COUNTY FATALITY DATA
San Francisco County: lower-rate fatality band
San Francisco County (CA) is in the lower per-capita third: 4.3/100k (#2,251 of 2,328). Data period: 2016-2023.
- 270
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 35
- Latest Year Deaths
- Very high count
- 4.3
- Per 100k Residents
- Well below average
- Increasing
- Trend
Lower per-capita fatality band
San Francisco County ranks #2,251 of 2,328 by deaths per 100,000 residents (4.3/100k) - bottom-third rate among rated U.S. counties.
San Francisco County in the lower-rate third
According to NHTSA FARS, San Francisco County sits in the lower-rate third at 4.3 per 100k (#2,251 of 2,328), #54 of 54 in CA.
- #2,251 of 2,328
- lower-rate third
- #225 of 3,137
- larger-book third
- #54 of 54
- in CA by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
NHTSA county milepost
Milepost SAN-FRANCISC · San Francisco 4.3/100k · #2,251 of 2,328
San Francisco County · 4.3/100k · increasing
- AVG 4.3/100k
- YOY #2,251 of 2,328
- RATE 270 book
- RANK Increasing
- BOOK near Montgomery
- TREND -74.6% 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 →
San Francisco County rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest nationwide rate peers (pop ≥250k).
- San Franci…
San Francisco County
4 per 100k
- Montgomery
Montgomery County
4 per 100k
- Morris
Morris County
4 per 100k
- Oakland
Oakland County
4 per 100k
- Utah
Utah County
4 per 100k
What this shows San Francisco County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.
How does San Francisco County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
San Francisco County is 75% 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 California, San Francisco County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 16.9 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 San Francisco County's rate and the state average is 12.6 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Colusa County, at 22.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 18.4). 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).
San Francisco County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
4 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 96% 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 San Francisco 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 (4.3 here), outside California.
Similar fatality volume
Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (270 here), excluding the rate-peer set.
More road safety data related to San Francisco County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- San Francisco 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 SLetter index including CA counties
- MONTGOMERY County, MD fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- MORRIS County, NJ fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- OAKLAND County, MI fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- UTAH County, UT fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in San Francisco County, California?
San Francisco County recorded 270 total traffic fatalities across 258 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 35 fatalities. The county averages approximately 30.0 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in San Francisco County?
Despite a comparatively active crash history (258 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for San Francisco County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for California may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in San Francisco County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in San Francisco 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 San Francisco County?
San Francisco County has a fatality rate of 4.3 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.
Where does San Francisco County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, San Francisco County ranks #2,251 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #54 of 54 rated counties in CA, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does San Francisco County compare to the rest of California?
San Francisco County's per-capita rate of 4.3 per 100,000 residents is below 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 San Francisco 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.