COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Charleston County: larger FARS fatality book
Charleston County (SC) holds a larger FARS book (557, #75 of 3,137) with 75 latest-year deaths.
- 557
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 75
- Latest Year Deaths
- Very high count
- 17.7
- Per 100k Residents
- Near average
- Increasing
- Trend
Larger fatality book
Charleston County ranks #75 of 3,137 by total FARS fatalities (557 across 2016-2023) - top-third book size.
Charleston County in the larger-book third
According to NHTSA FARS, Charleston County carries a top-third fatality book (557 across 2016-2023, #75 of 3,137) at 17.7/100k.
- #1,013 of 2,328
- among rated U.S. counties by rate
- #75 of 3,137
- larger-book third
- #31 of 44
- in SC by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
NHTSA county milepost
Milepost CHARLESTON-1 · Charleston 17.7/100k · #1,013 of 2,328
Charleston County · 17.7/100k · increasing
- RATE 17.7/100k
- RANK #1,013 of 2,328
- BOOK 557 book
- TREND Increasing
- CAUSE near Greene
- PHOTO -36.6% vs SC
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 Carolina state profile →
Charleston County rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest nationwide rate peers (pop ≥250k).
- Knox
Knox County
17 per 100k
- Pima
Pima County
17 per 100k
- Jefferson
Jefferson County
17 per 100k
- Charleston
Charleston County
18 per 100k
- Greene
Greene County
18 per 100k
What this shows Charleston County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.
How does Charleston County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
Charleston County is 37% 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 South Carolina, Charleston County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 27.9 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Charleston County's rate and the state average is 10.2 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Georgetown County, at 31.9 per 100,000 (a difference of 14.2). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Fairfield County (73.5), Jasper County (56.6), Clarendon County (51.6), Calhoun County (49.3), Bamberg County (46.2), Marion County (45.6), Orangeburg County (44.7), Dillon County (43.3), Darlington County (43.3), Colleton County (41.2), Marlboro County (38.9), Laurens County (37.8), Chester County (34.1), Georgetown County (31.9).
Charleston County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
18 Around the middle a lower per-capita rate than 43% 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 · 2026-09-03
Counties with similar FARS profiles
Two cross-state peer sets for Charleston 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 (17.7 here), outside South Carolina.
Similar fatality volume
Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (557 here), excluding the rate-peer set.
More road safety data related to Charleston County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- Charleston County vs other counties by ratePer-100k fatality comparison
- South Carolina statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for SC
- 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 CLetter index including SC counties
- GREENE County, MO fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- JEFFERSON County, KY fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- KNOX County, TN fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- PIMA County, AZ fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Charleston County, South Carolina?
Charleston County recorded 557 total traffic fatalities across 516 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 75 fatalities. The county averages approximately 61.9 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Charleston County?
Despite a comparatively active crash history (516 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Charleston County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for South Carolina may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Charleston County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Charleston 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 Charleston County?
Charleston County has a fatality rate of 17.7 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.
Where does Charleston County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Charleston County ranks #1,013 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #31 of 44 rated counties in SC, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does Charleston County compare to the rest of South Carolina?
Charleston County's per-capita rate of 17.7 per 100,000 residents is below the South Carolina county average of 27.9. Visit the South Carolina state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.
Where does the road fatality data for Charleston 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.