Counties in Tennessee by traffic fatalities

Shelby County had the highest traffic fatalities of 95 counties in 2018, at 158. Wayne County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 7 and the figure for Tennessee was 1,040. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest158Shelby County
Median795 counties
Tennessee1,040History

Map of counties, 2018

Anderson County: 7 countBedford County: 10 countBenton County: 8 countBledsoe County: 2 countBlount County: 25 countBradley County: 10 countCampbell County: 11 countCannon County: 6 countCarroll County: 4 countCarter County: 8 countCheatham County: 11 countChester County: 2 countClaiborne County: 5 countClay County: 2 countCocke County: 15 countCoffee County: 11 countCrockett County: 6 countCumberland County: 12 countDavidson County: 79 countDecatur County: 3 countDeKalb County: 8 countDickson County: 9 countDyer County: 5 countFayette County: 6 countFentress County: 1 countFranklin County: 9 countGibson County: 10 countGiles County: 4 countGrainger County: 7 countGreene County: 18 countGrundy County: 1 countHamblen County: 4 countHamilton County: 43 countHancock County: 2 countHardeman County: 6 countHardin County: 12 countHawkins County: 9 countHaywood County: 8 countHenderson County: 10 countHenry County: 7 countHickman County: 10 countHouston County: 3 countHumphreys County: 5 countJackson County: 1 countJefferson County: 6 countJohnson County: 2 countKnox County: 62 countLake County: 0 countLauderdale County: 5 countLawrence County: 4 countLewis County: 2 countLincoln County: 3 countLoudon County: 13 countMcMinn County: 17 countMcNairy County: 11 countMacon County: 4 countMadison County: 12 countMarion County: 13 countMarshall County: 6 countMaury County: 16 countMeigs County: 3 countMonroe County: 11 countMontgomery County: 25 countMoore County: 2 countMorgan County: 5 countObion County: 3 countOverton County: 4 countPerry County: 1 countPickett County: 2 countPolk County: 1 countPutnam County: 15 countRhea County: 5 countRoane County: 11 countRobertson County: 21 countRutherford County: 37 countScott County: 3 countSequatchie County: 7 countSevier County: 9 countShelby County: 158 countSmith County: 1 countStewart County: 5 countSullivan County: 24 countSumner County: 12 countTipton County: 12 countTrousdale County: 1 countUnicoi County: 0 countUnion County: 4 countVan Buren County: 1 countWarren County: 7 countWashington County: 11 countWayne County: 0 countWeakley County: 3 countWhite County: 1 countWilliamson County: 12 countWilson County: 12 count
  • Under 2
  • 2 to 4
  • 4 to 7
  • 7 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 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

Shelby County: 158 countShelby County158Davidson County: 79 countDavidson County79Knox County: 62 countKnox County62Hamilton County: 43 countHamilton County43Rutherford County: 37 countRutherford County37Blount County: 25 countBlount County25Montgomery County: 25 countMontgomery County25Sullivan County: 24 countSullivan County24Robertson County: 21 countRobertson County21Greene County: 18 countGreene County18McMinn County: 17 countMcMinn County17Maury County: 16 countMaury County16Cocke County: 15 countCocke County15Putnam County: 15 countPutnam County15Loudon County: 13 countLoudon County13Marion County: 13 countMarion County13Cumberland County: 12 countCumberland County12Hardin County: 12 countHardin County12Madison County: 12 countMadison County12Sumner County: 12 countSumner County12Tipton County: 12 countTipton County12Williamson County: 12 countWilliamson County12Wilson County: 12 countWilson County12Campbell County: 11 countCampbell County11Cheatham County: 11 countCheatham County11Coffee County: 11 countCoffee County11McNairy County: 11 countMcNairy County11Monroe County: 11 countMonroe County11Roane County: 11 countRoane County11Washington County: 11 countWashington County11Bedford County: 10 countBedford County10Bradley County: 10 countBradley County10Gibson County: 10 countGibson County10Henderson County: 10 countHenderson County10Hickman County: 10 countHickman County10Dickson County: 9 countDickson County9Franklin County: 9 countFranklin County9Hawkins County: 9 countHawkins County9Sevier County: 9 countSevier County9Benton County: 8 countBenton County8Shelby County: 158 countShelby County158Davidson County: 79 countDavidson County79Knox County: 62 countKnox County62Hamilton County: 43 countHamilton County43Rutherford County: 37 countRutherford County37Blount County: 25 countBlount County25Montgomery County: 25 countMontgomery County25Sullivan County: 24 countSullivan County24Robertson County: 21 countRobertson County21Greene County: 18 countGreene County18McMinn County: 17 countMcMinn County17Maury County: 16 countMaury County16Cocke County: 15 countCocke County15Putnam County: 15 countPutnam County15Loudon County: 13 countLoudon County13Marion County: 13 countMarion County13Cumberland County: 12 countCumberland County12Hardin County: 12 countHardin County12Madison County: 12 countMadison County12Sumner County: 12 countSumner County12Tipton County: 12 countTipton County12Williamson County: 12 countWilliamson County12Wilson County: 12 countWilson County12Campbell County: 11 countCampbell County11Cheatham County: 11 countCheatham County11Coffee County: 11 countCoffee County11McNairy County: 11 countMcNairy County11Monroe County: 11 countMonroe County11Roane County: 11 countRoane County11Washington County: 11 countWashington County11Bedford County: 10 countBedford County10Bradley County: 10 countBradley County10Gibson County: 10 countGibson County10Henderson County: 10 countHenderson County10Hickman County: 10 countHickman County10Dickson County: 9 countDickson County9Franklin County: 9 countFranklin County9Hawkins County: 9 countHawkins County9Sevier County: 9 countSevier County9Benton County: 8 countBenton 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

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Shelby County158+31.7%
2Davidson County79+6.8%
3Knox County62+14.8%
4Hamilton County43+59.3%
5Rutherford County37-2.6%
6Blount County25+56.3%
6Montgomery County25-16.7%
8Sullivan County24+33.3%
9Robertson County21+90.9%
10Greene County180%
11McMinn County17+41.7%
12Maury County16-15.8%
13Cocke County15+400%
13Putnam County15+66.7%
15Loudon County13-7.1%
15Marion County13+44.4%
17Cumberland County12+140%
17Hardin County12+50%
17Madison County120%
17Sumner County12+20%
17Tipton County12+140%
17Williamson County12-50%
17Wilson County12-36.8%
24Campbell County11+1,000%
24Cheatham County11+83.3%
24Coffee County11-42.1%
24McNairy County11+120%
24Monroe County11-15.4%
24Roane County11-21.4%
24Washington County11+10%
31Bedford County10+150%
31Bradley County10-33.3%
31Gibson County10+100%
31Henderson County10+11.1%
31Hickman County10-23.1%
36Dickson County9-40%
36Franklin County9+80%
36Hawkins County9-40%
36Sevier County9-52.6%
40Benton County8+300%
40Carter County8+60%
40DeKalb County8+60%
40Haywood County80%
44Anderson County7-36.4%
44Grainger County7+75%
44Henry County7-46.2%
44Sequatchie County7+133.3%
44Warren County7-58.8%
49Cannon County6+100%
49Crockett County6+100%
49Fayette County6-33.3%
49Hardeman County60%
49Jefferson County6-14.3%
49Marshall County6+500%
55Claiborne County5+25%
55Dyer County5-44.4%
55Humphreys County5-37.5%
55Lauderdale County5-28.6%
55Morgan County5-16.7%
55Rhea County5-16.7%
55Stewart County5+400%
62Carroll County4-20%
62Giles County4-50%
62Hamblen County4-66.7%
62Lawrence County4-33.3%
62Macon County4-33.3%
62Overton County40%
62Union County40%
69Decatur County3-62.5%
69Houston County3+200%
69Lincoln County3-40%
69Meigs County3-25%
69Obion County3-25%
69Scott County3-70%
69Weakley County3+50%
76Bledsoe County2-71.4%
76Chester County20%
76Clay County20%
76Hancock County2-77.8%
76Johnson County2-66.7%
76Lewis County2-50%
76Moore County20%
76Pickett County20%
84Fentress County1-87.5%
84Grundy County10%
84Jackson County1-83.3%
84Perry County1-75%
84Polk County1-85.7%
84Smith County1-83.3%
84Trousdale County10%
84Van Buren County1-75%
84White County1-83.3%
93Lake County0-100%
93Unicoi County0-100%
93Wayne 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/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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_tennessee_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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-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?

Shelby County, with 158 in 2018, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Wayne 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 Tennessee: more rankings