How many traffic fatalities occurred in Galveston County, Texas?

Galveston County recorded 328 total traffic fatalities across 305 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 39 fatalities. The county averages approximately 36.4 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (305 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Galveston County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Texas may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Galveston 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 Galveston County?

Galveston County has a fatality rate of 10.8 per 100,000 residents, which leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure among the 3,137 U.S. counties in this dataset.

How does Galveston County compare to the rest of Texas?

Galveston County's per-capita rate of 10.8 per 100,000 residents is below the Texas county average of 27.3. Visit the Texas state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Galveston 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

Galveston County, Texas

Road fatality data for Galveston County (TX). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

328
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 39
Latest Year Deaths: 10.8
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Galveston County ranks #1,684 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #140 of 160 rated counties in TX. Galveston County's fatality rate of 10.8 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#1,684 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #140 of 160
in TX by rate: 72%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

Highway fatality milepost

Milepost GALVESTON-16 · Galveston 10.8/100k · #1,684 of 2,328

Galveston County · 10.8/100k · increasing · cause n/a

RATE 10.8/100k
RANK #1,684 of 2,328
BOOK 328 book
TREND Increasing
CAUSE near Lane
PHOTO -60.4% vs TX

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 → · Texas state profile →

Arapahoe

11
Galveston

11
Lane

11
Baltimore

11
Spokane

11

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

How does Galveston County compare?

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

Compare with

Galveston County

10.8 per 100k

Texas county average

27.3 per 100k

Galveston County is 60% 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 Texas, Galveston County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 27.3 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Galveston County's rate and the state average is 16.5 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Nolan County, at 55.9 per 100,000 (a difference of 45.1). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Leon County (96.7), Wilbarger County (79.9), Ward County (73.0), Eastland County (72.1), Milam County (69.4), Karnes County (66.6), Dawson County (66.6), Comanche County (64.1), Falls County (63.6), Freestone County (63.6), Panola County (61.3), Blanco County (61.3), Live Oak County (60.4), Nolan County (55.9).

Galveston 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 72% 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

Galveston County's rate vs. the Texas state average

← Back to Texas 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 Galveston 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 (10.8 here), outside Texas.

Lane County 10.8 /100k · OR Baltimore County 10.9 /100k · MD Spokane County 10.9 /100k · WA Arapahoe County 10.7 /100k · CO

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (328 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Montgomery County 330 deaths · MD Douglas County 325 deaths · NE Dupage County 332 deaths · IL Greene County 332 deaths · MO

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.