How many traffic fatalities occurred in Durham County, North Carolina?

Durham County recorded 240 total traffic fatalities across 230 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 38 fatalities. The county averages approximately 26.7 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (230 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Durham County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for North Carolina may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Durham 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 Durham County?

Durham County has a fatality rate of 11.3 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.

How does Durham County compare to the rest of North Carolina?

Durham County's per-capita rate of 11.3 per 100,000 residents is below the North Carolina county average of 18.8. Visit the North Carolina state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Durham 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

Durham County, North Carolina

Road fatality data for Durham County (NC). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

240
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 38
Latest Year Deaths: 11.3
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Durham County ranks #1,619 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #67 of 94 rated counties in NC. Durham County's fatality rate of 11.3 per 100,000 residents places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure.

#1,619 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #67 of 94
in NC by rate: 69%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost DURHAM-63 · Durham 11.3/100k · #1,619 of 2,328

Durham County · 11.3/100k · increasing · cause n/a

YOY 11.3/100k
RATE #1,619 of 2,328
RANK 240 book
BOOK Increasing
TREND near Larimer
CAUSE -39.8% vs NC

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 → · North Carolina state profile →

Durham

11
Larimer

11
Multnomah

11
St Joseph

11
Wayne

11

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

How does Durham County compare?

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

Compare with

Durham County

11.3 per 100k

North Carolina county average

18.8 per 100k

Durham County is 40% 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 North Carolina, Durham County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 18.8 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Durham County's rate and the state average is 7.5 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Edgecombe County, at 28.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 17.4). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Robeson County (55.4), Scotland County (52.4), Montgomery County (49.8), Bertie County (47.3), Halifax County (44.4), Sampson County (41.9), Duplin County (38.4), Warren County (37.2), Alexander County (32.9), Anson County (32.0), Columbus County (31.9), Bladen County (30.5), Gates County (29.0), Edgecombe County (28.7).

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

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

11 Lower than most a lower per-capita rate than 69% 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

Durham County's rate vs. the North Carolina state average

← Back to North Carolina 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 Durham 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 (11.3 here), outside North Carolina.

Larimer County 11.3 /100k · CO Multnomah County 11.4 /100k · OR St Joseph County 11.4 /100k · IN Wayne County 11.4 /100k · MI

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (240 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

San Luis Obispo County 244 deaths · CA Union County 235 deaths · NJ Chesterfield County 232 deaths · VA Henry County 232 deaths · GA

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.