Counties in South Dakota by traffic fatality rate

Jones County had the highest traffic fatality rate of 66 counties in 2021, at 342.5 per 100,000 people. Ziebach County had the lowest, at 0 per 100,000 people. The median was 17.2 per 100,000 people and the figure for South Dakota was 16.5 per 100,000 people. Source: NHTSA and BEA.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest342.5Jones County
Median17.266 counties
South Dakota16.5History

Map of counties, 2021

Aurora County: 73 per 100,000 peopleBeadle County: 20.9 per 100,000 peopleBennett County: 88.4 per 100,000 peopleBon Homme County: 28.6 per 100,000 peopleBrookings County: 2.9 per 100,000 peopleBrown County: 7.9 per 100,000 peopleBrule County: 19 per 100,000 peopleBuffalo County: 211.2 per 100,000 peopleButte County: 47.4 per 100,000 peopleCampbell County: 0 per 100,000 peopleCharles Mix County: 54.4 per 100,000 peopleClark County: 25.8 per 100,000 peopleClay County: 13.2 per 100,000 peopleCodington County: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleCorson County: 52.1 per 100,000 peopleCuster County: 57.8 per 100,000 peopleDavison County: 0 per 100,000 peopleDay County: 18.5 per 100,000 peopleDeuel County: 0 per 100,000 peopleDewey County: 19.2 per 100,000 peopleDouglas County: 0 per 100,000 peopleEdmunds County: 0 per 100,000 peopleFall River County: 27.7 per 100,000 peopleFaulk County: 47.2 per 100,000 peopleGrant County: 53 per 100,000 peopleGregory County: 0 per 100,000 peopleHaakon County: 108.9 per 100,000 peopleHamlin County: 16 per 100,000 peopleHand County: 0 per 100,000 peopleHanson County: 0 per 100,000 peopleHarding County: 0 per 100,000 peopleHughes County: 5.6 per 100,000 peopleHutchinson County: 40.7 per 100,000 peopleHyde County: 0 per 100,000 peopleJackson County: 174.4 per 100,000 peopleJerauld County: 0 per 100,000 peopleJones County: 342.5 per 100,000 peopleKingsbury County: 0 per 100,000 peopleLake County: 18.4 per 100,000 peopleLawrence County: 30.6 per 100,000 peopleLincoln County: 1.5 per 100,000 peopleLyman County: 0 per 100,000 peopleMcCook County: 69.9 per 100,000 peopleMcPherson County: 41.3 per 100,000 peopleMarshall County: 0 per 100,000 peopleMeade County: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleMellette County: 0 per 100,000 peopleMiner County: 43.3 per 100,000 peopleMinnehaha County: 5.5 per 100,000 peopleMoody County: 15.9 per 100,000 peopleOglala Lakota County: 51.6 per 100,000 peoplePennington County: 23.2 per 100,000 peoplePerkins County: 35.3 per 100,000 peoplePotter County: 0 per 100,000 peopleRoberts County: 9.8 per 100,000 peopleSanborn County: 0 per 100,000 peopleSpink County: 16 per 100,000 peopleStanley County: 0 per 100,000 peopleSully County: 135.9 per 100,000 peopleTodd County: 0 per 100,000 peopleTripp County: 35.9 per 100,000 peopleTurner County: 23 per 100,000 peopleUnion County: 23.7 per 100,000 peopleWalworth County: 19 per 100,000 peopleYankton County: 8.6 per 100,000 peopleZiebach County: 0 per 100,000 people
  • Under 5
  • 5 to 17
  • 17 to 28
  • 28 to 52
  • 52 and over
per 100,000 people, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Jones County: 342.5 per 100,000 peopleJones County342.5Buffalo County: 211.2 per 100,000 peopleBuffalo County211.2Jackson County: 174.4 per 100,000 peopleJackson County174.4Sully County: 135.9 per 100,000 peopleSully County135.9Haakon County: 108.9 per 100,000 peopleHaakon County108.9Bennett County: 88.4 per 100,000 peopleBennett County88.4Aurora County: 73 per 100,000 peopleAurora County73McCook County: 69.9 per 100,000 peopleMcCook County69.9Custer County: 57.8 per 100,000 peopleCuster County57.8Charles Mix County: 54.4 per 100,000 peopleCharles Mix County54.4Grant County: 53 per 100,000 peopleGrant County53Corson County: 52.1 per 100,000 peopleCorson County52.1Oglala Lakota County: 51.6 per 100,000 peopleOglala Lakota County51.6Butte County: 47.4 per 100,000 peopleButte County47.4Faulk County: 47.2 per 100,000 peopleFaulk County47.2Miner County: 43.3 per 100,000 peopleMiner County43.3McPherson County: 41.3 per 100,000 peopleMcPherson County41.3Hutchinson County: 40.7 per 100,000 peopleHutchinson County40.7Tripp County: 35.9 per 100,000 peopleTripp County35.9Perkins County: 35.3 per 100,000 peoplePerkins County35.3Lawrence County: 30.6 per 100,000 peopleLawrence County30.6Bon Homme County: 28.6 per 100,000 peopleBon Homme County28.6Fall River County: 27.7 per 100,000 peopleFall River County27.7Clark County: 25.8 per 100,000 peopleClark County25.8Union County: 23.7 per 100,000 peopleUnion County23.7Pennington County: 23.2 per 100,000 peoplePennington County23.2Turner County: 23 per 100,000 peopleTurner County23Beadle County: 20.9 per 100,000 peopleBeadle County20.9Dewey County: 19.2 per 100,000 peopleDewey County19.2Brule County: 19 per 100,000 peopleBrule County19Walworth County: 19 per 100,000 peopleWalworth County19Day County: 18.5 per 100,000 peopleDay County18.5Lake County: 18.4 per 100,000 peopleLake County18.4Hamlin County: 16 per 100,000 peopleHamlin County16Spink County: 16 per 100,000 peopleSpink County16Moody County: 15.9 per 100,000 peopleMoody County15.9Clay County: 13.2 per 100,000 peopleClay County13.2Codington County: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleCodington County10.5Meade County: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleMeade County9.9Roberts County: 9.8 per 100,000 peopleRoberts County9.8Jones County: 342.5 per 100,000 peopleJones County342.5Buffalo County: 211.2 per 100,000 peopleBuffalo County211.2Jackson County: 174.4 per 100,000 peopleJackson County174.4Sully County: 135.9 per 100,000 peopleSully County135.9Haakon County: 108.9 per 100,000 peopleHaakon County108.9Bennett County: 88.4 per 100,000 peopleBennett County88.4Aurora County: 73 per 100,000 peopleAurora County73McCook County: 69.9 per 100,000 peopleMcCook County69.9Custer County: 57.8 per 100,000 peopleCuster County57.8Charles Mix County: 54.4 per 100,000 peopleCharles Mix County54.4Grant County: 53 per 100,000 peopleGrant County53Corson County: 52.1 per 100,000 peopleCorson County52.1Oglala Lakota County: 51.6 per 100,000 peopleOglala Lakota County51.6Butte County: 47.4 per 100,000 peopleButte County47.4Faulk County: 47.2 per 100,000 peopleFaulk County47.2Miner County: 43.3 per 100,000 peopleMiner County43.3McPherson County: 41.3 per 100,000 peopleMcPherson County41.3Hutchinson County: 40.7 per 100,000 peopleHutchinson County40.7Tripp County: 35.9 per 100,000 peopleTripp County35.9Perkins County: 35.3 per 100,000 peoplePerkins County35.3Lawrence County: 30.6 per 100,000 peopleLawrence County30.6Bon Homme County: 28.6 per 100,000 peopleBon Homme County28.6Fall River County: 27.7 per 100,000 peopleFall River County27.7Clark County: 25.8 per 100,000 peopleClark County25.8Union County: 23.7 per 100,000 peopleUnion County23.7Pennington County: 23.2 per 100,000 peoplePennington County23.2Turner County: 23 per 100,000 peopleTurner County23Beadle County: 20.9 per 100,000 peopleBeadle County20.9Dewey County: 19.2 per 100,000 peopleDewey County19.2Brule County: 19 per 100,000 peopleBrule County19Walworth County: 19 per 100,000 peopleWalworth County19Day County: 18.5 per 100,000 peopleDay County18.5Lake County: 18.4 per 100,000 peopleLake County18.4Hamlin County: 16 per 100,000 peopleHamlin County16Spink County: 16 per 100,000 peopleSpink County16Moody County: 15.9 per 100,000 peopleMoody County15.9Clay County: 13.2 per 100,000 peopleClay County13.2Codington County: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleCodington County10.5Meade County: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleMeade County9.9Roberts County: 9.8 per 100,000 peopleRoberts County9.8
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
1Jones County342.5+125.8 pts
2Buffalo County211.2+159.6 pts
3Jackson County174.4+174.4 pts
4Sully County135.9+135.9 pts
5Haakon County108.9+55.3 pts
6Bennett County88.4+58.9 pts
7Aurora County73+36.5 pts
8McCook County69.9+69.9 pts
9Custer County57.8+9.9 pts
10Charles Mix County54.4+54.4 pts
11Grant County53+26.4 pts
12Corson County52.1+0.6 pts
13Oglala Lakota County51.6+22.3 pts
14Butte County47.4+28 pts
15Faulk County47.2+47.2 pts
16Miner County43.3+43.3 pts
17McPherson County41.3+41.3 pts
18Hutchinson County40.7+0.3 pts
19Tripp County35.9+0.2 pts
20Perkins County35.3+35.3 pts
21Lawrence County30.6-15.9 pts
22Bon Homme County28.6-14.5 pts
23Fall River County27.7-29.7 pts
24Clark County25.8-0.1 pts
25Union County23.7+11.8 pts
26Pennington County23.2+13.2 pts
27Turner County23-46.1 pts
28Beadle County20.9+20.9 pts
29Dewey County19.2-19.1 pts
30Brule County19-19.1 pts
31Walworth County19-18.8 pts
32Day County18.5-18.3 pts
33Lake County18.4+18.4 pts
34Hamlin County16-0.3 pts
35Spink County16+0.2 pts
36Moody County15.9-15.7 pts
37Clay County13.2+6.5 pts
38Codington County10.5-7.1 pts
39Meade County9.9-3.5 pts
40Roberts County9.8-9.7 pts
41Yankton County8.6-0 pts
42Brown County7.9-2.6 pts
43Hughes County5.6-5.6 pts
44Minnehaha County5.5-6.1 pts
45Brookings County2.9-2.9 pts
46Lincoln County1.5-7.7 pts
47Campbell County00 pts
47Davison County0-5 pts
47Deuel County0-46.5 pts
47Douglas County0-70.6 pts
47Edmunds County0-25 pts
47Gregory County0-25 pts
47Hand County0-31.8 pts
47Hanson County00 pts
47Harding County0-76.5 pts
47Hyde County0-79.9 pts
47Jerauld County00 pts
47Kingsbury County00 pts
47Lyman County00 pts
47Marshall County0-23.3 pts
47Mellette County0-52 pts
47Potter County0-80.8 pts
47Sanborn County00 pts
47Stanley County00 pts
47Todd County00 pts
47Ziebach County00 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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_south_dakota_2021,
  author = {{Invokely}},
  title = {{NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents: Counties in South Dakota 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/south-dakota-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 South Dakota 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/south-dakota-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/south-dakota-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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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatality rate?

Jones County, with 342.5 per 100,000 people in 2021, according to NHTSA and BEA.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatality rate?

Ziebach 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 South Dakota: more rankings