How many traffic fatalities occurred in Guilford County, North Carolina?

Guilford County recorded 518 total traffic fatalities across 483 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 54 fatalities. The county averages approximately 57.6 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (483 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Guilford County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for North Carolina may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Guilford 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 Guilford County?

Guilford County has a fatality rate of 9.8 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 Guilford County compare to the rest of North Carolina?

Guilford County's per-capita rate of 9.8 per 100,000 residents is below the North Carolina county average of 18.8. Visit the North Carolina state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Guilford 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

Guilford County, North Carolina

Road fatality data for Guilford County (NC). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

518
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 54
Latest Year Deaths: 9.8
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Guilford County ranks #1,780 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #80 of 94 rated counties in NC. Guilford County's fatality rate of 9.8 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#1,780 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #80 of 94
in NC by rate: 76%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost GUILFORD-81 · Guilford 9.8/100k · #1,780 of 2,328

Guilford County · 9.8/100k · increasing · cause n/a

CAUSE 9.8/100k
PHOTO #1,780 of 2,328
VS-ST 518 book
CRASH Increasing
FARS near Allen
NHTSA -47.8% vs NC

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 → · North Carolina state profile →

Guilford

10
Allen

10
Collier

10
Milwaukee

10
Placer

10

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

How does Guilford County compare?

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

Compare with

Guilford County

9.8 per 100k

North Carolina county average

18.8 per 100k

Guilford County is 48% 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 North Carolina, Guilford County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 18.8 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Guilford County's rate and the state average is 9.0 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Edgecombe County, at 28.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 18.9). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Robeson County (55.4), Scotland County (52.4), Montgomery County (49.8), Bertie County (47.3), Halifax County (44.4), Sampson County (41.9), Duplin County (38.4), Warren County (37.2), Alexander County (32.9), Anson County (32.0), Columbus County (31.9), Bladen County (30.5), Gates County (29.0), Edgecombe County (28.7).

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

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

10 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 76% 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

Guilford County's rate vs. the North Carolina state average

← Back to North Carolina 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 Guilford 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 (9.8 here), outside North Carolina.

Allen County 9.9 /100k · IN Collier County 9.9 /100k · FL Milwaukee County 9.9 /100k · WI Placer County 9.9 /100k · CA

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (518 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Osceola County 520 deaths · FL St. Louis (City) County 515 deaths · MO Kings County 513 deaths · NY Knox County 523 deaths · TN

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.