How many traffic fatalities occurred in Boulder County, Colorado?

Boulder County recorded 213 total traffic fatalities across 193 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 28 fatalities. The county averages approximately 23.7 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (193 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Boulder County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Colorado may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Boulder 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 Boulder County?

Boulder County has a fatality rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents, which leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure among the 3,137 U.S. counties in this dataset.

How does Boulder County compare to the rest of Colorado?

Boulder County's per-capita rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents is below the Colorado county average of 15.8. Visit the Colorado state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Boulder 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

Boulder County, Colorado

Road fatality data for Boulder County (CO). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

213
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 28
Latest Year Deaths: 8.6
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Boulder County ranks #1,901 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #25 of 33 rated counties in CO. Boulder County's fatality rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#1,901 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #25 of 33
in CO by rate: 82%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS county milepost

Milepost BOULDER-13 · Boulder 8.6/100k · #1,901 of 2,328

Boulder County · 8.6/100k · increasing · cause n/a

CAUSE 8.6/100k
PHOTO #1,901 of 2,328
VS-ST 213 book
CRASH Increasing
FARS near Summit
NHTSA -45.5% vs CO

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 → · Colorado state profile →

Boulder

9
Summit

9
Ventura

9
Wake

9
Baldwin

9

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

How does Boulder County compare?

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

Compare with

Boulder County

8.6 per 100k

Colorado county average

15.8 per 100k

Boulder 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 Colorado, Boulder County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 15.8 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Boulder County's rate and the state average is 7.2 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Fremont County, at 13.9 per 100,000 (a difference of 5.3). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Park County (38.6), Routt County (35.9), Archuleta County (35.2), Logan County (29.1), Rio Grande County (26.8), Montezuma County (26.4), Pueblo County (23.6), La Plata County (21.3), Morgan County (20.3), Delta County (18.9), Gunnison County (17.3), Summit County (16.4), Weld County (16.1), Fremont County (13.9).

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

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

9 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 82% 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

Boulder County's rate vs. the Colorado state average

← Back to Colorado 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 Boulder 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 (8.6 here), outside Colorado.

Summit County 8.6 /100k · OH Ventura County 8.6 /100k · CA Wake County 8.6 /100k · NC Baldwin County 8.7 /100k · AL

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (213 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Johnson County 214 deaths · KS Mercer County 212 deaths · NJ Delaware County 211 deaths · PA Lorain County 210 deaths · OH

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.