How many traffic fatalities occurred in Virginia Beach (City) County, Virginia?

Virginia Beach (City) County recorded 231 total traffic fatalities across 219 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 37 fatalities. The county averages approximately 25.7 fatalities per year.

What is the leading cause of road fatalities in Virginia Beach (City) County?

Despite a comparatively active crash history (219 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Virginia Beach (City) County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for Virginia may provide additional context.

Is the trend of road fatalities in Virginia Beach (City) County increasing or decreasing?

The trend in Virginia Beach (City) 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 Virginia Beach (City) County?

Virginia Beach (City) County has a fatality rate of 8.2 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 Virginia Beach (City) County compare to the rest of Virginia?

Virginia Beach (City) County's per-capita rate of 8.2 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 Virginia Beach (City) 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

Virginia Beach (City) County, Virginia

Road fatality data for Virginia Beach (City) County (VA). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

231
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 37
Latest Year Deaths: 8.2
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Virginia Beach (City) County ranks #1,948 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #79 of 105 rated counties in VA. Virginia Beach (City) County's fatality rate of 8.2 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#1,948 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #79 of 105
in VA by rate: 83%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

Highway fatality milepost

Milepost VIRGINIA-BEA · Virginia Beach (City) 8.2/100k · #1,948 of 2,328

Virginia Beach (City) County · 8.2/100k · increasing · cause n/a

RANK 8.2/100k
BOOK #1,948 of 2,328
TREND 231 book
CAUSE Increasing
PHOTO near Contra Costa
VS-ST -54.6% 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 →

Baltimore …

8
Virginia B…

8
Contra Costa

8
Jefferson

8
Union

8

What this shows Virginia Beach (City) County sits among nearest nationwide per-capita peers.

How does Virginia Beach (City) County compare?

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

Compare with

Virginia Beach (City) County

8.2 per 100k

Virginia county average

18.0 per 100k

Virginia Beach (City) County is 54% 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, Virginia Beach (City) County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 18.0 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Virginia Beach (City) County's rate and the state average is 9.8 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Clarke County, at 32.3 per 100,000 (a difference of 24.1). 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).

Virginia Beach (City) County's rate vs. every rated U.S. county

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

8 Among the safer counties a lower per-capita rate than 83% 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

Virginia Beach (City) 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 Virginia Beach (City) 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 (8.2 here), outside Virginia.

Contra Costa County 8.2 /100k · CA Jefferson County 8.2 /100k · CO Union County 8.2 /100k · NC Baltimore (City) County 8.1 /100k · MD

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (231 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Butler County 231 deaths · OH Henry County 232 deaths · GA Lehigh County 227 deaths · PA Union County 235 deaths · NJ

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.