How many traffic fatalities occurred in Clay County, Missouri?

Clay County recorded 157 total traffic fatalities across 147 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 18 fatalities. The county averages approximately 17.4 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (147 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Clay County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Missouri may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Clay 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 Clay County?

Clay County has a fatality rate of 6.9 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 Clay County compare to the rest of Missouri?

Clay County's per-capita rate of 6.9 per 100,000 residents is below the Missouri county average of 21.8. Visit the Missouri state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Clay 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

Clay County, Missouri

Road fatality data for Clay County (MO). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

157
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 18
Latest Year Deaths: 6.9
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Clay County ranks #2,050 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #76 of 84 rated counties in MO. Clay County's fatality rate of 6.9 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#2,050 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #76 of 84
in MO by rate: 88%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost CLAY-47 · Clay 6.9/100k · #2,050 of 2,328

Clay County · 6.9/100k · increasing · cause n/a

NHTSA 6.9/100k
MILE #2,050 of 2,328
POST 157 book
BAND Increasing
VOL near Lehigh
AVG -68.3% vs MO

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 → · Missouri state profile →

Clay

7
Lehigh

7
Northampton

7
Chesterfield

7
Cobb

7

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

How does Clay County compare?

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

Compare with

Clay County

6.9 per 100k

Missouri county average

21.8 per 100k

Clay County is 68% 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 Missouri, Clay County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 21.8 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Clay County's rate and the state average is 14.9 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Lafayette County, at 30.1 per 100,000 (a difference of 23.2). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Ripley County (74.0), Pemiscot County (54.7), Morgan County (54.6), Barry County (53.9), Lawrence County (51.5), Douglas County (49.1), Ralls County (47.7), Bates County (43.1), New Madrid County (38.9), Bollinger County (37.9), Saline County (34.7), Stone County (33.7), Wright County (30.9), Lafayette County (30.1).

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

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

7 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 88% 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

Clay County's rate vs. the Missouri state average

← Back to Missouri 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 Clay 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 (6.9 here), outside Missouri.

Lehigh County 6.9 /100k · PA Northampton County 6.9 /100k · PA Chesterfield County 7.0 /100k · VA Cobb County 7.0 /100k · GA

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (157 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Anchorage County 158 deaths · AK Lancaster County 158 deaths · NE Albany County 159 deaths · NY Harford County 155 deaths · MD

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.