How many traffic fatalities occurred in Prince William County, Virginia?

Prince William County recorded 197 total traffic fatalities across 189 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 27 fatalities. The county averages approximately 21.9 fatalities per year.

What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Prince William County?

Despite a comparatively active crash history (189 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Prince William County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Virginia may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Prince William 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 Prince William County?

Prince William County has a fatality rate of 5.5 per 100,000 residents, which puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure among the 3,137 U.S. counties in this dataset.

How does Prince William County compare to the rest of Virginia?

Prince William County's per-capita rate of 5.5 per 100,000 residents is below the Virginia county average of 18.0. Visit the Virginia state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Prince William 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

Prince William County, Virginia

Road fatality data for Prince William County (VA). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

197
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 27
Latest Year Deaths: 5.5
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Prince William County ranks #2,174 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #94 of 105 rated counties in VA. Prince William County's fatality rate of 5.5 per 100,000 residents puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#2,174 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #94 of 105
in VA by rate: 93%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

NHTSA county milepost

Milepost PRINCE-WILLI · Prince William 5.5/100k · #2,174 of 2,328

Prince William County · 5.5/100k · increasing · cause n/a

PHOTO 5.5/100k
VS-ST #2,174 of 2,328
CRASH 197 book
FARS Increasing
NHTSA near Alameda
MILE -69.5% vs VA

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 → · Virginia state profile →

Alameda

5
Hillsborough

5
Prince Wil…

6
Onondaga

6
Ottawa

6

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

How does Prince William County compare?

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

Compare with

Prince William County

5.5 per 100k

Virginia county average

18.0 per 100k

Prince William County is 69% 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 Virginia, Prince William County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 18.0 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate puts it among the safest one in ten U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Prince William County's rate and the state average is 12.5 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Clarke County, at 32.3 per 100,000 (a difference of 26.8). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Sussex County (83.7), Madison County (63.7), Charlotte County (61.8), Halifax County (59.8), Nelson County (54.4), Dinwiddie County (52.9), Buchanan County (47.2), Campbell County (39.8), Wythe County (39.1), Brunswick County (38.1), Accomack County (36.1), Patrick County (34.3), Mecklenburg County (32.6), Clarke County (32.3).

Prince William County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county

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

6 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 93% 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

Prince William County's rate vs. the Virginia state average

← Back to Virginia 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 Prince William 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 (5.5 here), outside Virginia.

Alameda County 5.4 /100k · CA Hillsborough County 5.4 /100k · NH Onondaga County 5.6 /100k · NY Ottawa County 5.6 /100k · MI

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (197 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Howard County 197 deaths · MD Passaic County 197 deaths · NJ Canyon County 198 deaths · ID Erie County 195 deaths · PA

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.