How many traffic fatalities occurred in Bell County, Texas?

Bell County recorded 379 total traffic fatalities across 352 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 58 fatalities. The county averages approximately 42.1 fatalities per year.

What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Bell County?

Despite a comparatively active crash history (352 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Bell County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Texas may provide additional context.

Is the trend of road fatalities in Bell County increasing or decreasing?

The trend in Bell County is increasing. This indicates that traffic fatalities have risen over the data period, warranting attention to road safety initiatives.

What is the fatality rate per capita in Bell County?

Bell County has a fatality rate of 14.8 per 100,000 residents, which places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure among the 3,137 U.S. counties in this dataset.

How does Bell County compare to the rest of Texas?

Bell County's per-capita rate of 14.8 per 100,000 residents is below the Texas county average of 27.3. Visit the Texas state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Bell County come from?

All road fatality data comes from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a census of fatal motor vehicle crashes on public roads in the United States. FARS data covers the period 2016-2023 and includes all crashes resulting in at least one fatality within 30 days.

COUNTY FATALITY DATA

Bell County, Texas

Road fatality data for Bell County (TX). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

379
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 58
Latest Year Deaths: 14.8
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Bell County ranks #1,282 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #112 of 160 rated counties in TX. Bell County's fatality rate of 14.8 per 100,000 residents places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure.

#1,282 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #112 of 160
in TX by rate: 55%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost BELL-27 · Bell 14.8/100k · #1,282 of 2,328

Bell County · 14.8/100k · increasing · cause n/a

NHTSA 14.8/100k
MILE #1,282 of 2,328
POST 379 book
BAND Increasing
VOL near Fresno
AVG -45.7% vs TX

Stamps derive from this county's NHTSA FARS row (per-100k or book, corpus rank, trend, nationwide peer NAME, vs-state gap), not a trip-risk forecast. PlainRoadSafety is informational only. See our disclaimer. Verify with NHTSA FARS → · Read with methodology → · Understanding road fatality data → · Texas state profile →

Bell

15
Fresno

15
Madison

15
Maricopa

15
Prince Geo…

15

What this shows Bell County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.

How does Bell County compare?

2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.

Compare with

Bell County

14.8 per 100k

Texas county average

27.3 per 100k

Bell County is 46% safer than the comparison

2023 road deaths from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System over population from the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2023). Rates shown for counties with 10,000+ residents and a 2023 FARS record.

Among the 15 rated counties in Texas, Bell County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 27.3 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Bell County's rate and the state average is 12.5 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Nolan County, at 55.9 per 100,000 (a difference of 41.1). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Leon County (96.7), Wilbarger County (79.9), Ward County (73.0), Eastland County (72.1), Milam County (69.4), Karnes County (66.6), Dawson County (66.6), Comanche County (64.1), Falls County (63.6), Freestone County (63.6), Panola County (61.3), Blanco County (61.3), Live Oak County (60.4), Nolan County (55.9).

Bell County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county

Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population

15 Lower than most a lower per-capita rate than 55% of 2,328 rated counties

rated U.S. counties, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more rated counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NHTSA FARS over U.S. Census Bureau population estimates · 2026-08-09

Bell County's rate vs. the Texas state average

← Back to Texas All States

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) This information is for research and informational purposes only

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Counties with similar FARS profiles

Two cross-state peer sets for Bell County. Same-state rate comparisons stay in the chart above; these neighborhoods are nearest other-state counties with population at least 250,000.

Similar per-capita fatality rate

Nearest counties by deaths per 100,000 residents (14.8 here), outside Texas.

Fresno County 14.8 /100k · CA Madison County 14.8 /100k · IL Maricopa County 14.8 /100k · AZ Prince George`S County 14.8 /100k · MD

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (379 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Solano County 378 deaths · CA Camden County 377 deaths · NJ Essex County 383 deaths · NJ Clayton County 386 deaths · GA

Verify with NHTSA FARS →

Verify with FHWA →

Source and method. PlainRoadSafety is rendered directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). PlainRoadSafety aggregates published FARS records and does not invent a fatality count the census does not report. County figures are computed directly from NHTSA FARS census data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our Editorial & Corrections Policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or Report a correction. Data current as of October 2024.