COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Merced County: larger FARS fatality book
Merced County (CA) holds a larger FARS book (494, #92 of 3,137) with 59 latest-year deaths.
- 494
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 59
- Latest Year Deaths
- Very high count
- 20.2
- Per 100k Residents
- Near average
- Increasing
- Trend
Larger fatality book
Merced County ranks #92 of 3,137 by total FARS fatalities (494 across 2016-2023) - top-third book size.
Merced County in the larger-book third
According to NHTSA FARS, Merced County carries a top-third fatality book (494 across 2016-2023, #92 of 3,137) at 20.2/100k.
- #824 of 2,328
- among rated U.S. counties by rate
- #92 of 3,137
- larger-book third
- #16 of 54
- in CA by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
NHTSA FARS milepost
Milepost MERCED-47 · Merced 20.2/100k · #824 of 2,328
Merced County · 20.2/100k · increasing
- BOOK 20.2/100k
- TREND #824 of 2,328
- CAUSE 494 book
- PHOTO Increasing
- VS-ST near Alachua
- CRASH +19.4% vs CA
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 → · California state profile →
Merced County rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest nationwide rate peers (pop ≥250k).
- Davidson
Davidson County
19 per 100k
- Dekalb
Dekalb County
20 per 100k
- Lake
Lake County
20 per 100k
- Merced
Merced County
20 per 100k
- Alachua
Alachua County
20 per 100k
What this shows Merced County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.
How does Merced County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
Merced County is 20% deadlier 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 California, Merced County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, above the state's own per-capita average of 16.9 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate places it close to the national middle by that per-capita measure. The gap between Merced County's rate and the state average is 3.3 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Colusa County, at 22.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 2.5). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Trinity County (51.1), Glenn County (46.2), Siskiyou County (42.0), Inyo County (37.8), Tuolumne County (35.1), Calaveras County (30.1), Lake County (28.0), Amador County (26.3), Kings County (24.9), Mendocino County (24.7), Lassen County (24.3), Sutter County (23.5), Yuba County (23.3), Colusa County (22.7).
Merced County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
20 Around the middle a lower per-capita rate than 35% 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
Counties with similar FARS profiles
Two cross-state peer sets for Merced 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 (20.2 here), outside California.
Similar fatality volume
Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (494 here), excluding the rate-peer set.
More road safety data related to Merced County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- Merced County vs other counties by ratePer-100k fatality comparison
- California statewide fatality dataAll counties in this state
- Deadliest states for drivingContext for CA
- 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 CA counties
- ALACHUA County, FL fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- LAKE County, FL fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- DEKALB County, GA fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- DAVIDSON County, TN fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Merced County, California?
Merced County recorded 494 total traffic fatalities across 438 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 59 fatalities. The county averages approximately 54.9 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Merced County?
Despite a comparatively active crash history (438 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Merced County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for California may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Merced County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Merced 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 Merced County?
Merced County has a fatality rate of 20.2 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 Merced County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Merced County ranks #824 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #16 of 54 rated counties in CA, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does Merced County compare to the rest of California?
Merced County's per-capita rate of 20.2 per 100,000 residents is above the California county average of 16.9. Visit the California state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.
Where does the road fatality data for Merced 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.