COUNTY FATALITY DATA
Santa Clara County: larger FARS fatality book
Santa Clara County (CA) holds a larger FARS book (959, #35 of 3,137) with 122 latest-year deaths.
- 959
- Total Fatalities (2016-2023)
- 122
- Latest Year Deaths
- Very high count
- 6.5
- Per 100k Residents
- Well below average
- Increasing
- Trend
Larger fatality book
Santa Clara County ranks #35 of 3,137 by total FARS fatalities (959 across 2016-2023) - top-third book size.
Santa Clara County in the larger-book third
According to NHTSA FARS, Santa Clara County carries a top-third fatality book (959 across 2016-2023, #35 of 3,137) at 6.5/100k.
- #2,099 of 2,328
- lower-rate third
- #35 of 3,137
- larger-book third
- #49 of 54
- in CA by rate
- Increasing
- fatality trend
FARS milepost strip
Milepost SANTA-CLARA- · Santa Clara 6.5/100k · #2,099 of 2,328
Santa Clara County · 6.5/100k · increasing
- VOL 6.5/100k
- AVG #2,099 of 2,328
- YOY 959 book
- RATE Increasing
- RANK near District Of Columbia
- BOOK -61.6% 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 →
Santa Clara County rate neighbourhood
Deaths per 100,000 residents vs nearest nationwide rate peers (pop ≥250k).
- Santa Clara
Santa Clara County
7 per 100k
- District O…
District Of Columbia County
7 per 100k
- Hamilton
Hamilton County
7 per 100k
- Ocean
Ocean County
7 per 100k
- Union
Union County
7 per 100k
What this shows Santa Clara County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.
How does Santa Clara County compare?
2023 road deaths per 100,000 residents. Choose any comparison from the menu.
Santa Clara County is 62% 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, Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County's rate and the state average is 10.4 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Colusa County, at 22.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 16.2). 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).
Santa Clara County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county
Deaths per 100,000 residents -- counties with 10,000+ people, NHTSA FARS over Census population
7 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 90% 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 Santa Clara 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 (6.5 here), outside California.
Similar fatality volume
Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (959 here), excluding the rate-peer set.
More road safety data related to Santa Clara County
Contextual links from this profile to rankings, tools, research, and peer geographies on PlainRoadSafety.
- Santa Clara 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
- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA County, DC fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- HAMILTON County, IN fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- OCEAN County, NJ fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
- UNION County, NJ fatalitiesSimilar nationwide FARS profile
Frequently Asked Questions
How many traffic fatalities occurred in Santa Clara County, California?
Santa Clara County recorded 959 total traffic fatalities across 915 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 122 fatalities. The county averages approximately 106.6 fatalities per year.
What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Santa Clara County?
Despite a comparatively active crash history (915 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Santa Clara County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for California may provide additional context.
Is the trend of road fatalities in Santa Clara County increasing or decreasing?
The trend in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County?
Santa Clara County has a fatality rate of 6.5 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.
Where does Santa Clara County rank for road fatality rate?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Santa Clara County ranks #2,099 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #49 of 54 rated counties in CA, the same sort used on the deadliest-states and county rate listings. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How does Santa Clara County compare to the rest of California?
Santa Clara County's per-capita rate of 6.5 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 Santa Clara 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.