COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Essex County: lower-rate fatality band
Essex County (MA) is in the lower per-capita third: 4.7/100k (#2,231 of 2,328). Data period: 2016-2023.
- 281
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 38
- Latest Year Deaths
- Very high count
- 4.7
- Per 100k Residents
- Well below average
- Increasing
- Trend
Lower per-capita fatality band
Essex County ranks #2,231 of 2,328 by deaths per 100,000 residents (4.7/100k) - bottom-third rate among rated U.S. counties.
Essex County in the lower-rate third
According to NHTSA FARS, Essex County sits in the lower-rate third at 4.7 per 100k (#2,231 of 2,328), #11 of 13 in MA.
- #2,231 of 2,328
- lower-rate third
- #216 of 3,137
- larger-book third
- #11 of 13
- in MA by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
Highway fatality milepost
Milepost ESSEX-9 · Essex 4.7/100k · #2,231 of 2,328
Essex County · 4.7/100k · increasing
- 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 →
Essex County rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest nationwide rate peers (pop ≥250k).
- Delaware
Delaware County
5 per 100k
- Essex
Essex County
5 per 100k
- Fort Bend
Fort Bend County
5 per 100k
- Nassau
Nassau County
5 per 100k
- Lancaster
Lancaster County
5 per 100k
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.
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, limited data), 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 · 2026-09-03
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.
Similar fatality volume
Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (281 here), excluding the rate-peer set.
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
- Massachusetts statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for MA
- 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 MA counties
- FORT BEND County, TX fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- NASSAU County, NY fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- DELAWARE County, PA fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- LANCASTER County, NE fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
Where does Essex County rank for road fatality rate?
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, 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 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.