What does this road safety trend ranking show?

It orders states by Change in traffic deaths per 100,000. 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 trend by state

Change in traffic deaths per 100,000.

The change in the traffic-death rate against the previous reporting period. Negative means fewer deaths per head than before. Fatal crashes are rare in small counties, so a single crash can swing the rate hard — read this alongside the population, not on its own. 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

Wyoming has the lowest published road safety trend in this comparison, at -26.1. The next states shown are Louisiana (-8.5) and Idaho (-7.3).

The table orders 50 states by change in traffic deaths per 100,000. 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. The change in the traffic-death rate against the previous reporting period. Negative means fewer deaths per head than before. Fatal crashes are rare in small counties, so a single crash can swing the rate hard — read this alongside the population, not on its own. 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.

1Wyoming-26.1
2Louisiana-8.5
3Idaho-7.3
4Vermont-6.3
5Oklahoma-6.2
6West Virginia-5.8
7Delaware-5.6
8North Dakota-5.4
9Georgia-4.9
10Ohio-4.4
11Kansas-4.2
12New Mexico-3.8
13Iowa-3.6
14Arizona-3.4
15Alabama-3.0
16Kentucky-2.8
17Oregon-2.7
18Tennessee-2.7
19District of Columbia-2.6
20Washington-2.6
21Pennsylvania-2.3
22Rhode Island-2.0
23Maryland-1.9
24Arkansas-1.8
25California-1.8
26Illinois-1.4
27Florida-1.3
28New York-1.3
29Indiana-1.2
30Montana-1.2
31Texas-1.0
32South Dakota-0.8
33Nevada-0.6
34Colorado-0.2
35New Hampshire0.0
36Virginia0.1
37Missouri0.2
38Massachusetts0.4
39North Carolina0.5
40Michigan0.9
41New Jersey0.9
42South Carolina1.2
43Wisconsin1.3
44Utah1.4
45Minnesota2.5
46Hawaii3.1
47Nebraska4.5
48Alaska6.9
49Maine7.3
50Mississippi8.8

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

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Change in traffic deaths per 100,000. 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-trend" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Change in traffic deaths per 100,000 by state"></iframe>

Source: NHTSA FARS. · How this is built

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