Counties in Tennessee by traffic fatalities

Shelby County had the highest traffic fatalities of 95 counties in 2019, at 155. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 7 and the figure for Tennessee was 1,136. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest155Shelby County
Median795 counties
Tennessee1,136History

Map of counties, 2019

Anderson County: 10 countBedford County: 10 countBenton County: 2 countBledsoe County: 4 countBlount County: 19 countBradley County: 7 countCampbell County: 3 countCannon County: 7 countCarroll County: 1 countCarter County: 12 countCheatham County: 7 countChester County: 5 countClaiborne County: 2 countClay County: 2 countCocke County: 6 countCoffee County: 9 countCrockett County: 3 countCumberland County: 18 countDavidson County: 106 countDecatur County: 4 countDeKalb County: 2 countDickson County: 15 countDyer County: 9 countFayette County: 8 countFentress County: 4 countFranklin County: 5 countGibson County: 7 countGiles County: 10 countGrainger County: 2 countGreene County: 8 countGrundy County: 3 countHamblen County: 3 countHamilton County: 56 countHancock County: 1 countHardeman County: 7 countHardin County: 7 countHawkins County: 20 countHaywood County: 4 countHenderson County: 11 countHenry County: 7 countHickman County: 10 countHouston County: 3 countHumphreys County: 11 countJackson County: 0 countJefferson County: 6 countJohnson County: 4 countKnox County: 68 countLake County: 1 countLauderdale County: 8 countLawrence County: 7 countLewis County: 2 countLincoln County: 7 countLoudon County: 9 countMcMinn County: 12 countMcNairy County: 8 countMacon County: 1 countMadison County: 24 countMarion County: 7 countMarshall County: 9 countMaury County: 18 countMeigs County: 2 countMonroe County: 9 countMontgomery County: 30 countMoore County: 1 countMorgan County: 4 countObion County: 7 countOverton County: 1 countPerry County: 4 countPickett County: 1 countPolk County: 6 countPutnam County: 14 countRhea County: 6 countRoane County: 12 countRobertson County: 15 countRutherford County: 27 countScott County: 9 countSequatchie County: 7 countSevier County: 24 countShelby County: 155 countSmith County: 6 countStewart County: 4 countSullivan County: 23 countSumner County: 13 countTipton County: 7 countTrousdale County: 3 countUnicoi County: 6 countUnion County: 4 countVan Buren County: 0 countWarren County: 8 countWashington County: 18 countWayne County: 11 countWeakley County: 8 countWhite County: 4 countWilliamson County: 18 countWilson County: 28 count
  • Under 3
  • 3 to 4
  • 4 to 7
  • 7 to 9
  • 9 to 16
  • 16 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Shelby County: 155 countShelby County155Davidson County: 106 countDavidson County106Knox County: 68 countKnox County68Hamilton County: 56 countHamilton County56Montgomery County: 30 countMontgomery County30Wilson County: 28 countWilson County28Rutherford County: 27 countRutherford County27Madison County: 24 countMadison County24Sevier County: 24 countSevier County24Sullivan County: 23 countSullivan County23Hawkins County: 20 countHawkins County20Blount County: 19 countBlount County19Cumberland County: 18 countCumberland County18Maury County: 18 countMaury County18Washington County: 18 countWashington County18Williamson County: 18 countWilliamson County18Dickson County: 15 countDickson County15Robertson County: 15 countRobertson County15Putnam County: 14 countPutnam County14Sumner County: 13 countSumner County13Carter County: 12 countCarter County12McMinn County: 12 countMcMinn County12Roane County: 12 countRoane County12Henderson County: 11 countHenderson County11Humphreys County: 11 countHumphreys County11Wayne County: 11 countWayne County11Anderson County: 10 countAnderson County10Bedford County: 10 countBedford County10Giles County: 10 countGiles County10Hickman County: 10 countHickman County10Coffee County: 9 countCoffee County9Dyer County: 9 countDyer County9Loudon County: 9 countLoudon County9Marshall County: 9 countMarshall County9Monroe County: 9 countMonroe County9Scott County: 9 countScott County9Fayette County: 8 countFayette County8Greene County: 8 countGreene County8Lauderdale County: 8 countLauderdale County8McNairy County: 8 countMcNairy County8Shelby County: 155 countShelby County155Davidson County: 106 countDavidson County106Knox County: 68 countKnox County68Hamilton County: 56 countHamilton County56Montgomery County: 30 countMontgomery County30Wilson County: 28 countWilson County28Rutherford County: 27 countRutherford County27Madison County: 24 countMadison County24Sevier County: 24 countSevier County24Sullivan County: 23 countSullivan County23Hawkins County: 20 countHawkins County20Blount County: 19 countBlount County19Cumberland County: 18 countCumberland County18Maury County: 18 countMaury County18Washington County: 18 countWashington County18Williamson County: 18 countWilliamson County18Dickson County: 15 countDickson County15Robertson County: 15 countRobertson County15Putnam County: 14 countPutnam County14Sumner County: 13 countSumner County13Carter County: 12 countCarter County12McMinn County: 12 countMcMinn County12Roane County: 12 countRoane County12Henderson County: 11 countHenderson County11Humphreys County: 11 countHumphreys County11Wayne County: 11 countWayne County11Anderson County: 10 countAnderson County10Bedford County: 10 countBedford County10Giles County: 10 countGiles County10Hickman County: 10 countHickman County10Coffee County: 9 countCoffee County9Dyer County: 9 countDyer County9Loudon County: 9 countLoudon County9Marshall County: 9 countMarshall County9Monroe County: 9 countMonroe County9Scott County: 9 countScott County9Fayette County: 8 countFayette County8Greene County: 8 countGreene County8Lauderdale County: 8 countLauderdale County8McNairy County: 8 countMcNairy 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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Shelby County155-1.9%
2Davidson County106+34.2%
3Knox County68+9.7%
4Hamilton County56+30.2%
5Montgomery County30+20%
6Wilson County28+133.3%
7Rutherford County27-27%
8Madison County24+100%
8Sevier County24+166.7%
10Sullivan County23-4.2%
11Hawkins County20+122.2%
12Blount County19-24%
13Cumberland County18+50%
13Maury County18+12.5%
13Washington County18+63.6%
13Williamson County18+50%
17Dickson County15+66.7%
17Robertson County15-28.6%
19Putnam County14-6.7%
20Sumner County13+8.3%
21Carter County12+50%
21McMinn County12-29.4%
21Roane County12+9.1%
24Henderson County11+10%
24Humphreys County11+120%
24Wayne County11n/a
27Anderson County10+42.9%
27Bedford County100%
27Giles County10+150%
27Hickman County100%
31Coffee County9-18.2%
31Dyer County9+80%
31Loudon County9-30.8%
31Marshall County9+50%
31Monroe County9-18.2%
31Scott County9+200%
37Fayette County8+33.3%
37Greene County8-55.6%
37Lauderdale County8+60%
37McNairy County8-27.3%
37Warren County8+14.3%
37Weakley County8+166.7%
43Bradley County7-30%
43Cannon County7+16.7%
43Cheatham County7-36.4%
43Gibson County7-30%
43Hardeman County7+16.7%
43Hardin County7-41.7%
43Henry County70%
43Lawrence County7+75%
43Lincoln County7+133.3%
43Marion County7-46.2%
43Obion County7+133.3%
43Sequatchie County70%
43Tipton County7-41.7%
56Cocke County6-60%
56Jefferson County60%
56Polk County6+500%
56Rhea County6+20%
56Smith County6+500%
56Unicoi County6n/a
62Chester County5+150%
62Franklin County5-44.4%
64Bledsoe County4+100%
64Decatur County4+33.3%
64Fentress County4+300%
64Haywood County4-50%
64Johnson County4+100%
64Morgan County4-20%
64Perry County4+300%
64Stewart County4-20%
64Union County40%
64White County4+300%
74Campbell County3-72.7%
74Crockett County3-50%
74Grundy County3+200%
74Hamblen County3-25%
74Houston County30%
74Trousdale County3+200%
80Benton County2-75%
80Claiborne County2-60%
80Clay County20%
80DeKalb County2-75%
80Grainger County2-71.4%
80Lewis County20%
80Meigs County2-33.3%
87Carroll County1-75%
87Hancock County1-50%
87Lake County1n/a
87Macon County1-75%
87Moore County1-50%
87Overton County1-75%
87Pickett County1-50%
94Jackson County0-100%
94Van Buren 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/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.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, 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.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, 2019. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 24 June 2026, https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2019. 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, 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2019.

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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_tennessee_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.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, 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
PB  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/National/FARS2019NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Shelby County, with 155 in 2019, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Van Buren County, with 0 in 2019.

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