Fatality Facts 2020State by state

Overview

The number and types of motor vehicle crash deaths differ widely among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A state's population has an obvious effect on the number of motor vehicle deaths. Fatality rates per capita and per vehicle miles traveled provide a way of examining motor vehicle deaths relative to the population and amount of driving. However, many factors can affect these rates, including types of vehicles driven, travel speeds, rates of licensure, state traffic laws, emergency care capabilities, weather and topography.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

Posted May 2022.

Fatal crash totals

There were 35,766 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2020 in which 38,824 deaths occurred. This resulted in 11.7 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.34 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The fatality rate per 100,000 people ranged from 4.9 in Massachusetts to 25.4 in Mississippi. The death rate per 100 million miles traveled ranged from 0.63 in Massachusetts to 1.97 in South Carolina. Federal Highway Administration. (2021). Highway statistics, 2020. U.S. Department of Transportation.

Population, fatal motor vehicle crashes, motor vehicle crash deaths and motor vehicle crash death rates per state, 2020
State Population Vehicle miles traveled (millions) Fatal crashes Deaths Deaths per 100,000 population Deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled
Alabama 5,024,803 67,921 852 934 18.6 1.38
Alaska 732,441 5,306 53 64 8.7 1.21
Arizona 7,177,986 65,758 967 1,054 14.7 1.60
Arkansas 3,012,232 33,919 585 638 21.2 1.88
California 39,499,738 299,812 3,558 3,847 9.7 1.28
Colorado 5,784,308 48,642 574 622 10.8 1.28
Connecticut 3,600,260 29,845 279 295 8.2 0.99
Delaware 991,886 8,345 104 116 11.7 1.39
District of Columbia 690,093 3,030 34 36 5.2 1.19
Florida 21,569,932 208,076 3,098 3,331 15.4 1.60
Georgia 10,725,800 115,967 1,522 1,664 15.5 1.43
Hawaii 1,451,911 8,785 81 85 5.9 0.97
Idaho 1,847,772 17,406 188 214 11.6 1.23
Illinois 12,785,245 94,121 1,087 1,194 9.3 1.27
Indiana 6,785,644 76,608 815 897 13.2 1.17
Iowa 3,188,669 29,751 304 337 10.6 1.13
Kansas 2,935,880 27,854 382 426 14.5 1.53
Kentucky 4,503,958 46,536 709 780 17.3 1.68
Louisiana 4,651,203 48,374 762 828 17.8 1.71
Maine 1,362,280 13,086 151 164 12.0 1.25
Maryland 6,172,679 50,885 540 567 9.2 1.11
Massachusetts 7,022,220 54,127 327 343 4.9 0.63
Michigan 10,067,664 86,547 1,011 1,084 10.8 1.25
Minnesota 5,707,165 51,619 369 394 6.9 0.76
Mississippi 2,956,870 39,665 687 752 25.4 1.90
Missouri 6,154,481 72,797 914 987 16.0 1.36
Montana 1,086,193 12,104 190 213 19.6 1.76
Nebraska 1,961,455 19,432 217 233 11.9 1.20
Nevada 3,114,071 25,231 293 317 10.2 1.26
New Hampshire 1,377,848 11,956 98 104 7.5 0.87
New Jersey 9,279,743 66,341 547 584 6.3 0.88
New Mexico 2,117,566 23,756 365 398 18.8 1.68
New York 20,154,933 102,477 963 1,046 5.2 1.02
North Carolina 10,457,177 106,342 1,412 1,538 14.7 1.45
North Dakota 778,962 8,768 96 100 12.8 1.14
Ohio 11,790,587 103,115 1,154 1,230 10.4 1.19
Oklahoma 3,962,031 42,000 599 652 16.5 1.55
Oregon 4,241,544 32,298 461 508 12.0 1.57
Pennsylvania 12,989,625 87,982 1,060 1,129 8.7 1.28
Rhode Island 1,096,229 6,864 66 67 6.1 0.98
South Carolina 5,130,729 53,972 962 1,064 20.7 1.97
South Dakota 887,099 9,743 132 141 15.9 1.45
Tennessee 6,920,119 76,392 1,119 1,217 17.6 1.59
Texas 29,217,653 260,582 3,520 3,874 13.3 1.49
Utah 3,281,684 30,251 256 276 8.4 0.91
Vermont 642,495 6,007 58 62 9.6 1.03
Virginia 8,632,044 76,110 796 850 9.8 1.12
Washington 7,718,785 53,658 525 560 7.3 1.04
West Virginia 1,789,798 16,054 249 267 14.9 1.66
Wisconsin 5,892,323 57,600 561 614 10.4 1.07
Wyoming 577,267 9,800 114 127 22.0 1.30
U.S. total 331,501,080 2,903,617 35,766 38,824 11.7 1.34

Deaths by road user

In 2020, the types of motor vehicle crash deaths varied across states. For example, Wyoming had the highest percentage of deaths involving SUV and pickup occupants (48 percent) and the lowest percentage of deaths involving car occupants (21 percent). In contrast, Vermont had the highest percentage of deaths involving car occupants (44 percent) and a relatively low percentage of deaths involving SUV and pickup occupants (16 percent). Hawaii reported relatively low proportions of fatalities for both cars (28 percent) and SUVs and pickups (20 percent), but a relatively high percentage of pedestrian deaths (25 percent). Florida and Hawaii tied for the highest percentage of crash deaths involving bicyclists (5 percent), and New Jersey had the highest percentage involving pedestrians (30 percent).

Motor vehicle crash deaths by road user type and state, 2020
State Car occupants Pickup and SUV occupants Large truck occupants Motorcyclists Pedestrians Bicyclists Total*
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Alabama 393 42 311 33 25 3 78 8 101 11 10 1 934 100
Alaska 14 22 25 39 2 3 4 6 13 20 2 3 64 100
Arizona 307 29 194 18 15 1 161 15 222 21 33 3 1,054 100
Arkansas 194 30 233 37 18 3 80 13 81 13 6 1 638 100
California 1,378 36 674 18 25 1 539 14 986 26 129 3 3,847 100
Colorado 165 27 187 30 17 3 140 23 87 14 15 2 622 100
Connecticut 113 38 54 18 3 1 58 20 56 19 5 2 295 100
Delaware 40 34 33 28 0 0 15 13 25 22 3 3 116 100
District of Columbia 13 36 4 11 0 0 7 19 10 28 1 3 36 100
Florida 1,049 31 691 21 30 1 600 18 696 21 167 5 3,331 100
Georgia 581 35 483 29 29 2 192 12 279 17 32 2 1,664 100
Hawaii 24 28 17 20 1 1 18 21 21 25 4 5 85 100
Idaho 85 40 71 33 6 3 27 13 14 7 3 1 214 100
Illinois 479 40 297 25 20 2 153 13 176 15 30 3 1,194 100
Indiana 348 39 236 26 19 2 151 17 93 10 20 2 897 100
Iowa 117 35 85 25 13 4 64 19 27 8 10 3 337 100
Kansas 138 32 139 33 12 3 65 15 46 11 4 1 426 100
Kentucky 322 41 218 28 17 2 92 12 91 12 5 1 780 100
Louisiana 263 32 267 32 10 1 78 9 144 17 34 4 828 100
Maine 55 34 61 37 3 2 29 18 9 5 2 1 164 100
Maryland 219 39 102 18 5 1 85 15 130 23 14 2 567 100
Massachusetts 139 41 73 21 2 1 52 15 52 15 10 3 343 100
Michigan 342 32 320 30 7 1 170 16 171 16 38 4 1,084 100
Minnesota 130 33 115 29 8 2 66 17 45 11 10 3 394 100
Mississippi 299 40 231 31 8 1 62 8 106 14 9 1 752 100
Missouri 395 40 283 29 17 2 123 12 128 13 8 1 987 100
Montana 76 36 77 36 6 3 29 14 17 8 0 0 213 100
Nebraska 84 36 79 34 8 3 34 15 18 8 1 0 233 100
Nevada 88 28 68 21 7 2 58 18 79 25 11 3 317 100
New Hampshire 39 38 20 19 1 1 25 24 16 15 2 2 104 100
New Jersey 201 34 95 16 6 1 78 13 173 30 18 3 584 100
New Mexico 103 26 137 34 10 3 46 12 79 20 8 2 398 100
New York 332 32 168 16 16 2 200 19 231 22 47 4 1,046 100
North Carolina 648 42 387 25 18 1 192 12 228 15 26 2 1,538 100
North Dakota 22 22 40 40 1 1 17 17 8 8 1 1 100 100
Ohio 466 38 326 27 15 1 211 17 159 13 18 1 1,230 100
Oklahoma 198 30 254 39 8 1 63 10 85 13 12 2 652 100
Oregon 167 33 128 25 6 1 68 13 71 14 14 3 508 100
Pennsylvania 429 38 236 21 19 2 219 19 143 13 20 2 1,129 100
Rhode Island 29 43 5 7 1 1 13 19 17 25 2 3 67 100
South Carolina 406 38 281 26 16 2 137 13 187 18 14 1 1,064 100
South Dakota 33 23 58 41 2 1 27 19 14 10 0 0 141 100
Tennessee 469 39 343 28 28 2 151 12 172 14 13 1 1,217 100
Texas 1,209 31 1,232 32 80 2 483 12 687 18 79 2 3,874 100
Utah 99 36 76 28 3 1 44 16 33 12 8 3 276 100
Vermont 27 44 10 16 1 2 10 16 8 13 1 2 62 100
Virginia 324 38 253 30 24 3 101 12 111 13 7 1 850 100
Washington 202 36 131 23 1 0 91 16 97 17 11 2 560 100
West Virginia 77 29 100 37 8 3 38 14 18 7 2 1 267 100
Wisconsin 221 36 178 29 4 1 116 19 50 8 12 2 614 100
Wyoming 27 21 61 48 7 6 19 15 6 5 1 1 127 100
U.S. total 13,578 35 10,147 26 608 2 5,579 14 6,516 17 932 2 38,824 100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Crash types

Nationwide, 55 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2020 occurred in single-vehicle crashes. Montana and Rhode Island tied for the highest percentage of deaths in single-vehicle crashes (70 percent), while Delaware had the highest percentage of deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes (53 percent).

Deaths by crash type and state, 2020
State Single-vehicle Multiple-vehicle All crashes
Number % Number % Number %
Alabama 489 52 445 48 934 100
Alaska 33 52 31 48 64 100
Arizona 578 55 476 45 1,054 100
Arkansas 366 57 272 43 638 100
California 2,260 59 1,587 41 3,847 100
Colorado 355 57 267 43 622 100
Connecticut 169 57 126 43 295 100
Delaware 54 47 62 53 116 100
District of Columbia 18 50 18 50 36 100
Florida 1,714 51 1,617 49 3,331 100
Georgia 854 51 810 49 1,664 100
Hawaii 52 61 33 39 85 100
Idaho 111 52 103 48 214 100
Illinois 631 53 563 47 1,194 100
Indiana 455 51 442 49 897 100
Iowa 166 49 171 51 337 100
Kansas 215 50 211 50 426 100
Kentucky 436 56 344 44 780 100
Louisiana 480 58 348 42 828 100
Maine 109 66 55 34 164 100
Maryland 310 55 257 45 567 100
Massachusetts 193 56 150 44 343 100
Michigan 558 51 526 49 1,084 100
Minnesota 225 57 169 43 394 100
Mississippi 455 61 297 39 752 100
Missouri 560 57 427 43 987 100
Montana 149 70 64 30 213 100
Nebraska 116 50 117 50 233 100
Nevada 181 57 136 43 317 100
New Hampshire 61 59 43 41 104 100
New Jersey 341 58 243 42 584 100
New Mexico 237 60 161 40 398 100
New York 588 56 458 44 1,046 100
North Carolina 818 53 720 47 1,538 100
North Dakota 61 61 39 39 100 100
Ohio 655 53 575 47 1,230 100
Oklahoma 342 52 310 48 652 100
Oregon 292 57 216 43 508 100
Pennsylvania 623 55 506 45 1,129 100
Rhode Island 47 70 20 30 67 100
South Carolina 592 56 472 44 1,064 100
South Dakota 77 55 64 45 141 100
Tennessee 622 51 595 49 1,217 100
Texas 2,017 52 1,857 48 3,874 100
Utah 148 54 128 46 276 100
Vermont 41 66 21 34 62 100
Virginia 472 56 378 44 850 100
Washington 310 55 250 45 560 100
West Virginia 146 55 121 45 267 100
Wisconsin 341 56 273 44 614 100
Wyoming 76 60 51 40 127 100
U.S. total 21,199 55 17,625 45 38,824 100

Alcohol involvement

Some states report blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for only a small percentage of passenger vehicle drivers. If BAC is missing for a driver, it is estimated by the U.S. Department of Transportation's multiple imputation model. Subramanian, R. (2002). Transitioning to multiple imputation — A new method to impute missing blood alcohol concentration (BAC) values in FARS (Report no. DOT HS-809-403). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.However, BAC information is most precise in states that report a high percentage of crashes where BAC information is reported. In the following table, estimated percentages of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent are shown only for states in which BAC reporting for fatally injured drivers was 70 percent or higher. Estimated percentages are based on known BAC when available and imputed BAC for the remaining drivers.

For the nation in 2020, BAC was reported for 58 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers. Reporting rates varied substantially, from a high of 97 percent (Hawaii) to a low of 9 percent (Mississippi). Twenty-nine states had BAC reporting rates of at least 70 percent. Among these states, Rhode Island had the highest estimated percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs of 0.08 percent or higher (50 percent), while Utah had the lowest (18 percent).

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BAC ≥ 0.08 percent by state, 2020
State Total drivers killed Drivers killed with known BAC results Estimated drivers killed with BACs ≥ 0.08
Number Number % Number %
Alabama 546 274 50 ‡ ‡
Alaska 26 25 96 5 19
Arizona 374 135 36 ‡ ‡
Arkansas 337 250 74 89 27
California 1,550 880 57 ‡ ‡
Colorado 254 222 87 84 33
Connecticut 131 86 66 ‡ ‡
Delaware 61 49 80 17 28
District of Columbia 12 11 92 3 28
Florida 1,301 747 57 ‡ ‡
Georgia 807 349 43 ‡ ‡
Hawaii 30 29 97 9 30
Idaho 121 82 68 ‡ ‡
Illinois 586 283 48 ‡ ‡
Indiana 441 178 40 ‡ ‡
Iowa 158 89 56 ‡ ‡
Kansas 221 67 30 ‡ ‡
Kentucky 417 317 76 104 25
Louisiana 425 338 80 127 30
Maine 97 80 82 41 42
Maryland 260 209 80 99 38
Massachusetts 181 151 83 58 32
Michigan 498 174 35 ‡ ‡
Minnesota 192 144 75 48 25
Mississippi 405 35 9 ‡ ‡
Missouri 535 359 67 ‡ ‡
Montana 114 90 79 55 48
Nebraska 134 103 77 50 37
Nevada 121 91 75 34 28
New Hampshire 47 37 79 19 40
New Jersey 217 180 83 59 27
New Mexico 185 143 77 69 37
New York 368 215 58 ‡ ‡
North Carolina 821 195 24 ‡ ‡
North Dakota 52 42 81 21 41
Ohio 612 515 84 201 33
Oklahoma 341 310 91 100 29
Oregon 229 64 28 ‡ ‡
Pennsylvania 535 326 61 ‡ ‡
Rhode Island 29 23 79 14 50
South Carolina 547 413 76 182 33
South Dakota 75 65 87 25 33
Tennessee 626 320 51 ‡ ‡
Texas 1,841 842 46 ‡ ‡
Utah 129 108 84 24 18
Vermont 29 23 79 8 29
Virginia 476 404 85 168 35
Washington 259 207 80 92 36
West Virginia 144 124 86 34 24
Wisconsin 295 98 33 ‡ ‡
Wyoming 69 42 61 ‡ ‡
U.S. total 18,261 10,543 58 5,550 30
‡ Cells with missing data have insufficient reporting of results for reliably estimating percent of fatally injured drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08 Percent.

Restraint use

Based on daytime observational surveys, the nationwide rate of seat belt use among front seat passenger vehicle occupants in 2020 was 90 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest observed seat belt use for front seat occupants, at 96 percent, while South Dakota had the lowest, at 68 percent. National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2021). Seat belt use in 2020 — Use rates in the states and territories (Report No. DOT HS-813-109). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Rates of restraint use among fatally injured motor vehicle occupants will be lower than the overall observed restraint use rate because unrestrained occupants are more likely than restrained ones to be fatally injured in a crash. Restrained fatally injured occupants include occupants in child safety seats and occupants restrained by seat belts. In 2020, just 44 percent of fatally injured occupants were restrained. New York had the highest restraint use percentage among fatally injured occupants at 55 percent. Nebraska had the lowest restraint use among fatally injured occupants at just 23 percent.

Rates of observed daytime front-seat belt use and number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants by restraint use and state, 2020
State and percent of observed seat belt use Restrained fatally injured occupants Unrestrained fatally injured occupants Unknown restraint status of fatally injured occupants Total fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants
Number % Number % Number % Number
Alabama NA 264 37 384 54 58 8 706
Alaska NA 18 46 14 36 7 18 39
Arizona NA 208 41 236 46 67 13 511
Arkansas NA 175 40 207 48 51 12 433
California NA 1,111 54 761 37 203 10 2,075
Colorado 86 142 40 193 55 19 5 354
Connecticut NA 65 39 65 39 38 23 168
Delaware NA 32 44 34 47 7 10 73
District of Columbia 96 7 39 6 33 5 28 18
Florida NA 901 51 824 47 35 2 1,760
Georgia NA 512 47 468 43 102 9 1,082
Hawaii NA 12 29 13 32 16 39 41
Idaho NA 59 37 84 53 15 9 158
Illinois NA 304 39 298 38 184 23 786
Indiana NA 273 46 227 38 93 16 593
Iowa 95 90 44 92 45 24 12 206
Kansas 85 125 44 132 46 29 10 286
Kentucky NA 246 45 297 54 2 <1 545
Louisiana NA 200 37 300 56 36 7 536
Maine NA 50 42 68 58 0 0 118
Maryland 90 134 41 134 41 55 17 323
Massachusetts NA 60 28 98 46 56 26 214
Michigan NA 294 44 221 33 155 23 670
Minnesota NA 109 44 102 41 37 15 248
Mississippi 79 223 41 229 42 87 16 539
Missouri 86 201 29 428 62 57 8 686
Montana 90 57 37 96 62 1 <1 154
Nebraska 81 37 23 105 64 21 13 163
Nevada NA 64 41 74 47 18 12 156
New Hampshire 72 15 25 40 67 5 8 60
New Jersey NA 147 49 126 42 29 10 302
New Mexico NA 99 41 131 54 11 5 241
New York NA 285 55 178 34 55 11 518
North Carolina 87 502 48 503 48 37 4 1,042
North Dakota 84 17 27 39 63 6 10 62
Ohio NA 305 38 398 50 96 12 799
Oklahoma NA 189 41 224 49 44 10 457
Oregon 95 162 54 94 31 44 15 300
Pennsylvania 89 220 33 342 51 114 17 676
Rhode Island NA 11 32 17 50 6 18 34
South Carolina NA 295 42 372 53 32 5 699
South Dakota 68 29 31 58 62 6 6 93
Tennessee NA 354 43 395 48 72 9 821
Texas NA 1,173 48 1,032 42 260 11 2,465
Utah NA 85 48 66 37 26 15 177
Vermont 89 14 37 23 61 1 3 38
Virginia NA 238 40 343 58 7 1 588
Washington 93 168 50 113 34 55 16 336
West Virginia NA 65 37 83 47 30 17 178
Wisconsin 89 151 38 179 45 71 18 401
Wyoming 83 43 47 45 49 3 3 91
U.S. total 90 10,540 44 10,991 46 2,488 10 24,019
Many of the observed seat belt usage numbers are not available (NA) due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Rural versus urban

Nationwide, 43 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2020 occurred in rural areas. The states with the highest percentage of crash deaths on rural roads were Montana (89 percent), Maine (80 percent), and Wyoming (80 percent). The states with the lowest percentage were Massachusetts (8 percent), New Jersey (9 percent), and Hawaii (11 percent). The District of Columbia had zero crash deaths in rural areas because its entirety is coded as an urban area.

Number and percent of motor vehicle crash deaths by land use and state, 2020
State Urban Rural Unknown Total
Number % Number % Number % Number
Alabama 415 44 518 55 1 <1 934
Alaska 26 41 38 59 0 0 64
Arizona 652 62 343 33 59 6 1,054
Arkansas 193 30 445 70 0 0 638
California 2,666 69 1,175 31 6 <1 3,847
Colorado 385 62 236 38 1 <1 622
Connecticut 248 84 46 16 1 <1 295
Delaware 69 59 47 41 0 0 116
District of Columbia 36 100 0 0 0 0 36
Florida 2,265 68 741 22 325 10 3,331
Georgia 1,014 61 647 39 3 <1 1,664
Hawaii 76 89 9 11 0 0 85
Idaho 47 22 167 78 0 0 214
Illinois 812 68 355 30 27 2 1,194
Indiana 373 42 524 58 0 0 897
Iowa 98 29 239 71 0 0 337
Kansas 164 38 262 62 0 0 426
Kentucky 279 36 501 64 0 0 780
Louisiana 443 54 383 46 2 <1 828
Maine 32 20 131 80 1 1 164
Maryland 478 84 87 15 2 <1 567
Massachusetts 315 92 28 8 0 0 343
Michigan 651 60 430 40 3 <1 1,084
Minnesota 153 39 240 61 1 <1 394
Mississippi 237 32 515 68 0 0 752
Missouri 494 50 493 50 0 0 987
Montana 22 10 190 89 1 <1 213
Nebraska 68 29 165 71 0 0 233
Nevada 224 71 93 29 0 0 317
New Hampshire 43 41 59 57 2 2 104
New Jersey 518 89 54 9 12 2 584
New Mexico 184 46 211 53 3 1 398
New York 759 73 287 27 0 0 1,046
North Carolina 713 46 819 53 6 <1 1,538
North Dakota 24 24 76 76 0 0 100
Ohio 727 59 471 38 32 3 1,230
Oklahoma 262 40 390 60 0 0 652
Oregon 223 44 285 56 0 0 508
Pennsylvania 626 55 498 44 5 <1 1,129
Rhode Island 55 82 12 18 0 0 67
South Carolina 282 27 782 73 0 0 1,064
South Dakota 32 23 109 77 0 0 141
Tennessee 704 58 513 42 0 0 1,217
Texas 2,368 61 1,503 39 3 <1 3,874
Utah 165 60 111 40 0 0 276
Vermont 13 21 49 79 0 0 62
Virginia 360 42 490 58 0 0 850
Washington 315 56 243 43 2 <1 560
West Virginia 89 33 171 64 7 3 267
Wisconsin 228 37 382 62 4 1 614
Wyoming 25 20 102 80 0 0 127
U.S. total 21,650 56 16,665 43 509 1 38,824

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