Counties in California by traffic fatality rate

Trinity County had the highest traffic fatality rate of 58 counties in 2023, at 51 per 100,000 people. Plumas County had the lowest, at 0 per 100,000 people. The median was 14.3 per 100,000 people and the figure for California was 10.6 per 100,000 people. Source: NHTSA and BEA.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Median14.358 counties
California10.6History

Map of counties, 2023

Alameda County: 6 per 100,000 peopleAlpine County: 0 per 100,000 peopleAmador County: 26.3 per 100,000 peopleButte County: 16.9 per 100,000 peopleCalaveras County: 30.1 per 100,000 peopleColusa County: 22.6 per 100,000 peopleContra Costa County: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleDel Norte County: 18.8 per 100,000 peopleEl Dorado County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleFresno County: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleGlenn County: 46.1 per 100,000 peopleHumboldt County: 19.4 per 100,000 peopleImperial County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleInyo County: 37.7 per 100,000 peopleKern County: 20 per 100,000 peopleKings County: 24.8 per 100,000 peopleLake County: 28 per 100,000 peopleLassen County: 24.3 per 100,000 peopleLos Angeles County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleMadera County: 17.1 per 100,000 peopleMarin County: 5.1 per 100,000 peopleMariposa County: 17.7 per 100,000 peopleMendocino County: 24.6 per 100,000 peopleMerced County: 20 per 100,000 peopleModoc County: 23.3 per 100,000 peopleMono County: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleMonterey County: 9 per 100,000 peopleNapa County: 13.5 per 100,000 peopleNevada County: 13.7 per 100,000 peopleOrange County: 7.3 per 100,000 peoplePlacer County: 10.1 per 100,000 peoplePlumas County: 0 per 100,000 peopleRiverside County: 13.4 per 100,000 peopleSacramento County: 13.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Benito County: 10.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Bernardino County: 17.5 per 100,000 peopleSan Diego County: 8.8 per 100,000 peopleSan Francisco County: 4.3 per 100,000 peopleSan Joaquin County: 16.8 per 100,000 peopleSan Luis Obispo County: 7.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Mateo County: 5.2 per 100,000 peopleSanta Barbara County: 9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Clara County: 6.6 per 100,000 peopleSanta Cruz County: 9.5 per 100,000 peopleShasta County: 12.2 per 100,000 peopleSierra County: 31.4 per 100,000 peopleSiskiyou County: 41.9 per 100,000 peopleSolano County: 9.8 per 100,000 peopleSonoma County: 6 per 100,000 peopleStanislaus County: 16.1 per 100,000 peopleSutter County: 23.4 per 100,000 peopleTehama County: 21.6 per 100,000 peopleTrinity County: 51 per 100,000 peopleTulare County: 17.1 per 100,000 peopleTuolumne County: 35.1 per 100,000 peopleVentura County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleYolo County: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleYuba County: 24.5 per 100,000 people
  • Under 7.4
  • 7.4 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 14
  • 14 to 19
  • 19 to 25
  • 25 and over
per 100,000 people, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2023

Trinity County: 51 per 100,000 peopleTrinity County51Glenn County: 46.1 per 100,000 peopleGlenn County46.1Siskiyou County: 41.9 per 100,000 peopleSiskiyou County41.9Inyo County: 37.7 per 100,000 peopleInyo County37.7Tuolumne County: 35.1 per 100,000 peopleTuolumne County35.1Sierra County: 31.4 per 100,000 peopleSierra County31.4Calaveras County: 30.1 per 100,000 peopleCalaveras County30.1Lake County: 28 per 100,000 peopleLake County28Amador County: 26.3 per 100,000 peopleAmador County26.3Kings County: 24.8 per 100,000 peopleKings County24.8Mendocino County: 24.6 per 100,000 peopleMendocino County24.6Yuba County: 24.5 per 100,000 peopleYuba County24.5Lassen County: 24.3 per 100,000 peopleLassen County24.3Sutter County: 23.4 per 100,000 peopleSutter County23.4Modoc County: 23.3 per 100,000 peopleModoc County23.3Colusa County: 22.6 per 100,000 peopleColusa County22.6Tehama County: 21.6 per 100,000 peopleTehama County21.6Merced County: 20 per 100,000 peopleMerced County20Kern County: 20 per 100,000 peopleKern County20Humboldt County: 19.4 per 100,000 peopleHumboldt County19.4Del Norte County: 18.8 per 100,000 peopleDel Norte County18.8Mariposa County: 17.7 per 100,000 peopleMariposa County17.7San Bernardino County: 17.5 per 100,000 peopleSan Bernardino County17.5Madera County: 17.1 per 100,000 peopleMadera County17.1Tulare County: 17.1 per 100,000 peopleTulare County17.1Butte County: 16.9 per 100,000 peopleButte County16.9San Joaquin County: 16.8 per 100,000 peopleSan Joaquin County16.8Stanislaus County: 16.1 per 100,000 peopleStanislaus County16.1Fresno County: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleFresno County14.9Nevada County: 13.7 per 100,000 peopleNevada County13.7Napa County: 13.5 per 100,000 peopleNapa County13.5Riverside County: 13.4 per 100,000 peopleRiverside County13.4Sacramento County: 13.1 per 100,000 peopleSacramento County13.1Shasta County: 12.2 per 100,000 peopleShasta County12.2Yolo County: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleYolo County10.8San Benito County: 10.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Benito County10.2Placer County: 10.1 per 100,000 peoplePlacer County10.1Solano County: 9.8 per 100,000 peopleSolano County9.8Santa Cruz County: 9.5 per 100,000 peopleSanta Cruz County9.5Imperial County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleImperial County9.4El Dorado County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleEl Dorado County9.4Santa Barbara County: 9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Barbara County9Monterey County: 9 per 100,000 peopleMonterey County9San Diego County: 8.8 per 100,000 peopleSan Diego County8.8Ventura County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleVentura County8.6Los Angeles County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleLos Angeles County8.6Contra Costa County: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleContra Costa County8.4Mono County: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleMono County7.6Orange County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleOrange County7.3San Luis Obispo County: 7.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Luis Obispo County7.1Santa Clara County: 6.6 per 100,000 peopleSanta Clara County6.6Alameda County: 6 per 100,000 peopleAlameda County6Sonoma County: 6 per 100,000 peopleSonoma County6San Mateo County: 5.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Mateo County5.2Marin County: 5.1 per 100,000 peopleMarin County5.1San Francisco County: 4.3 per 100,000 peopleSan Francisco County4.3Alpine County: 0 per 100,000 peopleAlpine County0Plumas County: 0 per 100,000 peoplePlumas County0Trinity County: 51 per 100,000 peopleTrinity County51Glenn County: 46.1 per 100,000 peopleGlenn County46.1Siskiyou County: 41.9 per 100,000 peopleSiskiyou County41.9Inyo County: 37.7 per 100,000 peopleInyo County37.7Tuolumne County: 35.1 per 100,000 peopleTuolumne County35.1Sierra County: 31.4 per 100,000 peopleSierra County31.4Calaveras County: 30.1 per 100,000 peopleCalaveras County30.1Lake County: 28 per 100,000 peopleLake County28Amador County: 26.3 per 100,000 peopleAmador County26.3Kings County: 24.8 per 100,000 peopleKings County24.8Mendocino County: 24.6 per 100,000 peopleMendocino County24.6Yuba County: 24.5 per 100,000 peopleYuba County24.5Lassen County: 24.3 per 100,000 peopleLassen County24.3Sutter County: 23.4 per 100,000 peopleSutter County23.4Modoc County: 23.3 per 100,000 peopleModoc County23.3Colusa County: 22.6 per 100,000 peopleColusa County22.6Tehama County: 21.6 per 100,000 peopleTehama County21.6Merced County: 20 per 100,000 peopleMerced County20Kern County: 20 per 100,000 peopleKern County20Humboldt County: 19.4 per 100,000 peopleHumboldt County19.4Del Norte County: 18.8 per 100,000 peopleDel Norte County18.8Mariposa County: 17.7 per 100,000 peopleMariposa County17.7San Bernardino County: 17.5 per 100,000 peopleSan Bernardino County17.5Madera County: 17.1 per 100,000 peopleMadera County17.1Tulare County: 17.1 per 100,000 peopleTulare County17.1Butte County: 16.9 per 100,000 peopleButte County16.9San Joaquin County: 16.8 per 100,000 peopleSan Joaquin County16.8Stanislaus County: 16.1 per 100,000 peopleStanislaus County16.1Fresno County: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleFresno County14.9Nevada County: 13.7 per 100,000 peopleNevada County13.7Napa County: 13.5 per 100,000 peopleNapa County13.5Riverside County: 13.4 per 100,000 peopleRiverside County13.4Sacramento County: 13.1 per 100,000 peopleSacramento County13.1Shasta County: 12.2 per 100,000 peopleShasta County12.2Yolo County: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleYolo County10.8San Benito County: 10.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Benito County10.2Placer County: 10.1 per 100,000 peoplePlacer County10.1Solano County: 9.8 per 100,000 peopleSolano County9.8Santa Cruz County: 9.5 per 100,000 peopleSanta Cruz County9.5Imperial County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleImperial County9.4El Dorado County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleEl Dorado County9.4Santa Barbara County: 9 per 100,000 peopleSanta Barbara County9Monterey County: 9 per 100,000 peopleMonterey County9San Diego County: 8.8 per 100,000 peopleSan Diego County8.8Ventura County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleVentura County8.6Los Angeles County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleLos Angeles County8.6Contra Costa County: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleContra Costa County8.4Mono County: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleMono County7.6Orange County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleOrange County7.3San Luis Obispo County: 7.1 per 100,000 peopleSan Luis Obispo County7.1Santa Clara County: 6.6 per 100,000 peopleSanta Clara County6.6Alameda County: 6 per 100,000 peopleAlameda County6Sonoma County: 6 per 100,000 peopleSonoma County6San Mateo County: 5.2 per 100,000 peopleSan Mateo County5.2Marin County: 5.1 per 100,000 peopleMarin County5.1San Francisco County: 4.3 per 100,000 peopleSan Francisco County4.3Alpine County: 0 per 100,000 peopleAlpine County0Plumas County: 0 per 100,000 peoplePlumas County0
per 100,000 people. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
per 100,000 people
Change on 2022
1Trinity County51+13 pts
2Glenn County46.1+21.4 pts
3Siskiyou County41.9+3.1 pts
4Inyo County37.7-26.3 pts
5Tuolumne County35.1+3.6 pts
6Sierra County31.4-30.8 pts
7Calaveras County30.1-4.3 pts
8Lake County28+1.6 pts
9Amador County26.3+9.4 pts
10Kings County24.8-1.4 pts
11Mendocino County24.6+5.7 pts
12Yuba County24.5+4.3 pts
13Lassen County24.3+1.2 pts
14Sutter County23.4+8.2 pts
15Modoc County23.3-11.4 pts
16Colusa County22.6-32 pts
17Tehama County21.6-7.6 pts
18Merced County20-4.3 pts
19Kern County20-4 pts
20Humboldt County19.4+0.9 pts
21Del Norte County18.8+0.1 pts
22Mariposa County17.7+11.8 pts
23San Bernardino County17.5-3.5 pts
24Madera County17.1-12.8 pts
25Tulare County17.1-0.3 pts
26Butte County16.9+1.4 pts
27San Joaquin County16.8-0.1 pts
28Stanislaus County16.1+0.1 pts
29Fresno County14.9-5.2 pts
30Nevada County13.7-3.9 pts
31Napa County13.5+5.3 pts
32Riverside County13.4-1 pts
33Sacramento County13.1-0.6 pts
34Shasta County12.2-5 pts
35Yolo County10.8-4.5 pts
36San Benito County10.2-22.2 pts
37Placer County10.1+1 pts
38Solano County9.8-6.9 pts
39Santa Cruz County9.5-0.7 pts
40Imperial County9.4-12.8 pts
41El Dorado County9.4-5.1 pts
42Santa Barbara County9+0.3 pts
43Monterey County9-4.1 pts
44San Diego County8.8+0.1 pts
45Ventura County8.6+1.8 pts
46Los Angeles County8.6-0.3 pts
47Contra Costa County8.4+2.5 pts
48Mono County7.6-23.1 pts
49Orange County7.3-0.6 pts
50San Luis Obispo County7.1-5.3 pts
51Santa Clara County6.6+0.6 pts
52Alameda County6-0.7 pts
53Sonoma County6-1.9 pts
54San Mateo County5.2-1.4 pts
55Marin County5.1-1.1 pts
56San Francisco County4.3-0.9 pts
57Alpine County0-171.1 pts
57Plumas County0-25.7 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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, 2023. 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, 2023 [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_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
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=2023.
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  - 
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 California by traffic fatality rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k&level=province&within=California&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 fatality rate?

Trinity County, with 51 per 100,000 people in 2023, according to NHTSA and BEA.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatality rate?

Plumas County, with 0 per 100,000 people in 2023.

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