How many traffic fatalities occurred in Maricopa County, Arizona?

Maricopa County recorded 4,327 total traffic fatalities across 4,068 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 678 fatalities. The county averages approximately 480.8 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (4,068 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Maricopa County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Arizona may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Maricopa 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 Maricopa County?

Maricopa County has a fatality rate of 14.8 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 Maricopa County compare to the rest of Arizona?

Maricopa County's per-capita rate of 14.8 per 100,000 residents is below the Arizona county average of 32.5. Visit the Arizona state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Maricopa 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

Maricopa County, Arizona

Road fatality data for Maricopa County (AZ). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

4,327
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 678
Latest Year Deaths: 14.8
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Maricopa County ranks #1,288 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #13 of 14 rated counties in AZ. Maricopa County's fatality rate of 14.8 per 100,000 residents places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure.

#1,288 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #13 of 14
in AZ by rate: 55%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

Highway fatality milepost

Milepost MARICOPA-13 · Maricopa 14.8/100k · #1,288 of 2,328

Maricopa County · 14.8/100k · increasing · cause n/a

RANK 14.8/100k
BOOK #1,288 of 2,328
TREND 4,327 book
CAUSE Increasing
PHOTO near Bell
VS-ST -54.5% vs AZ

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 → · Arizona state profile →

Maricopa

15
Bell

15
Fresno

15
Madison

15
Prince Geo…

15

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

How does Maricopa County compare?

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

Compare with

Maricopa County

14.8 per 100k

Arizona county average

32.6 per 100k

Maricopa County is 55% 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 14 rated counties in Arizona, Maricopa County ranks 13 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 32.5 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Maricopa County's rate and the state average is 17.7 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Pinal County, at 16.3 per 100,000 (a difference of 1.5). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: La Paz County (131.7), Coconino County (38.8), Navajo County (35.7), Apache County (35.4), Mohave County (34.0), Gila County (29.6), Graham County (27.8), Cochise County (24.1), Yavapai County (18.9), Santa Cruz County (18.3), Pima County (17.2), Pinal County (16.3), Yuma County (13.1).

Maricopa 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 55% 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

Maricopa County's rate vs. the Arizona state average

← Back to Arizona 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 Maricopa 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 (14.8 here), outside Arizona.

Bell County 14.8 /100k · TX Fresno County 14.8 /100k · CA Madison County 14.8 /100k · IL Prince George`S County 14.8 /100k · MD

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (4,327 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Harris County 3,876 deaths · TX San Bernardino County 2,891 deaths · CA Cook County 2,724 deaths · IL Dallas County 2,537 deaths · TX

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.