Counties in Tennessee by traffic fatalities

Shelby County had the highest traffic fatalities of 95 counties in 2017, at 120. Trousdale County had the lowest, at 1. The median was 6 and the figure for Tennessee was 1,024. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest120Shelby County
Median695 counties
Tennessee1,024History

Map of counties, 2017

Anderson County: 11 countBedford County: 4 countBenton County: 2 countBledsoe County: 7 countBlount County: 16 countBradley County: 15 countCampbell County: 1 countCannon County: 3 countCarroll County: 5 countCarter County: 5 countCheatham County: 6 countChester County: 2 countClaiborne County: 4 countClay County: 2 countCocke County: 3 countCoffee County: 19 countCrockett County: 3 countCumberland County: 5 countDavidson County: 74 countDecatur County: 8 countDeKalb County: 5 countDickson County: 15 countDyer County: 9 countFayette County: 9 countFentress County: 8 countFranklin County: 5 countGibson County: 5 countGiles County: 8 countGrainger County: 4 countGreene County: 18 countGrundy County: 1 countHamblen County: 12 countHamilton County: 27 countHancock County: 9 countHardeman County: 6 countHardin County: 8 countHawkins County: 15 countHaywood County: 8 countHenderson County: 9 countHenry County: 13 countHickman County: 13 countHouston County: 1 countHumphreys County: 8 countJackson County: 6 countJefferson County: 7 countJohnson County: 6 countKnox County: 54 countLake County: 1 countLauderdale County: 7 countLawrence County: 6 countLewis County: 4 countLincoln County: 5 countLoudon County: 14 countMcMinn County: 12 countMcNairy County: 5 countMacon County: 6 countMadison County: 12 countMarion County: 9 countMarshall County: 1 countMaury County: 19 countMeigs County: 4 countMonroe County: 13 countMontgomery County: 30 countMoore County: 2 countMorgan County: 6 countObion County: 4 countOverton County: 4 countPerry County: 4 countPickett County: 2 countPolk County: 7 countPutnam County: 9 countRhea County: 6 countRoane County: 14 countRobertson County: 11 countRutherford County: 38 countScott County: 10 countSequatchie County: 3 countSevier County: 19 countShelby County: 120 countSmith County: 6 countStewart County: 1 countSullivan County: 18 countSumner County: 10 countTipton County: 5 countTrousdale County: 1 countUnicoi County: 2 countUnion County: 4 countVan Buren County: 4 countWarren County: 17 countWashington County: 10 countWayne County: 4 countWeakley County: 2 countWhite County: 6 countWilliamson County: 24 countWilson County: 19 count
  • Under 3
  • 3 to 5
  • 5 to 6
  • 6 to 9
  • 9 to 15
  • 15 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

Shelby County: 120 countShelby County120Davidson County: 74 countDavidson County74Knox County: 54 countKnox County54Rutherford County: 38 countRutherford County38Montgomery County: 30 countMontgomery County30Hamilton County: 27 countHamilton County27Williamson County: 24 countWilliamson County24Coffee County: 19 countCoffee County19Maury County: 19 countMaury County19Sevier County: 19 countSevier County19Wilson County: 19 countWilson County19Greene County: 18 countGreene County18Sullivan County: 18 countSullivan County18Warren County: 17 countWarren County17Blount County: 16 countBlount County16Bradley County: 15 countBradley County15Dickson County: 15 countDickson County15Hawkins County: 15 countHawkins County15Loudon County: 14 countLoudon County14Roane County: 14 countRoane County14Henry County: 13 countHenry County13Hickman County: 13 countHickman County13Monroe County: 13 countMonroe County13Hamblen County: 12 countHamblen County12Madison County: 12 countMadison County12McMinn County: 12 countMcMinn County12Anderson County: 11 countAnderson County11Robertson County: 11 countRobertson County11Scott County: 10 countScott County10Sumner County: 10 countSumner County10Washington County: 10 countWashington County10Dyer County: 9 countDyer County9Fayette County: 9 countFayette County9Hancock County: 9 countHancock County9Henderson County: 9 countHenderson County9Marion County: 9 countMarion County9Putnam County: 9 countPutnam County9Decatur County: 8 countDecatur County8Fentress County: 8 countFentress County8Giles County: 8 countGiles County8Shelby County: 120 countShelby County120Davidson County: 74 countDavidson County74Knox County: 54 countKnox County54Rutherford County: 38 countRutherford County38Montgomery County: 30 countMontgomery County30Hamilton County: 27 countHamilton County27Williamson County: 24 countWilliamson County24Coffee County: 19 countCoffee County19Maury County: 19 countMaury County19Sevier County: 19 countSevier County19Wilson County: 19 countWilson County19Greene County: 18 countGreene County18Sullivan County: 18 countSullivan County18Warren County: 17 countWarren County17Blount County: 16 countBlount County16Bradley County: 15 countBradley County15Dickson County: 15 countDickson County15Hawkins County: 15 countHawkins County15Loudon County: 14 countLoudon County14Roane County: 14 countRoane County14Henry County: 13 countHenry County13Hickman County: 13 countHickman County13Monroe County: 13 countMonroe County13Hamblen County: 12 countHamblen County12Madison County: 12 countMadison County12McMinn County: 12 countMcMinn County12Anderson County: 11 countAnderson County11Robertson County: 11 countRobertson County11Scott County: 10 countScott County10Sumner County: 10 countSumner County10Washington County: 10 countWashington County10Dyer County: 9 countDyer County9Fayette County: 9 countFayette County9Hancock County: 9 countHancock County9Henderson County: 9 countHenderson County9Marion County: 9 countMarion County9Putnam County: 9 countPutnam County9Decatur County: 8 countDecatur County8Fentress County: 8 countFentress County8Giles County: 8 countGiles 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

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Shelby County120-9.1%
2Davidson County74+4.2%
3Knox County54-22.9%
4Rutherford County38-11.6%
5Montgomery County30+7.1%
6Hamilton County27-30.8%
7Williamson County24+84.6%
8Coffee County19+46.2%
8Maury County19+5.6%
8Sevier County19+26.7%
8Wilson County19-17.4%
12Greene County18-18.2%
12Sullivan County18+12.5%
14Warren County17+112.5%
15Blount County16-11.1%
16Bradley County15+36.4%
16Dickson County15-6.3%
16Hawkins County15+36.4%
19Loudon County14+75%
19Roane County14+7.7%
21Henry County13+333.3%
21Hickman County13+160%
21Monroe County13+44.4%
24Hamblen County12+20%
24Madison County12-7.7%
24McMinn County12-25%
27Anderson County11-26.7%
27Robertson County11-31.3%
29Scott County10+100%
29Sumner County10-54.5%
29Washington County10+25%
32Dyer County9-18.2%
32Fayette County9-25%
32Hancock County9+350%
32Henderson County9-35.7%
32Marion County90%
32Putnam County9-47.1%
38Decatur County8+166.7%
38Fentress County8+700%
38Giles County8-20%
38Hardin County8-11.1%
38Haywood County8+166.7%
38Humphreys County8+14.3%
44Bledsoe County7n/a
44Jefferson County70%
44Lauderdale County7+16.7%
44Polk County7+250%
48Cheatham County6+20%
48Hardeman County6+20%
48Jackson County6+200%
48Johnson County6n/a
48Lawrence County60%
48Macon County6-25%
48Morgan County6+100%
48Rhea County6+200%
48Smith County6+200%
48White County60%
58Carroll County5-16.7%
58Carter County5-28.6%
58Cumberland County5-73.7%
58DeKalb County5+400%
58Franklin County50%
58Gibson County5-37.5%
58Lincoln County5-44.4%
58McNairy County5-28.6%
58Tipton County5-16.7%
67Bedford County4-42.9%
67Claiborne County4-63.6%
67Grainger County4-33.3%
67Lewis County4+300%
67Meigs County4-42.9%
67Obion County4+100%
67Overton County4+33.3%
67Perry County4-20%
67Union County40%
67Van Buren County4+100%
67Wayne County4+100%
78Cannon County3+200%
78Cocke County3-72.7%
78Crockett County3+50%
78Sequatchie County30%
82Benton County2-33.3%
82Chester County2+100%
82Clay County20%
82Moore County2n/a
82Pickett County2n/a
82Unicoi County2n/a
82Weakley County2-75%
89Campbell County1-90.9%
89Grundy County1-50%
89Houston County10%
89Lake County10%
89Marshall County1-50%
89Stewart County1-83.3%
89Trousdale County1-66.7%

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_tennessee_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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-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  - 
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 120 in 2017, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Trousdale County, with 1 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 Tennessee: more rankings