How many traffic fatalities occurred in Jefferson County, Alabama?

Jefferson County recorded 778 total traffic fatalities across 735 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 112 fatalities. The county averages approximately 86.4 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (735 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Jefferson County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Alabama may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County?

Jefferson County has a fatality rate of 16.9 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.

How does Jefferson County compare to the rest of Alabama?

Jefferson County's per-capita rate of 16.9 per 100,000 residents is below the Alabama county average of 26.3. Visit the Alabama state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Jefferson 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

Jefferson County, Alabama

Road fatality data for Jefferson County (AL). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

778
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 112
Latest Year Deaths: 16.9
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Jefferson County ranks #1,080 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #43 of 61 rated counties in AL. Jefferson County's fatality rate of 16.9 per 100,000 residents places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure.

#1,080 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #43 of 61
in AL by rate: 46%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

NHTSA county milepost

Milepost JEFFERSON-73 · Jefferson 16.9/100k · #1,080 of 2,328

Jefferson County · 16.9/100k · increasing · cause n/a

CRASH 16.9/100k
FARS #1,080 of 2,328
NHTSA 778 book
MILE Increasing
POST near Kalamazoo
BAND -35.7% vs AL

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 → · Alabama state profile →

Sussex

17
Kalamazoo

17
Jefferson

17
Buncombe

17
San Joaquin

17

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

How does Jefferson County compare?

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

Compare with

Jefferson County

16.9 per 100k

Alabama county average

26.3 per 100k

Jefferson County is 36% 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 Alabama, Jefferson County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 26.3 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Jefferson County's rate and the state average is 9.4 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Crenshaw County, at 38.2 per 100,000 (a difference of 21.3). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Conecuh County (71.6), Winston County (55.1), Marengo County (53.5), Chambers County (52.8), Dallas County (49.8), Choctaw County (49.0), Coosa County (48.7), Cleburne County (44.8), Clarke County (44.8), Barbour County (44.7), Butler County (43.5), Cherokee County (39.0), Lawrence County (38.8), Crenshaw County (38.2).

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

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

17 Around the middle a lower per-capita rate than 46% 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

Jefferson County's rate vs. the Alabama state average

← Back to Alabama 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 Jefferson 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 (16.9 here), outside Alabama.

Kalamazoo County 16.8 /100k · MI Buncombe County 17.0 /100k · NC San Joaquin County 17.0 /100k · CA Sussex County 16.7 /100k · DE

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (778 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Alameda County 764 deaths · CA Cuyahoga County 756 deaths · OH Pasco County 800 deaths · FL Marion County 747 deaths · FL

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.