Counties in Tennessee by traffic fatalities

Shelby County had the highest traffic fatalities of 95 counties in 2023, at 259. Pickett County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 7 and the figure for Tennessee was 1,323. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest259Shelby County
Median795 counties
Tennessee1,323History

Map of counties, 2023

Anderson County: 13 countBedford County: 16 countBenton County: 4 countBledsoe County: 7 countBlount County: 17 countBradley County: 11 countCampbell County: 14 countCannon County: 7 countCarroll County: 3 countCarter County: 11 countCheatham County: 11 countChester County: 2 countClaiborne County: 8 countClay County: 1 countCocke County: 15 countCoffee County: 14 countCrockett County: 8 countCumberland County: 16 countDavidson County: 138 countDecatur County: 3 countDeKalb County: 2 countDickson County: 12 countDyer County: 3 countFayette County: 9 countFentress County: 4 countFranklin County: 8 countGibson County: 6 countGiles County: 7 countGrainger County: 5 countGreene County: 17 countGrundy County: 1 countHamblen County: 5 countHamilton County: 51 countHancock County: 3 countHardeman County: 8 countHardin County: 8 countHawkins County: 5 countHaywood County: 11 countHenderson County: 10 countHenry County: 8 countHickman County: 2 countHouston County: 0 countHumphreys County: 2 countJackson County: 5 countJefferson County: 4 countJohnson County: 4 countKnox County: 86 countLake County: 5 countLauderdale County: 6 countLawrence County: 8 countLewis County: 2 countLincoln County: 5 countLoudon County: 8 countMcMinn County: 18 countMcNairy County: 8 countMacon County: 9 countMadison County: 23 countMarion County: 8 countMarshall County: 6 countMaury County: 17 countMeigs County: 6 countMonroe County: 12 countMontgomery County: 36 countMoore County: 6 countMorgan County: 7 countObion County: 2 countOverton County: 6 countPerry County: 1 countPickett County: 0 countPolk County: 2 countPutnam County: 16 countRhea County: 4 countRoane County: 11 countRobertson County: 20 countRutherford County: 37 countScott County: 5 countSequatchie County: 5 countSevier County: 23 countShelby County: 259 countSmith County: 4 countStewart County: 4 countSullivan County: 13 countSumner County: 22 countTipton County: 8 countTrousdale County: 2 countUnicoi County: 2 countUnion County: 4 countVan Buren County: 5 countWarren County: 6 countWashington County: 14 countWayne County: 4 countWeakley County: 5 countWhite County: 3 countWilliamson County: 16 countWilson County: 25 count
  • Under 3
  • 3 to 5
  • 5 to 7
  • 7 to 11
  • 11 to 16
  • 16 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Shelby County: 259 countShelby County259Davidson County: 138 countDavidson County138Knox County: 86 countKnox County86Hamilton County: 51 countHamilton County51Rutherford County: 37 countRutherford County37Montgomery County: 36 countMontgomery County36Wilson County: 25 countWilson County25Madison County: 23 countMadison County23Sevier County: 23 countSevier County23Sumner County: 22 countSumner County22Robertson County: 20 countRobertson County20McMinn County: 18 countMcMinn County18Blount County: 17 countBlount County17Greene County: 17 countGreene County17Maury County: 17 countMaury County17Bedford County: 16 countBedford County16Cumberland County: 16 countCumberland County16Putnam County: 16 countPutnam County16Williamson County: 16 countWilliamson County16Cocke County: 15 countCocke County15Campbell County: 14 countCampbell County14Coffee County: 14 countCoffee County14Washington County: 14 countWashington County14Anderson County: 13 countAnderson County13Sullivan County: 13 countSullivan County13Dickson County: 12 countDickson County12Monroe County: 12 countMonroe County12Bradley County: 11 countBradley County11Carter County: 11 countCarter County11Cheatham County: 11 countCheatham County11Haywood County: 11 countHaywood County11Roane County: 11 countRoane County11Henderson County: 10 countHenderson County10Fayette County: 9 countFayette County9Macon County: 9 countMacon County9Claiborne County: 8 countClaiborne County8Crockett County: 8 countCrockett County8Franklin County: 8 countFranklin County8Hardeman County: 8 countHardeman County8Hardin County: 8 countHardin County8Shelby County: 259 countShelby County259Davidson County: 138 countDavidson County138Knox County: 86 countKnox County86Hamilton County: 51 countHamilton County51Rutherford County: 37 countRutherford County37Montgomery County: 36 countMontgomery County36Wilson County: 25 countWilson County25Madison County: 23 countMadison County23Sevier County: 23 countSevier County23Sumner County: 22 countSumner County22Robertson County: 20 countRobertson County20McMinn County: 18 countMcMinn County18Blount County: 17 countBlount County17Greene County: 17 countGreene County17Maury County: 17 countMaury County17Bedford County: 16 countBedford County16Cumberland County: 16 countCumberland County16Putnam County: 16 countPutnam County16Williamson County: 16 countWilliamson County16Cocke County: 15 countCocke County15Campbell County: 14 countCampbell County14Coffee County: 14 countCoffee County14Washington County: 14 countWashington County14Anderson County: 13 countAnderson County13Sullivan County: 13 countSullivan County13Dickson County: 12 countDickson County12Monroe County: 12 countMonroe County12Bradley County: 11 countBradley County11Carter County: 11 countCarter County11Cheatham County: 11 countCheatham County11Haywood County: 11 countHaywood County11Roane County: 11 countRoane County11Henderson County: 10 countHenderson County10Fayette County: 9 countFayette County9Macon County: 9 countMacon County9Claiborne County: 8 countClaiborne County8Crockett County: 8 countCrockett County8Franklin County: 8 countFranklin County8Hardeman County: 8 countHardeman County8Hardin County: 8 countHardin 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

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Shelby County259+5.3%
2Davidson County138+1.5%
3Knox County86+62.3%
4Hamilton County51+8.5%
5Rutherford County37-5.1%
6Montgomery County36+24.1%
7Wilson County25+31.6%
8Madison County230%
8Sevier County23+109.1%
10Sumner County22-4.3%
11Robertson County20-4.8%
12McMinn County18+28.6%
13Blount County17+6.3%
13Greene County17-5.6%
13Maury County17+13.3%
16Bedford County16+100%
16Cumberland County16-5.9%
16Putnam County16-15.8%
16Williamson County16-38.5%
20Cocke County15+114.3%
21Campbell County14+27.3%
21Coffee County14-26.3%
21Washington County14-22.2%
24Anderson County13-13.3%
24Sullivan County13-50%
26Dickson County12+33.3%
26Monroe County12-36.8%
28Bradley County11-35.3%
28Carter County11-21.4%
28Cheatham County11-8.3%
28Haywood County110%
28Roane County11-21.4%
33Henderson County10-23.1%
34Fayette County9-18.2%
34Macon County9+125%
36Claiborne County8+166.7%
36Crockett County8+60%
36Franklin County80%
36Hardeman County8+60%
36Hardin County8+14.3%
36Henry County8+33.3%
36Lawrence County8-27.3%
36Loudon County8-33.3%
36Marion County8-33.3%
36McNairy County8+33.3%
36Tipton County8-27.3%
47Bledsoe County7+250%
47Cannon County7+133.3%
47Giles County7+16.7%
47Morgan County7+40%
51Gibson County6-33.3%
51Lauderdale County60%
51Marshall County6-14.3%
51Meigs County6+20%
51Moore County6+50%
51Overton County6+100%
51Warren County6-40%
58Grainger County5+66.7%
58Hamblen County5-58.3%
58Hawkins County5-54.5%
58Jackson County5+400%
58Lake County5+400%
58Lincoln County5-16.7%
58Scott County50%
58Sequatchie County5+25%
58Van Buren County5+150%
58Weakley County5+25%
68Benton County4-33.3%
68Fentress County4-33.3%
68Jefferson County4-42.9%
68Johnson County4-50%
68Rhea County4-55.6%
68Smith County4-42.9%
68Stewart County4+33.3%
68Union County4+300%
68Wayne County4+33.3%
77Carroll County3-40%
77Decatur County3+50%
77Dyer County3-62.5%
77Hancock County3n/a
77White County30%
82Chester County20%
82DeKalb County2-60%
82Hickman County2-77.8%
82Humphreys County2-60%
82Lewis County2+100%
82Obion County2-71.4%
82Polk County2-60%
82Trousdale County2-66.7%
82Unicoi County2-33.3%
91Clay County1-66.7%
91Grundy County1-50%
91Perry County1n/a
94Houston County0-100%
94Pickett 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/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.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, 2023. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 24 June 2026, https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_tennessee_by_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.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, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
PB  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/tennessee-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/National/FARS2023NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Shelby County, with 259 in 2023, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Pickett County, with 0 in 2023.

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