How many traffic fatalities occurred in Erie County, New York?

Erie County recorded 404 total traffic fatalities across 383 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 59 fatalities. The county averages approximately 44.9 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (383 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Erie County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for New York may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Erie County is increasing. This indicates that traffic fatalities have risen over the data period, warranting attention to road safety initiatives.

How does Erie County compare to the rest of New York?

Erie County's per-capita rate of 6.2 per 100,000 residents is below the New York county average of 9.8. Visit the New York state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Erie 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

Erie County, New York

Q: What is the fatality rate per capita in Erie County?

Erie County has a fatality rate of 6.2 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.

Road fatality data for Erie County (NY). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

404
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 59
Latest Year Deaths: 6.2
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Erie County ranks #2,119 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #45 of 61 rated counties in NY. Erie County's fatality rate of 6.2 per 100,000 residents puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#2,119 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #45 of 61
in NY by rate: 91%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost ERIE-29 · Erie 6.2/100k · #2,119 of 2,328

Erie County · 6.2/100k · increasing · cause n/a

POST 6.2/100k
BAND #2,119 of 2,328
VOL 404 book
AVG Increasing
YOY near Essex
RATE -37.0% vs NY

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 → · New York state profile →

Erie

6
Essex

6
Williamson

6
Allegheny

6
Somerset

6

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

How does Erie County compare?

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

Compare with

Erie County

6.2 per 100k

New York county average

9.8 per 100k

Erie 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 New York, Erie County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 9.8 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 Erie County's rate and the state average is 3.6 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Oswego County, at 13.5 per 100,000 (a difference of 7.3). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Columbia County (28.1), Orleans County (20.4), Ontario County (18.7), Seneca County (18.5), Cattaraugus County (17.2), Washington County (16.7), Essex County (16.3), Yates County (16.3), Genesee County (15.6), St Lawrence County (15.0), Allegany County (15.0), Tioga County (14.7), Wayne County (14.3), Oswego County (13.5).

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

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

6 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 91% 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

Erie County's rate vs. the New York state average

← Back to New York 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 Erie 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 (6.2 here), outside New York.

Essex County 6.2 /100k · NJ Williamson County 6.2 /100k · TX Allegheny County 6.3 /100k · PA Somerset County 6.3 /100k · NJ

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (404 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Lancaster County 403 deaths · PA Lexington County 401 deaths · SC Arapahoe County 409 deaths · CO Cumberland County 399 deaths · NC

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.