Urban/rural comparison

Overview

Urban and rural areas have fundamentally different characteristics with regard to density of road networks, land use and travel patterns. Consequently, the characteristics of fatal motor vehicle crashes differ between rural and urban areas. For example, pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and deaths at intersections are more prevalent in urban areas, whereas a larger proportion of large truck occupant deaths and deaths on high-speed roads occur in rural areas. Although 20 percent of people in the U.S. live in rural areas U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). 2020 Census urban areas facts. Retrieved April 19, 2023, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural/2020-ua-facts.html.and 32 percent of the vehicle miles traveled occur in rural areas, Federal Highway Administration. (2023). Highway statistics, 2021. U.S. Department of Transportation.40 percent of crash deaths occur there.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). In FARS, rural and urban boundaries are determined by state highway departments and approved by the Federal Highway Administration. Reliable information on rural and urban areas has been available in FARS since 1977.

Posted May 2023.

Trends

A total of 42,939 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021. Since 2000, there has been a downward trend in the proportion of crash deaths in rural areas, from 61 percent in 2000 to 40 percent in 2021.

Percent distribution of motor vehicle crash deaths by land use, 1977-2021

Motor vehicle crash deaths by land use, 1977-2021
	Urban		Rural		Total*
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
1977	19,296	40	28,463	60	47,878	100
1978	19,863	40	30,018	60	50,331	100
1979	21,507	42	29,135	58	51,093	100
1980	21,560	43	29,114	57	51,091	100
1981	20,782	43	27,692	57	49,301	100
1982	18,678	43	25,005	57	43,945	100
1983	18,027	42	24,486	58	42,589	100
1984	18,590	42	25,636	58	44,257	100
1985	18,613	42	25,185	58	43,825	100
1986	19,581	43	26,484	57	46,087	100
1987	19,217	41	27,131	59	46,390	100
1988	19,253	41	27,793	59	47,087	100
1989	19,160	42	26,392	58	45,582	100
1990	18,807	42	25,761	58	44,599	100
1991	17,126	41	24,328	59	41,508	100
1992	16,223	42	22,821	58	39,250	100
1993	16,429	41	23,459	59	40,150	100
1994	16,811	41	23,841	59	40,716	100
1995	17,163	41	24,449	59	41,817	100
1996	17,368	41	24,561	59	42,065	100
1997	16,829	40	25,135	60	42,013	100
1998	16,219	39	25,185	61	41,501	100
1999	16,059	39	25,547	61	41,717	100
2000	16,116	39	24,835	61	41,945	100
2001	16,990	40	25,148	60	42,196	100
2002	17,013	40	25,896	60	43,005	100
2003	17,783	42	24,957	58	42,884	100
2004	17,581	41	25,179	59	42,836	100
2005	18,627	43	24,587	57	43,510	100
2006	18,791	44	23,646	56	42,708	100
2007	17,908	44	23,254	56	41,259	100
2008	16,218	44	20,987	56	37,423	100
2009	14,501	43	19,323	57	33,883	100
2010	14,659	45	18,089	55	32,999	100
2011	14,575	45	17,769	55	32,479	100
2012	15,371	46	18,367	54	33,782	100
2013	15,119	46	17,740	54	32,894	100
2014	15,917	49	16,791	51	32,744	100
2015	16,830	49	17,572	51	35,485	100
2016	19,357	51	18,321	49	37,806	100
2017	19,976	53	17,405	47	37,473	100
2018	20,408	56	16,323	44	36,835	100
2019	19,946	55	16,288	45	36,355	100
2020	22,513	58	16,340	42	39,007	100
2021	25,598	60	17,103	40	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

In 2021, the rate of crash deaths per 100 million miles traveled was much higher in rural areas than in urban areas (1.72 in rural areas compared with 1.19 in urban areas). From 1977 to 2021, the rates decreased by 60 percent in rural areas (from 4.35 to 1.72) and 49 percent in urban areas (from 2.35 to 1.19).

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100 million miles traveled by land use, 1977-2021

Motor vehicle crash deaths per 100 million miles traveled by land use, 1977-2021
	Rural			Urban			Total*
	Deaths	Miles traveled (millions)	Rate	Deaths	Miles traveled (millions)	Rate	Deaths	Miles traveled (millions)	Rate
1977	28,463	654,596	4.35	19,296	821,971	2.35	47,878	1,476,567	3.24
1978	30,018	689,953	4.35	19,863	858,260	2.31	50,331	1,548,213	3.25
1979	29,135	670,079	4.35	21,507	859,054	2.50	51,093	1,529,133	3.34
1980	29,114	672,030	4.33	21,560	855,265	2.52	51,091	1,527,295	3.35
1981	27,692	688,308	4.02	20,782	867,000	2.40	49,301	1,555,308	3.17
1982	25,005	689,226	3.63	18,678	905,784	2.06	43,945	1,595,010	2.76
1983	24,486	700,517	3.50	18,027	952,271	1.89	42,589	1,652,788	2.58
1984	25,636	718,132	3.57	18,590	1,002,137	1.86	44,257	1,720,269	2.57
1985	25,185	730,728	3.45	18,613	1,044,098	1.78	43,825	1,774,826	2.47
1986	26,484	747,780	3.54	19,581	1,087,092	1.80	46,087	1,834,872	2.51
1987	27,131	780,450	3.48	19,217	1,140,754	1.68	46,390	1,921,204	2.41
1988	27,793	817,534	3.40	19,253	1,208,428	1.59	47,087	2,025,962	2.32
1989	26,392	847,225	3.12	19,160	1,249,262	1.53	45,582	2,096,487	2.17
1990	25,761	868,878	2.96	18,807	1,275,484	1.47	44,599	2,144,362	2.08
1991	24,328	883,553	2.75	17,126	1,288,497	1.33	41,508	2,172,050	1.91
1992	22,821	884,097	2.58	16,223	1,363,054	1.19	39,250	2,247,151	1.75
1993	23,459	886,706	2.65	16,429	1,409,672	1.17	40,150	2,296,378	1.75
1994	23,841	908,341	2.62	16,811	1,449,247	1.16	40,716	2,357,588	1.73
1995	24,449	933,285	2.62	17,163	1,489,490	1.15	41,817	2,422,775	1.73
1996	24,561	960,194	2.56	17,368	1,523,886	1.14	42,065	2,484,080	1.69
1997	25,135	999,920	2.51	16,829	1,560,452	1.08	42,013	2,560,372	1.64
1998	25,185	1,033,310	2.44	16,219	1,592,057	1.02	41,501	2,625,367	1.58
1999	25,547	1,062,623	2.40	16,059	1,627,618	0.99	41,717	2,690,241	1.55
2000	24,835	1,083,152	2.29	16,116	1,663,773	0.97	41,945	2,746,925	1.53
2001	25,148	1,110,697	2.26	16,990	1,686,642	1.01	42,196	2,797,339	1.51
2002	25,896	1,128,160	2.30	17,013	1,727,596	0.98	43,005	2,855,756	1.51
2003	24,957	1,085,385	2.30	17,783	1,805,508	0.98	42,884	2,890,893	1.48
2004	25,179	1,070,248	2.35	17,581	1,892,265	0.93	42,836	2,962,513	1.45
2005	24,587	1,037,937	2.37	18,627	1,951,870	0.95	43,510	2,989,807	1.46
2006	23,646	1,037,069	2.28	18,791	1,977,047	0.95	42,708	3,014,116	1.42
2007	23,254	1,035,303	2.25	17,908	1,994,519	0.90	41,259	3,029,822	1.36
2008	20,987	990,418	2.12	16,218	1,983,091	0.82	37,423	2,973,509	1.26
2009	19,323	982,180	1.97	14,501	1,974,583	0.73	33,883	2,956,763	1.15
2010	18,089	984,065	1.84	14,659	1,983,200	0.74	32,999	2,967,265	1.11
2011	17,769	974,038	1.82	14,575	1,972,094	0.74	32,479	2,946,132	1.10
2012	18,367	977,078	1.88	15,371	1,992,355	0.77	33,782	2,969,433	1.14
2013	17,740	941,912	1.88	15,119	2,046,369	0.74	32,894	2,988,281	1.10
2014	16,791	920,928	1.82	15,917	2,104,728	0.76	32,744	3,025,656	1.08
2015	17,572	928,905	1.89	16,830	2,166,468	0.78	35,485	3,095,373	1.15
2016	18,321	949,545	1.93	19,357	2,224,863	0.87	37,806	3,174,408	1.19
2017	17,405	963,206	1.81	19,976	2,249,142	0.89	37,473	3,212,348	1.17
2018	16,323	978,802	1.67	20,408	2,261,525	0.90	36,835	3,240,327	1.14
2019	16,288	983,853	1.66	19,946	2,277,919	0.88	36,355	3,261,772	1.11
2020	16,340	903,527	1.81	22,513	2,000,095	1.13	39,007	2,903,622	1.34
2021	17,103	991,986	1.72	25,598	2,148,102	1.19	42,939	3,140,088	1.37
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Vehicle types

In 2021, 66 percent of large truck occupant deaths and 64 percent of pickup occupant deaths occurred in rural areas, whereas more than 80 percent of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths occurred in urban areas. Motorcyclists were more likely to die in urban than in rural areas.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by vehicle type and land use, 2021
	Rural		Urban		Total*
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
Cars and minivans	6,148	42	8,544	58	14,744	100
Pickups	3,114	64	1,715	35	4,855	100
SUVs	3,257	49	3,348	50	6,636	100
Large trucks	501	66	254	34	756	100
Motorcycles	1,966	32	4,093	67	6,084	100
Pedestrians	1,140	15	6,191	84	7,388	100
Bicyclists	140	15	816	85	961	100
Total*	17,103	40	25,598	60	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Crash types

In 2021, single-vehicle crashes accounted for 52 percent of crash deaths occurring in both rural and urban areas.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by crash type and land use, 2021
	Rural		Urban		Total*
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
Single-vehicle crashes	8,925	52	13,338	52	22,465	52
Multiple-vehicle crashes	8,178	48	12,260	48	20,474	48
Total	17,103	100	25,598	100	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Where crashes occur

Compared with urban areas, crash deaths in rural areas in 2021 were less likely to occur on interstates and freeways (14 percent compared with 21 percent) and on other arterial roads (23 percent compared with 58 percent) and more likely to occur on collector roads (44 percent compared with 11 percent) and local roads (19 percent compared with 11 percent).

Motor vehicle crash deaths by road functional class and land use, 2021
	Rural		Urban		Total*
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
Interstates and freeways	2,334	14	5,277	21	7,611	18
Arterial	3,984	23	14,735	58	18,719	44
Collector	7,576	44	2,722	11	10,298	24
Local	3,191	19	2,852	11	6,043	14
Total*	17,103	100	25,598	100	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

In 2021, 15 percent of crash deaths in rural areas occurred at intersections, compared with 31 percent in urban areas.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by junction type and land use, 2021
	Rural		Urban		Total*
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
Intersection	2,533	15	7,885	31	10,445	24
Nonintersection	14,570	85	17,713	69	32,494	76
Total*	17,103	100	25,598	100	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

In 2021, 74 percent of crash deaths in rural areas occurred on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or higher. By comparison, 30 percent of crash deaths in urban areas occurred on these roads.

Motor vehicle crash deaths by speed limit and land use, 2021
	Rural		Urban		Total*
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
≤35 mph	1,247	7	7,502	29	8,831	21
40-50 mph	2,695	16	9,075	35	11,807	27
55+ mph	12,594	74	7,610	30	20,218	47
Total*	17,103	100	25,598	100	42,939	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Speeding

Speeding has been involved in more than a quarter of motor vehicle crash deaths in both rural and urban areas over the past decade. In 2021, 28 percent of crash deaths in rural areas and 29 percent in urban areas involved speeding. Speeding is defined to include crashes in which a driver was issued a traffic citation for speeding or in which driver-related factors included driving too fast for conditions, racing or exceeding the posted speed limit.

Motor vehicle crash deaths involving speeding by land use, 2012-2021
	Rural						Urban
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total		Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
2012	5,756	31	12,611	69	18,367	100	4,559	30	10,812	70	15,371	100
2013	5,376	30	12,364	70	17,740	100	4,311	29	10,808	71	15,119	100
2014	4,905	29	11,886	71	16,791	100	4,367	27	11,550	73	15,917	100
2015	4,826	27	12,746	73	17,572	100	4,504	27	12,326	73	16,830	100
2016	5,116	28	13,205	72	18,321	100	5,150	27	14,207	73	19,357	100
2017	4,740	27	12,665	73	17,405	100	5,183	26	14,793	74	19,976	100
2018	4,341	27	11,982	73	16,323	100	5,212	26	15,196	74	20,408	100
2019	4,358	27	11,930	73	16,288	100	5,209	26	14,737	74	19,946	100
2020	4,659	29	11,681	71	16,340	100	6,718	30	15,795	70	22,513	100
2021	4,833	28	12,270	72	17,103	100	7,437	29	18,161	71	25,598	100

In 2021, on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or higher, speeding was a factor in similar proportions of crash deaths in rural (26 percent) and urban areas (27 percent). On roads with lower speed limits, speeding was more likely to be a factor in rural crash deaths.

Motor vehicle crash deaths involving speeding by speed limit and land use, 2021
	Rural						Urban
	Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total		Speeding-related		Not speeding-related		Total
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
≤35 mph	515	41	732	59	1,247	100	2,533	34	4,969	66	7,502	100
40-50 mph	956	35	1,739	65	2,695	100	2,527	28	6,548	72	9,075	100
55+ mph	3,217	26	9,377	74	12,594	100	2,035	27	5,575	73	7,610	100
Total*	4,833	28	12,270	72	17,103	100	7,437	29	18,161	71	25,598	100
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Alcohol

From 1982 to 1994, the percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent declined steadily from 49 percent in both rural and urban areas to 34 percent in rural areas and to 32 percent in urban areas. This percentage has declined more gradually since 1994 and was 29 percent in rural areas and 30 percent in urban areas in 2021.

In urban areas, the percentage of fatally injured pedestrians ages 16 and older with BACs at or above 0.08 percent declined from 40 percent in 1982 to 30 percent in 2021, a 24 percent reduction. In rural areas, the percentage declined from 53 percent in 1982 to 31 percent in 2021, a reduction of 41 percent.

Percent distribution of fatally injured people with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent by type and land use, 1982-2021

Estimated number and percent of fatally injured people with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent by land use, 1982-2021
	Rural						Urban
	Drivers			Pedestrians (age ≥16)			Drivers			Pedestrians (age ≥16)
	Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08		Deaths	Estimated deaths with BACs ≥ 0.08
	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%	Number	Number	%
1982	15,155	7,486	49	2,076	1,110	53	9,388	4,589	49	3,995	1,598	40
1983	14,958	7,122	48	1,922	1,016	53	9,137	4,404	48	3,760	1,507	40
1984	15,979	7,175	45	1,984	975	49	9,591	4,314	45	3,898	1,508	39
1985	15,610	6,611	42	1,815	882	49	9,711	4,072	42	3,845	1,447	38
1986	16,401	7,070	43	1,819	871	48	10,215	4,336	42	3,847	1,430	37
1987	16,776	6,996	42	1,774	813	46	10,035	4,055	40	3,894	1,391	36
1988	17,393	7,261	42	1,847	832	45	9,834	3,828	39	3,950	1,369	35
1989	16,606	6,701	40	1,632	758	46	9,767	3,929	40	4,000	1,459	36
1990	16,223	6,644	41	1,577	731	46	9,511	3,746	39	3,984	1,433	36
1991	15,285	6,182	40	1,460	667	46	8,615	3,290	38	3,476	1,255	36
1992	14,307	5,501	38	1,362	619	45	8,161	2,910	36	3,408	1,257	37
1993	14,795	5,368	36	1,404	609	43	8,189	2,910	36	3,398	1,279	38
1994	15,078	5,188	34	1,303	565	43	8,576	2,713	32	3,372	1,168	35
1995	15,469	5,436	35	1,403	600	43	8,795	2,830	32	3,408	1,204	35
1996	15,519	5,276	34	1,335	588	44	8,923	2,875	32	3,380	1,241	37
1997	16,008	5,127	32	1,385	541	39	8,635	2,710	31	3,276	1,110	34
1998	16,180	5,228	32	1,402	568	40	8,520	2,595	30	3,216	1,127	35
1999	16,721	5,321	32	1,316	534	41	8,462	2,573	30	3,033	1,126	37
2000	16,205	5,248	32	1,203	486	40	8,705	2,701	31	2,962	1,045	35
2001	16,646	5,356	32	1,297	513	40	9,186	2,885	31	3,107	1,067	34
2002	17,262	5,562	32	1,279	500	39	9,341	2,942	31	3,123	1,095	35
2003	16,795	5,232	31	1,141	453	40	9,892	3,101	31	3,180	1,117	35
2004	16,943	5,157	30	1,148	436	38	9,885	2,985	30	3,122	1,113	36
2005	16,693	5,225	31	1,121	434	39	10,599	3,218	30	3,360	1,139	34
2006	16,350	5,124	31	1,145	460	40	10,831	3,406	31	3,242	1,200	37
2007	16,098	5,182	32	1,142	473	41	10,412	3,414	33	3,189	1,129	35
2008	14,652	4,740	32	1,113	460	41	9,459	3,166	33	2,970	1,093	37
2009	13,472	4,405	33	1,052	403	38	8,331	2,794	34	2,763	1,001	36
2010	12,569	3,852	31	1,053	410	39	8,321	2,672	32	2,926	1,001	34
2011	12,498	3,873	31	1,083	436	40	8,229	2,628	32	3,100	1,116	36
2012	12,920	4,072	32	1,190	445	37	8,549	2,654	31	3,323	1,191	36
2013	12,405	3,830	31	1,199	463	39	8,523	2,712	32	3,305	1,137	34
2014	11,864	3,659	31	1,033	372	36	8,906	2,721	31	3,633	1,238	34
2015	12,322	3,385	27	1,137	393	35	9,388	2,729	29	3,871	1,318	34
2016	12,871	3,467	27	1,186	382	32	10,788	3,191	30	4,576	1,600	35
2017	12,487	3,416	27	1,097	344	31	11,231	3,232	29	4,701	1,546	33
2018	11,722	3,154	27	1,074	346	32	11,274	3,177	28	5,067	1,685	33
2019	11,686	3,213	27	1,023	301	29	11,000	3,161	29	5,005	1,622	32
2020	11,919	3,425	29	1,059	296	28	12,852	3,753	29	5,277	1,653	31
2021	12,554	3,642	29	1,093	343	31	14,722	4,393	30	6,051	1,843	30

Seat belt use

According to a national daytime observational survey of motorists in 2021, seat belt use among front seat occupants was 90 percent in rural areas and 91 percent in urban areas. National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2021). Seat belt use in 2021 — Overall results (Report No. DOT HS-813-241). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Unrestrained vehicle occupants are more likely than restrained occupants to be fatally injured in a crash, so belt use is much lower among fatally injured occupants. In 2021, 44 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants 13 and older in both rural and urban areas were belted.

Seat belt use among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants 13 and older by land use, 2012-2021
	Rural						Urban
	Belt used		Unbelted		Unknown		Belt used		Unbelted		Unknown
	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%	Deaths	%
2012	5,643	43	6,669	51	786	6	3,749	46	3,529	43	866	11
2013	5,714	45	6,184	49	846	7	3,778	47	3,273	41	911	11
2014	5,565	46	5,871	48	729	6	4,031	48	3,382	41	932	11
2015	5,929	47	5,987	47	813	6	4,205	48	3,537	40	1,024	12
2016	6,183	47	6,232	47	825	6	4,740	48	4,063	41	1,130	11
2017	5,956	47	5,814	46	853	7	5,172	49	4,153	39	1,196	11
2018	5,535	47	5,512	47	793	7	5,166	49	4,217	40	1,148	11
2019	5,629	48	5,339	46	760	6	4,949	49	4,053	40	1,166	11
2020	5,025	43	5,662	49	869	8	5,212	44	5,129	43	1,565	13
2021	5,466	44	5,946	48	934	8	5,969	44	5,730	43	1,717	13

Fatality Facts 2021Urban/rural comparison