County: 11 countCoffee County: 13 countCrockett County: 2 countCumberland County: 19 countDavidson County: 71 countDecatur County: 3 countDeKalb County: 1 countDickson County: 16 countDyer County: 11 countFayette County: 12 countFentress County: 1 countFranklin County: 5 countGibson County: 8 countGiles County: 10 countGrainger County: 6 countGreene County: 22 countGrundy County: 2 countHamblen County: 10 countHamilton County: 39 countHancock County: 2 countHardeman County: 5 countHardin County: 9 countHawkins County: 11 countHaywood County: 3 countHenderson County: 14 countHenry County: 3 countHickman County: 5 countHouston County: 1 countHumphreys County: 7 countJackson County: 2 countJefferson County: 7 countJohnson County: 0 countKnox County: 70 countLake County: 1 countLauderdale County: 6 countLawrence County: 6 countLewis County: 1 countLincoln County: 9 countLoudon County: 8 countMcMinn County: 16 countMcNairy County: 7 countMacon County: 8 countMadison County: 13 countMarion County: 9 countMarshall County: 2 countMaury County: 18 countMeigs County: 7 countMonroe County: 9 countMontgomery County: 28 countMoore County: 0 countMorgan County: 3 countObion County: 2 countOverton County: 3 countPerry County: 5 countPickett County: 0 countPolk County: 2 countPutnam County: 17 countRhea County: 2 countRoane County: 13 countRobertson County: 16 countRutherford County: 43 countScott County: 5 countSequatchie County: 3 countSevier County: 15 countShelby County: 132 countSmith County: 2 countStewart County: 6 countSullivan County: 16 countSumner County: 22 countTipton County: 6 countTrousdale County: 3 countUnicoi County: 0 countUnion County: 4 countVan Buren County: 2 countWarren County: 8 countWashington County: 8 countWayne County: 2 countWeakley County: 8 countWhite County: 6 countWilliamson County: 13 countWilson County: 23 count
  • Under 2
  • 2 to 3
  • 3 to 7
  • 7 to 10
  • 10 to 16
  • 16 and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

Shelby County: 132 countShelby County132Davidson County: 71 countDavidson County71Knox County: 70 countKnox County70Rutherford County: 43 countRutherford County43Hamilton County: 39 countHamilton County39Montgomery County: 28 countMontgomery County28Wilson County: 23 countWilson County23Greene County: 22 countGreene County22Sumner County: 22 countSumner County22Cumberland County: 19 countCumberland County19Blount County: 18 countBlount County18Maury County: 18 countMaury County18Putnam County: 17 countPutnam County17Dickson County: 16 countDickson County16McMinn County: 16 countMcMinn County16Robertson County: 16 countRobertson County16Sullivan County: 16 countSullivan County16Anderson County: 15 countAnderson County15Sevier County: 15 countSevier County15Henderson County: 14 countHenderson County14Coffee County: 13 countCoffee County13Madison County: 13 countMadison County13Roane County: 13 countRoane County13Williamson County: 13 countWilliamson County13Fayette County: 12 countFayette County12Bradley County: 11 countBradley County11Campbell County: 11 countCampbell County11Claiborne County: 11 countClaiborne County11Cocke County: 11 countCocke County11Dyer County: 11 countDyer County11Hawkins County: 11 countHawkins County11Giles County: 10 countGiles County10Hamblen County: 10 countHamblen County10Hardin County: 9 countHardin County9Lincoln County: 9 countLincoln County9Marion County: 9 countMarion County9Monroe County: 9 countMonroe County9Gibson County: 8 countGibson County8Loudon County: 8 countLoudon County8Macon County: 8 countMacon County8Shelby County: 132 countShelby County132Davidson County: 71 countDavidson County71Knox County: 70 countKnox County70Rutherford County: 43 countRutherford County43Hamilton County: 39 countHamilton County39Montgomery County: 28 countMontgomery County28Wilson County: 23 countWilson County23Greene County: 22 countGreene County22Sumner County: 22 countSumner County22Cumberland County: 19 countCumberland County19Blount County: 18 countBlount County18Maury County: 18 countMaury County18Putnam County: 17 countPutnam County17Dickson County: 16 countDickson County16McMinn County: 16 countMcMinn County16Robertson County: 16 countRobertson County16Sullivan County: 16 countSullivan County16Anderson County: 15 countAnderson County15Sevier County: 15 countSevier County15Henderson County: 14 countHenderson County14Coffee County: 13 countCoffee County13Madison County: 13 countMadison County13Roane County: 13 countRoane County13Williamson County: 13 countWilliamson County13Fayette County: 12 countFayette County12Bradley County: 11 countBradley County11Campbell County: 11 countCampbell County11Claiborne County: 11 countClaiborne County11Cocke County: 11 countCocke County11Dyer County: 11 countDyer County11Hawkins County: 11 countHawkins County11Giles County: 10 countGiles County10Hamblen County: 10 countHamblen County10Hardin County: 9 countHardin County9Lincoln County: 9 countLincoln County9Marion County: 9 countMarion County9Monroe County: 9 countMonroe County9Gibson County: 8 countGibson County8Loudon County: 8 countLoudon County8Macon County: 8 countMacon County8
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

RankCounties2016
count
Change on 2015
1Shelby County132+10%
2Davidson County71-6.6%
3Knox County70+29.6%
4Rutherford County43+72%
5Hamilton County39-7.1%
6Montgomery County28+3.7%
7Wilson County23+43.8%
8Greene County22+46.7%
8Sumner County22+100%
10Cumberland County19+26.7%
11Blount County18-33.3%
11Maury County18+80%
13Putnam County17+240%
14Dickson County16+6.7%
14McMinn County16+45.5%
14Robertson County16+100%
14Sullivan County16+6.7%
18Anderson County15+150%
18Sevier County15-6.3%
20Henderson County14+55.6%
21Coffee County13-7.1%
21Madison County13-27.8%
21Roane County13+18.2%
21Williamson County13+30%
25Fayette County12+300%
26Bradley County11-45%
26Campbell County11-26.7%
26Claiborne County11+120%
26Cocke County11+37.5%
26Dyer County11+83.3%
26Hawkins County11+22.2%
32Giles County10-9.1%
32Hamblen County10+66.7%
34Hardin County9+200%
34Lincoln County9+28.6%
34Marion County9+80%
34Monroe County9-10%
38Gibson County8+60%
38Loudon County8+33.3%
38Macon County8+100%
38Warren County8+100%
38Washington County8-55.6%
38Weakley County8+33.3%
44Bedford County7-41.7%
44Carter County7+16.7%
44Humphreys County7+16.7%
44Jefferson County7-36.4%
44McNairy County7-30%
44Meigs County7+75%
50Carroll County6+50%
50Grainger County60%
50Lauderdale County6+50%
50Lawrence County6-25%
50Stewart County60%
50Tipton County6+20%
50White County6-14.3%
57Cheatham County5-16.7%
57Franklin County5-44.4%
57Hardeman County5+150%
57Hickman County5+25%
57Perry County5n/a
57Scott County50%
63Union County40%
64Benton County3-40%
64Decatur County3+200%
64Haywood County3-66.7%
64Henry County3-66.7%
64Morgan County3-62.5%
64Overton County3-40%
64Sequatchie County3-40%
64Trousdale County3n/a
72Clay County2+100%
72Crockett County20%
72Grundy County2n/a
72Hancock County2n/a
72Jackson County2-50%
72Marshall County2-50%
72Obion County20%
72Polk County2-66.7%
72Rhea County2-77.8%
72Smith County2-75%
72Van Buren County2+100%
72Wayne County2-33.3%
84Cannon County1-83.3%
84Chester County1-66.7%
84DeKalb County1-80%
84Fentress County1-80%
84Houston County1-80%
84Lake County10%
84Lewis County1-50%
91Bledsoe County0-100%
91Johnson County0-100%
91Moore County0n/a
91Pickett County0n/a
91Unicoi 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/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.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 Tennessee by traffic fatalities, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.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 Tennessee by traffic fatalities, 2016. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 24 June 2026, https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2016. 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 Tennessee by traffic fatalities, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2016.

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 Tennessee by traffic fatalities, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_tennessee_by_2016,
  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 Tennessee by traffic fatalities, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2016. 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/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.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 Tennessee by traffic fatalities, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
PB  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2016.
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/2016/National/FARS2016NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Tennessee by traffic fatalities using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"traffic_fatalities","level":"province","within":"Tennessee","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=traffic_fatalities&level=province&within=Tennessee&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Shelby County, with 132 in 2016, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Unicoi County, with 0 in 2016.

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 Tennessee: more rankings