How many traffic fatalities occurred in Lee County, Florida?

Lee County recorded 890 total traffic fatalities across 833 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 122 fatalities. The county averages approximately 98.9 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (833 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Lee County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Florida may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Lee 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 Lee County?

Lee County has a fatality rate of 14.6 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 Lee County compare to the rest of Florida?

Lee County's per-capita rate of 14.6 per 100,000 residents is below the Florida county average of 24.1. Visit the Florida state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Lee 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

Lee County, Florida

Road fatality data for Lee County (FL). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

890
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 122
Latest Year Deaths: 14.6
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Lee County ranks #1,308 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #45 of 65 rated counties in FL. Lee County's fatality rate of 14.6 per 100,000 residents places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure.

#1,308 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #45 of 65
in FL by rate: 56%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS county milepost

Milepost LEE-71 · Lee 14.6/100k · #1,308 of 2,328

Lee County · 14.6/100k · increasing · cause n/a

POST 14.6/100k
BAND #1,308 of 2,328
VOL 890 book
AVG Increasing
YOY near Atlantic
RATE -39.4% vs FL

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 → · Florida state profile →

Atlantic

15
St. Tammany

15
Lee

15
Genesee

15
Bell

15

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

How does Lee County compare?

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

Compare with

Lee County

14.6 per 100k

Florida county average

24.1 per 100k

Lee County is 39% 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 Florida, Lee County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 24.1 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Lee County's rate and the state average is 9.5 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Bradford County, at 35.9 per 100,000 (a difference of 21.3). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Glades County (86.0), Hardee County (58.2), Dixie County (57.3), Madison County (54.0), Calhoun County (52.0), Gadsden County (47.9), Franklin County (47.6), Levy County (45.1), Suwannee County (41.2), Gulf County (38.2), Hamilton County (37.1), Hendry County (36.9), De Soto County (36.1), Bradford County (35.9).

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

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

15 Lower than most a lower per-capita rate than 56% 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

Lee County's rate vs. the Florida state average

← Back to Florida 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 Lee 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 (14.6 here), outside Florida.

Atlantic County 14.5 /100k · NJ Genesee County 14.7 /100k · MI St. Tammany County 14.5 /100k · LA Bell County 14.8 /100k · TX

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (890 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Jefferson County 890 deaths · KY Prince George`S County 893 deaths · MD Franklin County 883 deaths · OH Dekalb County 875 deaths · GA

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.