COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Defiance County: lower-rate fatality band
Defiance County (OH) is in the lower per-capita third: 2.6/100k (#2,311 of 2,328). Data period: 2016-2023.
- 39
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 1
- Latest Year Deaths
- Low count
- 2.6
- Per 100k Residents
- Well below average
- Stable
- Trend
Lower per-capita fatality band
Defiance County ranks #2,311 of 2,328 by deaths per 100,000 residents (2.6/100k) - bottom-third rate among rated U.S. counties.
Defiance County in the lower-rate third
According to NHTSA FARS, Defiance County sits in the lower-rate third at 2.6 per 100k (#2,311 of 2,328), #85 of 86 in OH.
- #2,311 of 2,328
- lower-rate third
- #1,696 of 3,137
- by total FARS fatalities
- #85 of 86
- in OH by rate
- Stable
- fatality trend
NHTSA county milepost
Milepost DEFIANCE-39 · Defiance 2.6/100k · #2,311 of 2,328
Defiance County · 2.6/100k · stable
- VS-ST 2.6/100k
- CRASH #2,311 of 2,328
- FARS 39 book
- NHTSA Stable
- MILE 39 crash
- POST -81.7% vs OH
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 → · Ohio state profile →
How does Defiance County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
Defiance County is 82% 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 Ohio, Defiance County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 14.2 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Defiance County's rate and the state average is 11.6 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Morgan County, at 22.0 per 100,000 (a difference of 19.4). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Fayette County (38.2), Harrison County (35.3), Noble County (34.9), Preble County (34.5), Pike County (29.6), Gallia County (27.6), Guernsey County (26.3), Vinton County (24.1), Fulton County (23.8), Clinton County (23.8), Hardin County (23.1), Madison County (22.4), Carroll County (22.4), Morgan County (22.0).
Defiance County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
3 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 99% 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
More road safety data related to Defiance County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- Defiance County vs other counties by ratePer-100k fatality comparison
- Ohio statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for OH
- 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 DLetter index including OH counties
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Defiance County, Ohio?
Defiance County recorded 39 total traffic fatalities across 39 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 1 fatalities. The county averages approximately 4.3 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Defiance County?
Cause-code breakdowns are not individually published for Defiance County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Ohio may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Defiance County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Defiance County is stable. Fatality counts have remained relatively consistent over the data period.
What is the fatality rate per capita in Defiance County?
Defiance County has a fatality rate of 2.6 per 100,000 residents, which puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure among the 3,137 U.S. counties in this dataset.
Where does Defiance County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Defiance County ranks #2,311 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #85 of 86 rated counties in OH, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does Defiance County compare to the rest of Ohio?
Defiance County's per-capita rate of 2.6 per 100,000 residents is below the Ohio county average of 14.2. Visit the Ohio state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.
Where does the road fatality data for Defiance 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.