COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Meade County, South Dakota
Road fatality data for Meade County (SD). Data period: 2016-2023.
- 30
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 5
- Latest Year Deaths
- Low count
- 16.2
- Per 100k Residents
- Below average
- Increasing
- Trend
Rising fatality trend
Meade County's FARS series is labeled Increasing with 5 deaths in the latest year.
Meade County on a rising FARS trend
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Meade County ranks #1,155 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #4 of 16 rated counties in SD. Meade County's fatality rate of 16.2 per 100,000 residents places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure.
- #1,155 of 2,328
- among rated U.S. counties by rate
- #2,008 of 3,137
- by total FARS fatalities
- #4 of 16
- in SD by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
NHTSA FARS milepost
Milepost MEADE-93 · Meade 16.2/100k · #1,155 of 2,328
Meade County · 16.2/100k · increasing
- CRASH 16.2/100k
- FARS #1,155 of 2,328
- NHTSA 30 book
- MILE Increasing
- POST 29 crash
- BAND +7.9% vs SD
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 → · South Dakota state profile →
How does Meade County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
Meade County is About the same as 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 South Dakota, Meade County ranks 4 for per-capita risk, above the state's own per-capita average of 15.0 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Meade County's rate and the state average is 1.2 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Davison County, at 15.1 per 100,000 (a difference of 1.1). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Lawrence County (42.8), Roberts County (29.4), Lake County (27.2), Davison County (15.1), Lincoln County (15.0), Codington County (13.8), Yankton County (12.8), Union County (11.6), Brookings County (11.1), Butte County (9.2), Minnehaha County (8.7), Pennington County (8.6), Brown County (8.0), Hughes County (5.7).
Meade County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
16 Around the middle a lower per-capita rate than 49% 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 · 2026-09-03
More road safety data related to Meade County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- Meade County vs other counties by ratePer-100k fatality comparison
- South Dakota statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for SD
- State fatality changesYear-over-year state trends
- Browse all U.S. countiesAlphabetical county index
- All state profiles51 state dashboards
- State vs U.S. safety comparisonRoute-level lookup tool
- National statistics downloadFARS CSV + findings
- How to read FARS fatality dataMethodology primer
- Per-mile vs per-capita road riskRate denominator explained
- Counties starting with MLetter index including SD counties
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Meade County, South Dakota?
Meade County recorded 30 total traffic fatalities across 29 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 5 fatalities. The county averages approximately 3.3 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Meade County?
Cause-code breakdowns are not individually published for Meade County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for South Dakota may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Meade County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Meade 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 Meade County?
Meade County has a fatality rate of 16.2 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.
Where does Meade County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Meade County ranks #1,155 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #4 of 16 rated counties in SD, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does Meade County compare to the rest of South Dakota?
Meade County's per-capita rate of 16.2 per 100,000 residents is above the South Dakota county average of 15.0. Visit the South Dakota state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.
Where does the road fatality data for Meade 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.