COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Buffalo County: smaller FARS fatality book
Buffalo County (SD) holds a smaller FARS book (10, #2,797 of 3,137) with 2 latest-year deaths.
- 10
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 2
- Latest Year Deaths
- Low count
- 1.4%
- of South Dakota road deaths
- Stable
- Trend
Smaller fatality book
Buffalo County ranks #2,797 of 3,137 by total FARS fatalities (10 across 2016-2023) - bottom-third book size.
Buffalo County in the smaller-book third
According to NHTSA FARS, Buffalo County carries a bottom-third fatality book (10 across 2016-2023, #2,797 of 3,137) at 2 latest-year deaths.
- #2,797 of 3,137
- smaller-book third
- 27%
- of U.S. counties have fewer deaths
- Stable
- fatality trend
FARS milepost strip
Milepost BUFFALO-17 · Buffalo 10 deaths
Buffalo County · 2 latest · stable
- CAUSE 10 tot
- PHOTO 2 yr
- VS-ST 10 book
- CRASH Stable
- FARS 10 crash
- NHTSA 1.1/yr
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 → · South Dakota state profile →
How does Buffalo County compare?
Buffalo County recorded 2 road deaths in its most recent year, 1.4% of South Dakota's statewide total, more than 27% of U.S. counties by count. This county is below the 10,000-resident threshold for a population-stable per-capita rate, so figures are shown as counts.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Data period: 2016-2023.
More road safety data related to Buffalo County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- South Dakota statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Safest counties per capitaNational county rate ranking
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for SD
- State fatality changesYear-over-year state trends
- Browse all U.S. countiesAlphabetical county index
- All state profiles51 state dashboards
- State vs U.S. safety comparisonRoute-level lookup tool
- National statistics downloadFARS CSV + findings
- How to read FARS fatality dataMethodology primer
- Per-mile vs per-capita road riskRate denominator explained
- Counties starting with BLetter index including SD counties
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Buffalo County, South Dakota?
Buffalo County recorded 10 total traffic fatalities across 10 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 2 fatalities. The county averages approximately 1.1 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Buffalo County?
With a small recorded crash count (10), FARS does not publish an individual cause-code breakdown for Buffalo County. Statewide data for South Dakota may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Buffalo County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Buffalo County is stable. Fatality counts have remained relatively consistent over the data period.
What is the fatality rate per capita in Buffalo County?
Per-capita fatality rate data is not available for Buffalo County (fewer than 10,000 residents). By raw count, the county sits below the national midpoint for raw county death tolls.
How does Buffalo County compare to the rest of South Dakota?
Buffalo County recorded 2 deaths in its most recent year, below the South Dakota county average of 2. Visit the South Dakota state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.
Where does the road fatality data for Buffalo 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.