How many traffic fatalities occurred in Summit County, Ohio?

Summit County recorded 343 total traffic fatalities across 319 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 46 fatalities. The county averages approximately 38.1 fatalities per year.

What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Summit County?

Despite a comparatively active crash history (319 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Summit County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Ohio may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Summit 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 Summit County?

Summit County has a fatality rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents, which leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure among the 3,137 U.S. counties in this dataset.

How does Summit County compare to the rest of Ohio?

Summit County's per-capita rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents is below the Ohio county average of 14.2. Visit the Ohio state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Summit 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

Summit County, Ohio

Road fatality data for Summit County (OH). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

343
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 46
Latest Year Deaths: 8.6
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Summit County ranks #1,906 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #67 of 86 rated counties in OH. Summit County's fatality rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#1,906 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #67 of 86
in OH by rate: 82%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost SUMMIT-153 · Summit 8.6/100k · #1,906 of 2,328

Summit County · 8.6/100k · increasing · cause n/a

CRASH 8.6/100k
FARS #1,906 of 2,328
NHTSA 343 book
MILE Increasing
POST near Boulder
BAND -39.6% vs OH

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 → · Ohio state profile →

Summit

9
Boulder

9
Ventura

9
Wake

9
Baldwin

9

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

How does Summit County compare?

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

Compare with

Summit County

8.6 per 100k

Ohio county average

14.2 per 100k

Summit County is 39% 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 Ohio, Summit County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 14.2 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Summit County's rate and the state average is 5.6 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Morgan County, at 22.0 per 100,000 (a difference of 13.4). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Fayette County (38.2), Harrison County (35.3), Noble County (34.9), Preble County (34.5), Pike County (29.6), Gallia County (27.6), Guernsey County (26.3), Vinton County (24.1), Fulton County (23.8), Clinton County (23.8), Hardin County (23.1), Madison County (22.4), Carroll County (22.4), Morgan County (22.0).

Summit County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county

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

9 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 82% 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

Summit County's rate vs. the Ohio state average

← Back to Ohio 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 Summit 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 (8.6 here), outside Ohio.

Boulder County 8.6 /100k · CO Ventura County 8.6 /100k · CA Wake County 8.6 /100k · NC Baldwin County 8.7 /100k · AL

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (343 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Seminole County 344 deaths · FL Brazoria County 341 deaths · TX Ocean County 341 deaths · NJ Spokane County 341 deaths · WA

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.