COUNTY FATALITY DATA
San Mateo County: lower-rate fatality band
San Mateo County (CA) is in the lower per-capita third: 5.0/100k (#2,210 of 2,328). Data period: 2016-2023.
- 304
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 36
- Latest Year Deaths
- Very high count
- 5.0
- Per 100k Residents
- Well below average
- Increasing
- Trend
Lower per-capita fatality band
San Mateo County ranks #2,210 of 2,328 by deaths per 100,000 residents (5.0/100k) - bottom-third rate among rated U.S. counties.
San Mateo County in the lower-rate third
According to NHTSA FARS, San Mateo County sits in the lower-rate third at 5.0 per 100k (#2,210 of 2,328), #53 of 54 in CA.
- #2,210 of 2,328
- lower-rate third
- #191 of 3,137
- larger-book third
- #53 of 54
- in CA by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
NHTSA FARS milepost
Milepost SAN-MATEO-81 · San Mateo 5.0/100k · #2,210 of 2,328
San Mateo County · 5.0/100k · increasing
- VOL 5.0/100k
- AVG #2,210 of 2,328
- YOY 304 book
- RATE Increasing
- RANK near Dane
- BOOK -70.4% 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 →
San Mateo County rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest nationwide rate peers (pop ≥250k).
- Lancaster
Lancaster County
5 per 100k
- Passaic
Passaic County
5 per 100k
- San Mateo
San Mateo County
5 per 100k
- Dane
Dane County
5 per 100k
- Norfolk
Norfolk County
5 per 100k
What this shows San Mateo County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.
How does San Mateo County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
San Mateo County is 70% 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 Mateo 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 Mateo County's rate and the state average is 11.9 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Colusa County, at 22.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 17.7). 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 Mateo County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
5 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 95% 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 Mateo 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 (5.0 here), outside California.
Similar fatality volume
Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (304 here), excluding the rate-peer set.
More road safety data related to San Mateo County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- San Mateo 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
- DANE County, WI fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- LANCASTER County, NE fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- NORFOLK County, MA fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- PASSAIC County, NJ fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in San Mateo County, California?
San Mateo County recorded 304 total traffic fatalities across 284 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 36 fatalities. The county averages approximately 33.8 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in San Mateo County?
Despite a comparatively active crash history (284 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for San Mateo County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for California may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in San Mateo County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in San Mateo 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 Mateo County?
San Mateo County has a fatality rate of 5.0 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 Mateo County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, San Mateo County ranks #2,210 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #53 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 Mateo County compare to the rest of California?
San Mateo County's per-capita rate of 5.0 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 Mateo 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.