How many traffic fatalities occurred in Essex County, Massachusetts?

Essex County recorded 281 total traffic fatalities across 273 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 38 fatalities. The county averages approximately 31.2 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (273 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Essex County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Massachusetts may provide additional context.

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

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

How does Essex County compare to the rest of Massachusetts?

Essex County's per-capita rate of 4.7 per 100,000 residents is below the Massachusetts county average of 5.8. Visit the Massachusetts 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.

COUNTY FATALITY DATA

Essex County, Massachusetts

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

Essex County has a fatality rate of 4.7 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 Essex County (MA). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

281
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 38
Latest Year Deaths: 4.7
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Essex County ranks #2,231 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #11 of 13 rated counties in MA. Essex County's fatality rate of 4.7 per 100,000 residents puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#2,231 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #11 of 13
in MA by rate: 96%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

Highway fatality milepost

Milepost ESSEX-9 · Essex 4.7/100k · #2,231 of 2,328

Essex County · 4.7/100k · increasing · cause n/a

BOOK 4.7/100k
TREND #2,231 of 2,328
CAUSE 281 book
PHOTO Increasing
VS-ST near Fort Bend
CRASH -19.6% vs MA

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 → · Massachusetts state profile →

Delaware

5
Essex

5
Fort Bend

5
Nassau

5
Lancaster

5

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

How does Essex County compare?

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

Compare with

Essex County

4.7 per 100k

Massachusetts county average

5.8 per 100k

Essex County is 19% 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 13 rated counties in Massachusetts, Essex County ranks 11 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 5.8 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 Essex County's rate and the state average is 1.1 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Dukes County, at 4.8 per 100,000 (a difference of 0.1). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Franklin County (9.9), Hampden County (9.1), Bristol County (7.2), Berkshire County (7.1), Plymouth County (6.7), Hampshire County (5.5), Barnstable County (5.2), Worcester County (5.2), Norfolk County (5.1), Dukes County (4.8), Suffolk County (2.9), Middlesex County (2.6).

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

5 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 96% 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

Essex County's rate vs. the Massachusetts state average

← Back to Massachusetts 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 Essex 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 (4.7 here), outside Massachusetts.

Fort Bend County 4.8 /100k · TX Nassau County 4.8 /100k · NY Delaware County 4.5 /100k · PA Lancaster County 4.9 /100k · NE

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (281 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Westmoreland County 280 deaths · PA Westchester County 283 deaths · NY Dane County 284 deaths · WI Larimer County 284 deaths · CO

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.