Data / Rankings / Traffic fatality rate / US states

US states by traffic fatality rate

Mississippi had the highest traffic fatality rate of 51 states in 2017, at 23 per 100,000 people. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 4.6 per 100,000 people. The median was 11.8 per 100,000 people and the figure for the United States was 11.5 per 100,000 people. Source: NHTSA and BEA.

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Highest23Mississippi
Lowest4.6District of Columbia
Median11.851 states
United States11.5History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleAlaska: 10.6 per 100,000 peopleArizona: 14.5 per 100,000 peopleArkansas: 17.6 per 100,000 peopleCalifornia: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleColorado: 11.6 per 100,000 peopleConnecticut: 7.8 per 100,000 peopleDelaware: 12.4 per 100,000 peopleDistrict of Columbia: 4.6 per 100,000 peopleFlorida: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleGeorgia: 14.8 per 100,000 peopleHawaii: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleIdaho: 14.1 per 100,000 peopleIllinois: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleIndiana: 13.7 per 100,000 peopleIowa: 10.4 per 100,000 peopleKansas: 15.7 per 100,000 peopleKentucky: 17.5 per 100,000 peopleLouisiana: 16.5 per 100,000 peopleMaine: 12.9 per 100,000 peopleMaryland: 9.1 per 100,000 peopleMassachusetts: 5 per 100,000 peopleMichigan: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleMinnesota: 6.4 per 100,000 peopleMississippi: 23 per 100,000 peopleMissouri: 15.2 per 100,000 peopleMontana: 17.6 per 100,000 peopleNebraska: 11.8 per 100,000 peopleNevada: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleNew Hampshire: 7.5 per 100,000 peopleNew Jersey: 6.8 per 100,000 peopleNew Mexico: 18.1 per 100,000 peopleNew York: 5 per 100,000 peopleNorth Carolina: 13.9 per 100,000 peopleNorth Dakota: 15.1 per 100,000 peopleOhio: 10 per 100,000 peopleOklahoma: 16.8 per 100,000 peopleOregon: 10.6 per 100,000 peoplePennsylvania: 8.8 per 100,000 peopleRhode Island: 7.7 per 100,000 peopleSouth Carolina: 19.9 per 100,000 peopleSouth Dakota: 14.8 per 100,000 peopleTennessee: 15.2 per 100,000 peopleTexas: 13.2 per 100,000 peopleUtah: 8.7 per 100,000 peopleVermont: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleVirginia: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleWashington: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleWest Virginia: 16.7 per 100,000 peopleWisconsin: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleWyoming: 21.3 per 100,000 people
  • Under 7.8
  • 7.8 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 15
  • 15 to 17
  • 17 and over
per 100,000 people, 2017. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2017

Mississippi: 23 per 100,000 peopleMississippi23Wyoming: 21.3 per 100,000 peopleWyoming21.3South Carolina: 19.9 per 100,000 peopleSouth Carolina19.9Alabama: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleAlabama19.1New Mexico: 18.1 per 100,000 peopleNew Mexico18.1Montana: 17.6 per 100,000 peopleMontana17.6Arkansas: 17.6 per 100,000 peopleArkansas17.6Kentucky: 17.5 per 100,000 peopleKentucky17.5Oklahoma: 16.8 per 100,000 peopleOklahoma16.8West Virginia: 16.7 per 100,000 peopleWest Virginia16.7Louisiana: 16.5 per 100,000 peopleLouisiana16.5Kansas: 15.7 per 100,000 peopleKansas15.7Missouri: 15.2 per 100,000 peopleMissouri15.2Tennessee: 15.2 per 100,000 peopleTennessee15.2North Dakota: 15.1 per 100,000 peopleNorth Dakota15.1Florida: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleFlorida14.9South Dakota: 14.8 per 100,000 peopleSouth Dakota14.8Georgia: 14.8 per 100,000 peopleGeorgia14.8Arizona: 14.5 per 100,000 peopleArizona14.5Idaho: 14.1 per 100,000 peopleIdaho14.1North Carolina: 13.9 per 100,000 peopleNorth Carolina13.9Indiana: 13.7 per 100,000 peopleIndiana13.7Texas: 13.2 per 100,000 peopleTexas13.2Maine: 12.9 per 100,000 peopleMaine12.9Delaware: 12.4 per 100,000 peopleDelaware12.4Nebraska: 11.8 per 100,000 peopleNebraska11.8Colorado: 11.6 per 100,000 peopleColorado11.6Vermont: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleVermont10.8Alaska: 10.6 per 100,000 peopleAlaska10.6Oregon: 10.6 per 100,000 peopleOregon10.6Nevada: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleNevada10.5Wisconsin: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleWisconsin10.5Iowa: 10.4 per 100,000 peopleIowa10.4Michigan: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleMichigan10.3Ohio: 10 per 100,000 peopleOhio10Virginia: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleVirginia9.9California: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleCalifornia9.9Maryland: 9.1 per 100,000 peopleMaryland9.1Pennsylvania: 8.8 per 100,000 peoplePennsylvania8.8Utah: 8.7 per 100,000 peopleUtah8.7Illinois: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleIllinois8.4Connecticut: 7.8 per 100,000 peopleConnecticut7.8Rhode Island: 7.7 per 100,000 peopleRhode Island7.7Washington: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleWashington7.6New Hampshire: 7.5 per 100,000 peopleNew Hampshire7.5Hawaii: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleHawaii7.3New Jersey: 6.8 per 100,000 peopleNew Jersey6.8Minnesota: 6.4 per 100,000 peopleMinnesota6.4Massachusetts: 5 per 100,000 peopleMassachusetts5New York: 5 per 100,000 peopleNew York5District of Columbia: 4.6 per 100,000 peopleDistrict of Columbia4.6Mississippi: 23 per 100,000 peopleMississippi23Wyoming: 21.3 per 100,000 peopleWyoming21.3South Carolina: 19.9 per 100,000 peopleSouth Carolina19.9Alabama: 19.1 per 100,000 peopleAlabama19.1New Mexico: 18.1 per 100,000 peopleNew Mexico18.1Montana: 17.6 per 100,000 peopleMontana17.6Arkansas: 17.6 per 100,000 peopleArkansas17.6Kentucky: 17.5 per 100,000 peopleKentucky17.5Oklahoma: 16.8 per 100,000 peopleOklahoma16.8West Virginia: 16.7 per 100,000 peopleWest Virginia16.7Louisiana: 16.5 per 100,000 peopleLouisiana16.5Kansas: 15.7 per 100,000 peopleKansas15.7Missouri: 15.2 per 100,000 peopleMissouri15.2Tennessee: 15.2 per 100,000 peopleTennessee15.2North Dakota: 15.1 per 100,000 peopleNorth Dakota15.1Florida: 14.9 per 100,000 peopleFlorida14.9South Dakota: 14.8 per 100,000 peopleSouth Dakota14.8Georgia: 14.8 per 100,000 peopleGeorgia14.8Arizona: 14.5 per 100,000 peopleArizona14.5Idaho: 14.1 per 100,000 peopleIdaho14.1North Carolina: 13.9 per 100,000 peopleNorth Carolina13.9Indiana: 13.7 per 100,000 peopleIndiana13.7Texas: 13.2 per 100,000 peopleTexas13.2Maine: 12.9 per 100,000 peopleMaine12.9Delaware: 12.4 per 100,000 peopleDelaware12.4Nebraska: 11.8 per 100,000 peopleNebraska11.8Colorado: 11.6 per 100,000 peopleColorado11.6Vermont: 10.8 per 100,000 peopleVermont10.8Alaska: 10.6 per 100,000 peopleAlaska10.6Oregon: 10.6 per 100,000 peopleOregon10.6Nevada: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleNevada10.5Wisconsin: 10.5 per 100,000 peopleWisconsin10.5Iowa: 10.4 per 100,000 peopleIowa10.4Michigan: 10.3 per 100,000 peopleMichigan10.3Ohio: 10 per 100,000 peopleOhio10Virginia: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleVirginia9.9California: 9.9 per 100,000 peopleCalifornia9.9Maryland: 9.1 per 100,000 peopleMaryland9.1Pennsylvania: 8.8 per 100,000 peoplePennsylvania8.8Utah: 8.7 per 100,000 peopleUtah8.7Illinois: 8.4 per 100,000 peopleIllinois8.4Connecticut: 7.8 per 100,000 peopleConnecticut7.8Rhode Island: 7.7 per 100,000 peopleRhode Island7.7Washington: 7.6 per 100,000 peopleWashington7.6New Hampshire: 7.5 per 100,000 peopleNew Hampshire7.5Hawaii: 7.3 per 100,000 peopleHawaii7.3New Jersey: 6.8 per 100,000 peopleNew Jersey6.8Minnesota: 6.4 per 100,000 peopleMinnesota6.4Massachusetts: 5 per 100,000 peopleMassachusetts5New York: 5 per 100,000 peopleNew York5District of Columbia: 4.6 per 100,000 peopleDistrict of Columbia4.6
per 100,000 people. Source: Invokely calculation with data from NHTSA, BEA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2017
per 100,000 people		Change on 2016
1Mississippi23-0.1 pts
2Wyoming21.3+2.1 pts
3South Carolina19.9-0.9 pts
4Alabama19.1-2.8 pts
5New Mexico18.1-1.2 pts
6Montana17.6-0.6 pts
7Arkansas17.6-1.3 pts
8Kentucky17.5-1.2 pts
9Oklahoma16.8-0.8 pts
10West Virginia16.7+2 pts
11Louisiana16.5+0.3 pts
12Kansas15.7+1.1 pts
13Missouri15.2-0.3 pts
14Tennessee15.2-0.3 pts
15North Dakota15.1+0.4 pts
16Florida14.9-0.5 pts
17South Dakota14.8+1.3 pts
18Georgia14.8-0.3 pts
19Arizona14.5+0.5 pts
20Idaho14.1-0.8 pts
21North Carolina13.9-0.5 pts
22Indiana13.7+1.3 pts
23Texas13.2-0.4 pts
24Maine12.9+0.9 pts
25Delaware12.4-0.1 pts
26Nebraska11.8+0.4 pts
27Colorado11.6+0.6 pts
28Vermont10.8+1.1 pts
29Alaska10.6-0.7 pts
30Oregon10.6-1.6 pts
31Nevada10.5-0.8 pts
32Wisconsin10.5+0.1 pts
33Iowa10.4-2.3 pts
34Michigan10.3-0.4 pts
35Ohio10+0.4 pts
36Virginia9.9+0.9 pts
37California9.9+0.1 pts
38Maryland9.1+0.5 pts
39Pennsylvania8.8-0.4 pts
40Utah8.7-0.4 pts
41Illinois8.4+0.1 pts
42Connecticut7.8-0.6 pts
43Rhode Island7.7+3 pts
44Washington7.6+0.2 pts
45New Hampshire7.5-2.6 pts
46Hawaii7.3-0.9 pts
47New Jersey6.8+0.2 pts
48Minnesota6.4-0.7 pts
49Massachusetts5-0.6 pts
50New York5-0.2 pts
51District of Columbia4.6+0.5 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 states 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 (US states by traffic fatality rate, 2017) [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, US states by traffic fatality rate, 2017. 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. US states by traffic fatality rate, 2017. 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, US states by traffic fatality rate, 2017 [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_us_states_by_traffic_2017,
  author = {{Invokely}},
  title = {{NHTSA FARS traffic fatalities divided by BEA mid-year population (SAINC1 and CAINC1), per 100,000 residents: US states by traffic fatality rate, 2017}},
  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/us-states?period=2017. 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: US states by traffic fatality rate, 2017
PB  - Invokely
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#traffic_fatality_rate_per_100k
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Calculated from data by NHTSA and BEA.
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatality-rate/us-states?period=2017.
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 state has the highest traffic fatality rate?

Mississippi, with 23 per 100,000 people in 2017, according to NHTSA and BEA.

Which state has the lowest traffic fatality rate?

District of Columbia, with 4.6 per 100,000 people in 2017.

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

US states: more rankings