COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Essex County: smaller FARS fatality book
Essex County (VA) holds a smaller FARS book (19, #2,413 of 3,137) with 2 latest-year deaths.
- 19
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 2
- Latest Year Deaths
- Low count
- 18.9
- Per 100k Residents
- Near average
- Stable
- Trend
Smaller fatality book
Essex County ranks #2,413 of 3,137 by total FARS fatalities (19 across 2016-2023) - bottom-third book size.
Essex County in the smaller-book third
According to NHTSA FARS, Essex County carries a bottom-third fatality book (19 across 2016-2023, #2,413 of 3,137) at 18.9/100k.
- #925 of 2,328
- among rated U.S. counties by rate
- #2,413 of 3,137
- smaller-book third
- #34 of 105
- in VA by rate
- Stable
- fatality trend
FARS milepost strip
Milepost ESSEX-57 · Essex 18.9/100k · #925 of 2,328
Essex County · 18.9/100k · stable
- YOY 18.9/100k
- RATE #925 of 2,328
- RANK 19 book
- BOOK Stable
- TREND 19 crash
- CAUSE +4.7% vs VA
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 → · Virginia state profile →
How does Essex County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
Essex County is About the same as 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 Virginia, Essex County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, above the state's own per-capita average of 18.0 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Essex County's rate and the state average is 0.9 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Clarke County, at 32.3 per 100,000 (a difference of 13.4). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Sussex County (83.7), Madison County (63.7), Charlotte County (61.8), Halifax County (59.8), Nelson County (54.4), Dinwiddie County (52.9), Buchanan County (47.2), Campbell County (39.8), Wythe County (39.1), Brunswick County (38.1), Accomack County (36.1), Patrick County (34.3), Mecklenburg County (32.6), Clarke County (32.3).
Essex County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
19 Around the middle a lower per-capita rate than 40% 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 Essex County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- Essex County vs other counties by ratePer-100k fatality comparison
- Virginia statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for VA
- 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 ELetter index including VA counties
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Essex County, Virginia?
Essex County recorded 19 total traffic fatalities across 19 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 2 fatalities. The county averages approximately 2.1 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Essex County?
Cause-code breakdowns are not individually published for Essex County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Virginia may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Essex County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Essex County is stable. Fatality counts have remained relatively consistent over the data period.
What is the fatality rate per capita in Essex County?
Essex County has a fatality rate of 18.9 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 Essex County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Essex County ranks #925 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #34 of 105 rated counties in VA, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does Essex County compare to the rest of Virginia?
Essex County's per-capita rate of 18.9 per 100,000 residents is above the Virginia county average of 18.0. Visit the Virginia state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.
Where does the road fatality data for Essex 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.