Counties in California by traffic fatality rate

Trinity County had the highest traffic fatality rate of 58 counties in 2021, at 80.7 per 100,000 people. Sierra County had the lowest, at 0 per 100,000 people. The median was 16.1 per 100,000 people and the figure for California was 11.5 per 100,000 people. Source: NHTSA and BEA.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest80.7Trinity County
Median16.158 counties
California11.5History

Map of counties, 2021

Alameda County: 6.1 per 100,000 peopleAlpine County: 0 per 100,000 peopleAmador County: 36.4 per 100,000 peopleButte County: 26.7 per 100,000 peopleCalaveras County: 30.3 per 100,000 peopleColusa County: 22.8 per 100,000 peopleContra Costa County: 8.2 per 100,000 peopleDel Norte County: 21.8 per 100,000 peopleEl Dorado County: 13.4 per 100,000 peopleFresno County: 19.7 per 100,000 peopleGlenn County: 24.4 per 100,000 peopleHumboldt County: 11.1 per 100,000 peopleImperial County: 30.7 per 100,000 peopleInyo County: 15.9 per 100,000 peopleKern County: 24.7 per 100,000 peopleKings County: 16.4 per 100,000 peopleLake County: 30.6 per 100,000 peopleLassen County: 53.3 per 100,000 peopleLos Angeles County: 8.7 per 100,000 peopleMadera County: 25.2 per 100,000 peopleMarin County: 2.3 per 100,000 peopleMariposa County: 5.8 per 100,000 peopleMendocino County: 21.9 per 100,000 peopleMerced County: 23.5 per 100,000 peopleModoc County: 23.1 per 100,000 peopleMono County: 22.6 per 100,000 peopleMonterey County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleNapa County: 12.5 per 100,000 peopleNevada County: 24.2 per 100,000 peopleOrange County: 7.3 per 100,000 peoplePlacer County: 8.2 per 100,000 peoplePlumas County: 35.1 per 100,000 peopleRiverside County: 13.3 per 100,000 peopleSacramento County: 14 per 100,000 peopleSan Benito County: 15 per 100,000 peopleSan Bernardino County: 19.3 per 100,000 peopleSan Diego County: 9.7 per 100,000 peopleSan Francisco County: 4.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Joaquin County: 18.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Luis Obispo County: 9.7 per 100,000 peopleSan Mateo County: 4.9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Barbara County: 11.7 per 100,000 peopleSanta Clara County: 6.9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Cruz County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleShasta County: 21.4 per 100,000 peopleSierra County: 0 per 100,000 peopleSiskiyou County: 45.3 per 100,000 peopleSolano County: 9.5 per 100,000 peopleSonoma County: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleStanislaus County: 21.5 per 100,000 peopleSutter County: 15.1 per 100,000 peopleTehama County: 19.9 per 100,000 peopleTrinity County: 80.7 per 100,000 peopleTulare County: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleTuolumne County: 21.8 per 100,000 peopleVentura County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleYolo County: 15 per 100,000 peopleYuba County: 32.5 per 100,000 people
  • Under 7.7
  • 7.7 to 11
  • 11 to 16
  • 16 to 22
  • 22 to 26
  • 26 and over
per 100,000 people, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Trinity County: 80.7 per 100,000 peopleTrinity County80.7Lassen County: 53.3 per 100,000 peopleLassen County53.3Siskiyou County: 45.3 per 100,000 peopleSiskiyou County45.3Amador County: 36.4 per 100,000 peopleAmador County36.4Plumas County: 35.1 per 100,000 peoplePlumas County35.1Yuba County: 32.5 per 100,000 peopleYuba County32.5Imperial County: 30.7 per 100,000 peopleImperial County30.7Lake County: 30.6 per 100,000 peopleLake County30.6Calaveras County: 30.3 per 100,000 peopleCalaveras County30.3Butte County: 26.7 per 100,000 peopleButte County26.7Madera County: 25.2 per 100,000 peopleMadera County25.2Kern County: 24.7 per 100,000 peopleKern County24.7Glenn County: 24.4 per 100,000 peopleGlenn County24.4Nevada County: 24.2 per 100,000 peopleNevada County24.2Merced County: 23.5 per 100,000 peopleMerced County23.5Modoc County: 23.1 per 100,000 peopleModoc County23.1Colusa County: 22.8 per 100,000 peopleColusa County22.8Mono County: 22.6 per 100,000 peopleMono County22.6Mendocino County: 21.9 per 100,000 peopleMendocino County21.9Tuolumne County: 21.8 per 100,000 peopleTuolumne County21.8Del Norte County: 21.8 per 100,000 peopleDel Norte County21.8Stanislaus County: 21.5 per 100,000 peopleStanislaus County21.5Shasta County: 21.4 per 100,000 peopleShasta County21.4Tehama County: 19.9 per 100,000 peopleTehama County19.9Fresno County: 19.7 per 100,000 peopleFresno County19.7San Bernardino County: 19.3 per 100,000 peopleSan Bernardino County19.3Tulare County: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleTulare County19.1San Joaquin County: 18.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Joaquin County18.1Kings County: 16.4 per 100,000 peopleKings County16.4Inyo County: 15.9 per 100,000 peopleInyo County15.9Sutter County: 15.1 per 100,000 peopleSutter County15.1San Benito County: 15 per 100,000 peopleSan Benito County15Yolo County: 15 per 100,000 peopleYolo County15Sacramento County: 14 per 100,000 peopleSacramento County14El Dorado County: 13.4 per 100,000 peopleEl Dorado County13.4Riverside County: 13.3 per 100,000 peopleRiverside County13.3Napa County: 12.5 per 100,000 peopleNapa County12.5Santa Barbara County: 11.7 per 100,000 peopleSanta Barbara County11.7Humboldt County: 11.1 per 100,000 peopleHumboldt County11.1Santa Cruz County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleSanta Cruz County10.7Monterey County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleMonterey County10.7Sonoma County: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleSonoma County10.3San Luis Obispo County: 9.7 per 100,000 peopleSan Luis Obispo County9.7San Diego County: 9.7 per 100,000 peopleSan Diego County9.7Solano County: 9.5 per 100,000 peopleSolano County9.5Los Angeles County: 8.7 per 100,000 peopleLos Angeles County8.7Placer County: 8.2 per 100,000 peoplePlacer County8.2Contra Costa County: 8.2 per 100,000 peopleContra Costa County8.2Orange County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleOrange County7.3Ventura County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleVentura County7.3Santa Clara County: 6.9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Clara County6.9Alameda County: 6.1 per 100,000 peopleAlameda County6.1Mariposa County: 5.8 per 100,000 peopleMariposa County5.8San Mateo County: 4.9 per 100,000 peopleSan Mateo County4.9San Francisco County: 4.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Francisco County4.2Marin County: 2.3 per 100,000 peopleMarin County2.3Alpine County: 0 per 100,000 peopleAlpine County0Sierra County: 0 per 100,000 peopleSierra County0Trinity County: 80.7 per 100,000 peopleTrinity County80.7Lassen County: 53.3 per 100,000 peopleLassen County53.3Siskiyou County: 45.3 per 100,000 peopleSiskiyou County45.3Amador County: 36.4 per 100,000 peopleAmador County36.4Plumas County: 35.1 per 100,000 peoplePlumas County35.1Yuba County: 32.5 per 100,000 peopleYuba County32.5Imperial County: 30.7 per 100,000 peopleImperial County30.7Lake County: 30.6 per 100,000 peopleLake County30.6Calaveras County: 30.3 per 100,000 peopleCalaveras County30.3Butte County: 26.7 per 100,000 peopleButte County26.7Madera County: 25.2 per 100,000 peopleMadera County25.2Kern County: 24.7 per 100,000 peopleKern County24.7Glenn County: 24.4 per 100,000 peopleGlenn County24.4Nevada County: 24.2 per 100,000 peopleNevada County24.2Merced County: 23.5 per 100,000 peopleMerced County23.5Modoc County: 23.1 per 100,000 peopleModoc County23.1Colusa County: 22.8 per 100,000 peopleColusa County22.8Mono County: 22.6 per 100,000 peopleMono County22.6Mendocino County: 21.9 per 100,000 peopleMendocino County21.9Tuolumne County: 21.8 per 100,000 peopleTuolumne County21.8Del Norte County: 21.8 per 100,000 peopleDel Norte County21.8Stanislaus County: 21.5 per 100,000 peopleStanislaus County21.5Shasta County: 21.4 per 100,000 peopleShasta County21.4Tehama County: 19.9 per 100,000 peopleTehama County19.9Fresno County: 19.7 per 100,000 peopleFresno County19.7San Bernardino County: 19.3 per 100,000 peopleSan Bernardino County19.3Tulare County: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleTulare County19.1San Joaquin County: 18.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Joaquin County18.1Kings County: 16.4 per 100,000 peopleKings County16.4Inyo County: 15.9 per 100,000 peopleInyo County15.9Sutter County: 15.1 per 100,000 peopleSutter County15.1San Benito County: 15 per 100,000 peopleSan Benito County15Yolo County: 15 per 100,000 peopleYolo County15Sacramento County: 14 per 100,000 peopleSacramento County14El Dorado County: 13.4 per 100,000 peopleEl Dorado County13.4Riverside County: 13.3 per 100,000 peopleRiverside County13.3Napa County: 12.5 per 100,000 peopleNapa County12.5Santa Barbara County: 11.7 per 100,000 peopleSanta Barbara County11.7Humboldt County: 11.1 per 100,000 peopleHumboldt County11.1Santa Cruz County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleSanta Cruz County10.7Monterey County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleMonterey County10.7Sonoma County: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleSonoma County10.3San Luis Obispo County: 9.7 per 100,000 peopleSan Luis Obispo County9.7San Diego County: 9.7 per 100,000 peopleSan Diego County9.7Solano County: 9.5 per 100,000 peopleSolano County9.5Los Angeles County: 8.7 per 100,000 peopleLos Angeles County8.7Placer County: 8.2 per 100,000 peoplePlacer County8.2Contra Costa County: 8.2 per 100,000 peopleContra Costa County8.2Orange County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleOrange County7.3Ventura County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleVentura County7.3Santa Clara County: 6.9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Clara County6.9Alameda County: 6.1 per 100,000 peopleAlameda County6.1Mariposa County: 5.8 per 100,000 peopleMariposa County5.8San Mateo County: 4.9 per 100,000 peopleSan Mateo County4.9San Francisco County: 4.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Francisco County4.2Marin County: 2.3 per 100,000 peopleMarin County2.3Alpine County: 0 per 100,000 peopleAlpine County0Sierra County: 0 per 100,000 peopleSierra County0
per 100,000 people. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
per 100,000 people
Change on 2020
1Trinity County80.7+37.2 pts
2Lassen County53.3+19.3 pts
3Siskiyou County45.3+31.7 pts
4Amador County36.4-3.1 pts
5Plumas County35.1+14.8 pts
6Yuba County32.5+16.7 pts
7Imperial County30.7+14.6 pts
8Lake County30.6+4.2 pts
9Calaveras County30.3+10.4 pts
10Butte County26.7+4.3 pts
11Madera County25.2+6 pts
12Kern County24.7+1.9 pts
13Glenn County24.4+7.1 pts
14Nevada County24.2+10.5 pts
15Merced County23.5+7.3 pts
16Modoc County23.1-57.5 pts
17Colusa County22.8-13.8 pts
18Mono County22.6-7.6 pts
19Mendocino County21.9-5.5 pts
20Tuolumne County21.8+9.1 pts
21Del Norte County21.8+7.3 pts
22Stanislaus County21.5+6.4 pts
23Shasta County21.4-0.6 pts
24Tehama County19.9-10.6 pts
25Fresno County19.7+1.7 pts
26San Bernardino County19.3+2.4 pts
27Tulare County19.1+1.6 pts
28San Joaquin County18.1+3 pts
29Kings County16.4-1.3 pts
30Inyo County15.9-47.3 pts
31Sutter County15.1-1 pts
32San Benito County15-3.6 pts
33Yolo County15+3 pts
34Sacramento County14+4 pts
35El Dorado County13.4+3.5 pts
36Riverside County13.3+0.5 pts
37Napa County12.5-2.8 pts
38Santa Barbara County11.7+5.4 pts
39Humboldt County11.1-4.3 pts
40Santa Cruz County10.7+4.1 pts
41Monterey County10.7-0.7 pts
42Sonoma County10.3+3.6 pts
43San Luis Obispo County9.7+1.9 pts
44San Diego County9.7+0.8 pts
45Solano County9.5+0.3 pts
46Los Angeles County8.7+1.1 pts
47Placer County8.2-0.4 pts
48Contra Costa County8.2-0.8 pts
49Orange County7.3+1.2 pts
50Ventura County7.3+0.3 pts
51Santa Clara County6.9+0.8 pts
52Alameda County6.1-0.3 pts
53Mariposa County5.8-0 pts
54San Mateo County4.9-0.2 pts
55San Francisco County4.2+0.5 pts
56Marin County2.3-0.7 pts
57Alpine County0-84.8 pts
57Sierra County0-31 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Traffic fatalities (NHTSA FARS) per 100,000 residents in the same year and place.

Deaths are counted where the crash happened and divided by the resident population, so counties with busy highways and few residents can show very high rates. Differs from the WHO road traffic death rate (road_traffic_death_rate).

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

Invokely calculation from NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents. https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

Invokely calculated this figure from the publishers' data, so Invokely is the author and the publishers of the inputs are named.

APA 7

Invokely. (n.d.). NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents (Counties in California by traffic fatality rate, 2021) [Data set]. Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k

MLA 9

NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents, Counties in California by traffic fatality rate, 2021. Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Invokely. n.d. NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents. Counties in California by traffic fatality rate, 2021. Dataset. Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k.

Harvard

Invokely (no date) NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents, Counties in California by traffic fatality rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA. Available at: https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{invokely_counties_in_california_by_2021,
  author = {{Invokely}},
  title = {{NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents: Counties in California by traffic fatality rate, 2021}},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA. Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/california-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Invokely calculation from NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents. https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology\#traffic\_fatality\_rate\_per\_100k. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Invokely
TI  - NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents: Counties in California by traffic fatality rate, 2021
PB  - Invokely
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/california-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA.
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/california-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Invokely calculation from NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents. https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in California by traffic fatality rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatality rate?

Trinity County, with 80.7 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to NHTSA and BEA.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatality rate?

Sierra County, with 0 per 100,000 people in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Invokely, NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Traffic fatality rate: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings