Counties in Minnesota by traffic fatality rate

Swift County had the highest traffic fatality rate of 87 counties in 2020, at 40.8 per 100,000 people. Waseca County had the lowest, at 0 per 100,000 people. The median was 9.4 per 100,000 people and the figure for Minnesota was 6.9 per 100,000 people. Source: NHTSA and BEA.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest40.8Swift County
Median9.487 counties
Minnesota6.9History

Map of counties, 2020

Aitkin County: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleAnoka County: 4.7 per 100,000 peopleBecker County: 22.7 per 100,000 peopleBeltrami County: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleBenton County: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleBig Stone County: 38.8 per 100,000 peopleBlue Earth County: 5.8 per 100,000 peopleBrown County: 0 per 100,000 peopleCarlton County: 8.3 per 100,000 peopleCarver County: 4.7 per 100,000 peopleCass County: 23.2 per 100,000 peopleChippewa County: 0 per 100,000 peopleChisago County: 10.6 per 100,000 peopleClay County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleClearwater County: 11.7 per 100,000 peopleCook County: 35.7 per 100,000 peopleCottonwood County: 26 per 100,000 peopleCrow Wing County: 9.1 per 100,000 peopleDakota County: 3.9 per 100,000 peopleDodge County: 14.4 per 100,000 peopleDouglas County: 12.8 per 100,000 peopleFaribault County: 28.8 per 100,000 peopleFillmore County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleFreeborn County: 12.9 per 100,000 peopleGoodhue County: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleGrant County: 16.4 per 100,000 peopleHennepin County: 3.6 per 100,000 peopleHouston County: 5.3 per 100,000 peopleHubbard County: 9.4 per 100,000 peopleIsanti County: 19.3 per 100,000 peopleItasca County: 17.8 per 100,000 peopleJackson County: 0 per 100,000 peopleKanabec County: 24.9 per 100,000 peopleKandiyohi County: 6.9 per 100,000 peopleKittson County: 0 per 100,000 peopleKoochiching County: 24.9 per 100,000 peopleLac qui Parle County: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleLake County: 18.3 per 100,000 peopleLake of the Woods County: 0 per 100,000 peopleLe Sueur County: 7 per 100,000 peopleLincoln County: 17.7 per 100,000 peopleLyon County: 3.9 per 100,000 peopleMcLeod County: 8.2 per 100,000 peopleMahnomen County: 0 per 100,000 peopleMarshall County: 22.1 per 100,000 peopleMartin County: 15 per 100,000 peopleMeeker County: 8.5 per 100,000 peopleMille Lacs County: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleMorrison County: 14.7 per 100,000 peopleMower County: 5 per 100,000 peopleMurray County: 0 per 100,000 peopleNicollet County: 14.5 per 100,000 peopleNobles County: 13.5 per 100,000 peopleNorman County: 31.1 per 100,000 peopleOlmsted County: 8 per 100,000 peopleOtter Tail County: 15 per 100,000 peoplePennington County: 14.3 per 100,000 peoplePine County: 13.8 per 100,000 peoplePipestone County: 0 per 100,000 peoplePolk County: 6.4 per 100,000 peoplePope County: 8.8 per 100,000 peopleRamsey County: 3.4 per 100,000 peopleRed Lake County: 0 per 100,000 peopleRedwood County: 6.5 per 100,000 peopleRenville County: 20.4 per 100,000 peopleRice County: 11.9 per 100,000 peopleRock County: 0 per 100,000 peopleRoseau County: 6.5 per 100,000 peopleSt. Louis County: 10 per 100,000 peopleScott County: 4.6 per 100,000 peopleSherburne County: 15.4 per 100,000 peopleSibley County: 6.8 per 100,000 peopleStearns County: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleSteele County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleStevens County: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleSwift County: 40.8 per 100,000 peopleTodd County: 15.8 per 100,000 peopleTraverse County: 0 per 100,000 peopleWabasha County: 23.4 per 100,000 peopleWadena County: 0 per 100,000 peopleWaseca County: 0 per 100,000 peopleWashington County: 2.6 per 100,000 peopleWatonwan County: 26.7 per 100,000 peopleWilkin County: 30.9 per 100,000 peopleWinona County: 4 per 100,000 peopleWright County: 5.6 per 100,000 peopleYellow Medicine County: 31.6 per 100,000 people
  • Under 3.5
  • 3.5 to 6.7
  • 6.7 to 9.4
  • 9.4 to 14
  • 14 to 22
  • 22 and over
per 100,000 people, 2020. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2020

Swift County: 40.8 per 100,000 peopleSwift County40.8Big Stone County: 38.8 per 100,000 peopleBig Stone County38.8Cook County: 35.7 per 100,000 peopleCook County35.7Yellow Medicine County: 31.6 per 100,000 peopleYellow Medicine County31.6Norman County: 31.1 per 100,000 peopleNorman County31.1Wilkin County: 30.9 per 100,000 peopleWilkin County30.9Faribault County: 28.8 per 100,000 peopleFaribault County28.8Watonwan County: 26.7 per 100,000 peopleWatonwan County26.7Cottonwood County: 26 per 100,000 peopleCottonwood County26Koochiching County: 24.9 per 100,000 peopleKoochiching County24.9Kanabec County: 24.9 per 100,000 peopleKanabec County24.9Wabasha County: 23.4 per 100,000 peopleWabasha County23.4Cass County: 23.2 per 100,000 peopleCass County23.2Becker County: 22.7 per 100,000 peopleBecker County22.7Marshall County: 22.1 per 100,000 peopleMarshall County22.1Renville County: 20.4 per 100,000 peopleRenville County20.4Isanti County: 19.3 per 100,000 peopleIsanti County19.3Aitkin County: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleAitkin County19.1Lake County: 18.3 per 100,000 peopleLake County18.3Itasca County: 17.8 per 100,000 peopleItasca County17.8Lincoln County: 17.7 per 100,000 peopleLincoln County17.7Grant County: 16.4 per 100,000 peopleGrant County16.4Todd County: 15.8 per 100,000 peopleTodd County15.8Sherburne County: 15.4 per 100,000 peopleSherburne County15.4Martin County: 15 per 100,000 peopleMartin County15Otter Tail County: 15 per 100,000 peopleOtter Tail County15Lac qui Parle County: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleLac qui Parle County14.9Morrison County: 14.7 per 100,000 peopleMorrison County14.7Nicollet County: 14.5 per 100,000 peopleNicollet County14.5Dodge County: 14.4 per 100,000 peopleDodge County14.4Pennington County: 14.3 per 100,000 peoplePennington County14.3Pine County: 13.8 per 100,000 peoplePine County13.8Nobles County: 13.5 per 100,000 peopleNobles County13.5Freeborn County: 12.9 per 100,000 peopleFreeborn County12.9Douglas County: 12.8 per 100,000 peopleDouglas County12.8Rice County: 11.9 per 100,000 peopleRice County11.9Clearwater County: 11.7 per 100,000 peopleClearwater County11.7Beltrami County: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleBeltrami County10.8Clay County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleClay County10.7Steele County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleSteele County10.7Swift County: 40.8 per 100,000 peopleSwift County40.8Big Stone County: 38.8 per 100,000 peopleBig Stone County38.8Cook County: 35.7 per 100,000 peopleCook County35.7Yellow Medicine County: 31.6 per 100,000 peopleYellow Medicine County31.6Norman County: 31.1 per 100,000 peopleNorman County31.1Wilkin County: 30.9 per 100,000 peopleWilkin County30.9Faribault County: 28.8 per 100,000 peopleFaribault County28.8Watonwan County: 26.7 per 100,000 peopleWatonwan County26.7Cottonwood County: 26 per 100,000 peopleCottonwood County26Koochiching County: 24.9 per 100,000 peopleKoochiching County24.9Kanabec County: 24.9 per 100,000 peopleKanabec County24.9Wabasha County: 23.4 per 100,000 peopleWabasha County23.4Cass County: 23.2 per 100,000 peopleCass County23.2Becker County: 22.7 per 100,000 peopleBecker County22.7Marshall County: 22.1 per 100,000 peopleMarshall County22.1Renville County: 20.4 per 100,000 peopleRenville County20.4Isanti County: 19.3 per 100,000 peopleIsanti County19.3Aitkin County: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleAitkin County19.1Lake County: 18.3 per 100,000 peopleLake County18.3Itasca County: 17.8 per 100,000 peopleItasca County17.8Lincoln County: 17.7 per 100,000 peopleLincoln County17.7Grant County: 16.4 per 100,000 peopleGrant County16.4Todd County: 15.8 per 100,000 peopleTodd County15.8Sherburne County: 15.4 per 100,000 peopleSherburne County15.4Martin County: 15 per 100,000 peopleMartin County15Otter Tail County: 15 per 100,000 peopleOtter Tail County15Lac qui Parle County: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleLac qui Parle County14.9Morrison County: 14.7 per 100,000 peopleMorrison County14.7Nicollet County: 14.5 per 100,000 peopleNicollet County14.5Dodge County: 14.4 per 100,000 peopleDodge County14.4Pennington County: 14.3 per 100,000 peoplePennington County14.3Pine County: 13.8 per 100,000 peoplePine County13.8Nobles County: 13.5 per 100,000 peopleNobles County13.5Freeborn County: 12.9 per 100,000 peopleFreeborn County12.9Douglas County: 12.8 per 100,000 peopleDouglas County12.8Rice County: 11.9 per 100,000 peopleRice County11.9Clearwater County: 11.7 per 100,000 peopleClearwater County11.7Beltrami County: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleBeltrami County10.8Clay County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleClay County10.7Steele County: 10.7 per 100,000 peopleSteele County10.7
per 100,000 people. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
per 100,000 people
Change on 2019
1Swift County40.8+20.6 pts
2Big Stone County38.8+19.4 pts
3Cook County35.7+35.7 pts
4Yellow Medicine County31.6+31.6 pts
5Norman County31.1+15.6 pts
6Wilkin County30.9-15 pts
7Faribault County28.8+0.1 pts
8Watonwan County26.7+26.7 pts
9Cottonwood County26+8.6 pts
10Koochiching County24.9+16.7 pts
11Kanabec County24.9-6.3 pts
12Wabasha County23.4+4.6 pts
13Cass County23.2+13.1 pts
14Becker County22.7+19.9 pts
15Marshall County22.1+0.1 pts
16Renville County20.4-13.3 pts
17Isanti County19.3+2 pts
18Aitkin County19.1-0 pts
19Lake County18.3+18.3 pts
20Itasca County17.8+6.6 pts
21Lincoln County17.7+0.1 pts
22Grant County16.4-0.2 pts
23Todd County15.8+3.9 pts
24Sherburne County15.4+0.8 pts
25Martin County15+15 pts
26Otter Tail County15+10 pts
27Lac qui Parle County14.9-14.6 pts
28Morrison County14.7+3 pts
29Nicollet County14.5+11.6 pts
30Dodge County14.4-0 pts
31Pennington County14.3+7.3 pts
32Pine County13.8-3.4 pts
33Nobles County13.5+4.6 pts
34Freeborn County12.9+3.2 pts
35Douglas County12.8+5 pts
36Rice County11.9+8.9 pts
37Clearwater County11.7-12.1 pts
38Beltrami County10.8-2.2 pts
39Clay County10.7+7.6 pts
40Steele County10.70 pts
41Chisago County10.6-0.1 pts
42Stevens County10.3-20.4 pts
43St. Louis County10+5.5 pts
44Fillmore County9.4-4.8 pts
45Hubbard County9.4-14.2 pts
46Crow Wing County9.1-1.6 pts
47Pope County8.8+8.8 pts
48Meeker County8.5-0.1 pts
49Goodhue County8.4-0 pts
50Carlton County8.3+8.3 pts
51McLeod County8.2+5.4 pts
52Olmsted County8-1.9 pts
53Stearns County7.6+2.5 pts
54Mille Lacs County7.6-7.6 pts
55Benton County7.3+2.4 pts
56Le Sueur County70 pts
57Kandiyohi County6.9+4.6 pts
58Sibley County6.8-20 pts
59Roseau County6.5+6.5 pts
60Redwood County6.5-6.5 pts
61Polk County6.4-9.4 pts
62Blue Earth County5.8-0 pts
63Wright County5.6+2.8 pts
64Houston County5.3-10.6 pts
65Mower County5+2.5 pts
66Anoka County4.7-0.3 pts
67Carver County4.7-1 pts
68Scott County4.6-0.7 pts
69Winona County4-8 pts
70Lyon County3.9-7.8 pts
71Dakota County3.9-0.7 pts
72Hennepin County3.6+0.6 pts
73Ramsey County3.4-0.2 pts
74Washington County2.6-3.4 pts
75Brown County0-11.6 pts
75Chippewa County0-24 pts
75Jackson County0-20 pts
75Kittson County00 pts
75Lake of the Woods County0-26.7 pts
75Mahnomen County0-54.7 pts
75Murray County00 pts
75Pipestone County0-10.6 pts
75Red Lake County00 pts
75Rock County0-41.2 pts
75Traverse County00 pts
75Wadena County0-14.3 pts
75Waseca County0-15.8 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 Minnesota by traffic fatality rate, 2020) [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 Minnesota by traffic fatality rate, 2020. 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 Minnesota by traffic fatality rate, 2020. 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 Minnesota by traffic fatality rate, 2020 [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_minnesota_by_2020,
  author = {{Invokely}},
  title = {{NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents: Counties in Minnesota by traffic fatality rate, 2020}},
  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/minnesota-counties?period=2020. 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 Minnesota by traffic fatality rate, 2020
PB  - Invokely
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/minnesota-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA.
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/minnesota-counties?period=2020.
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 Minnesota by traffic fatality rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k","level":"province","within":"Minnesota","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k&level=province&within=Minnesota&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?

Swift County, with 40.8 per 100,000 people in 2020, according to NHTSA and BEA.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatality rate?

Waseca County, with 0 per 100,000 people in 2020.

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 Minnesota: more rankings