What does this road safety ranking show?

It orders states by Traffic deaths. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

NHTSA FARS supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Transportation

Lowest road safety by state

Traffic deaths.

People killed in motor-vehicle crashes per 100,000 residents. Fatal crashes are counted where they occurred, so this reflects road conditions and travel exposure as well as resident risk. Withheld for counties under 1,000 residents: a handful of events on a denominator that small produces a rate that is arithmetically correct and practically meaningless.

How to read this ranking

Rhode Island has the lowest published road safety in this comparison, at 8.9. The next states shown are Massachusetts (10.4) and New York (11.7).

The table orders 50 states by traffic deaths. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. People killed in motor-vehicle crashes per 100,000 residents. Fatal crashes are counted where they occurred, so this reflects road conditions and travel exposure as well as resident risk. Withheld for counties under 1,000 residents: a handful of events on a denominator that small produces a rate that is arithmetically correct and practically meaningless.

1Rhode Island8.9
2Massachusetts10.4
3New York11.7
4District of Columbia12.2
5Hawaii14.8
6New Jersey15.7
7Vermont17.5
8Minnesota19.1
9Pennsylvania19.4
10Virginia21.1
11Maryland21.2
12Utah22.0
13Washington22.0
14Illinois22.1
15Ohio22.2
16New Hampshire22.4
17California22.8
18Iowa23.8
19Alaska25.1
20Wisconsin25.6
21Michigan26.0
22Delaware26.3
23North Dakota26.5
24Maine26.7
25Indiana27.0
26Kansas27.5
27Colorado28.0
28Oregon28.8
29Georgia28.9
30Idaho30.2
31West Virginia30.8
32Nevada31.0
33Nebraska31.7
34South Dakota31.8
35North Carolina34.2
36Texas34.4
37Florida34.8
38Louisiana35.6
39Kentucky36.5
40Missouri37.8
41Oklahoma38.7
42Wyoming39.5
43Montana40.4
44Alabama41.2
45Tennessee41.9
46Arizona42.0
47Arkansas43.6
48South Carolina45.5
49New Mexico47.3
50Mississippi64.5

Not ranked, because this measure is not published for them: Connecticut.

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These guides combine this measure with other clearly named inputs; they are not overall state verdicts.

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Traffic deaths. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: NHTSA FARS. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/road-safety" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Traffic deaths by state"></iframe>

Source: NHTSA FARS. · How this is built

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