How many traffic fatalities occurred in Wake County, North Carolina?

Wake County recorded 625 total traffic fatalities across 580 reported crashes over the data period (2016-2023). The most recent year saw 102 fatalities. The county averages approximately 69.4 fatalities per year.

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

Despite a comparatively active crash history (580 recorded crashes), individual cause-code breakdowns are not published for Wake County in the current FARS release. Statewide data for North Carolina may provide additional context.

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

The trend in Wake 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 Wake County?

Wake 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 Wake County compare to the rest of North Carolina?

Wake County's per-capita rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents is below the North Carolina county average of 18.8. Visit the North Carolina state page for the full county-by-county breakdown.

Where does the road fatality data for Wake 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

Wake County, North Carolina

Road fatality data for Wake County (NC). Data period: 2016-2023.

Compiled by PlainRoadSafety · August 9, 2026

625
Total Fatalities (2016-2023): 102
Latest Year Deaths: 8.6
Per 100k Residents: Increasing
Trend

The verdict

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Wake County ranks #1,908 of 2,328 U.S. counties by road-fatality rate per 100,000 residents (highest first) and #85 of 94 rated counties in NC. Wake County's fatality rate of 8.6 per 100,000 residents leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure.

#1,908 of 2,328
national by fatality rate: #85 of 94
in NC by rate: 82%
of rated U.S. counties are deadlier per capita: Increasing
fatality trend

FARS milepost strip

Milepost WAKE-183 · Wake 8.6/100k · #1,908 of 2,328

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

VOL 8.6/100k
AVG #1,908 of 2,328
YOY 625 book
RATE Increasing
RANK near Boulder
BOOK -54.2% vs NC

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 → · North Carolina state profile →

Wake

9
Boulder

9
Summit

9
Ventura

9
Baldwin

9

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

How does Wake County compare?

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

Compare with

Wake County

8.6 per 100k

North Carolina county average

18.8 per 100k

Wake 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 North Carolina, Wake County ranks 15 for per-capita risk, below the state's own per-capita average of 18.8 per 100,000 -- nationally, this rate leaves it safer than most U.S. counties by that per-capita measure. The gap between Wake County's rate and the state average is 10.2 per 100,000. Its closest per-capita peer statewide is Edgecombe County, at 28.7 per 100,000 (a difference of 20.1). Its peer counties, highest to lowest per 100,000 residents: Robeson County (55.4), Scotland County (52.4), Montgomery County (49.8), Bertie County (47.3), Halifax County (44.4), Sampson County (41.9), Duplin County (38.4), Warren County (37.2), Alexander County (32.9), Anson County (32.0), Columbus County (31.9), Bladen County (30.5), Gates County (29.0), Edgecombe County (28.7).

Wake 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

Wake County's rate vs. the North Carolina state average

← Back to North Carolina 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 Wake 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 North Carolina.

Boulder County 8.6 /100k · CO Summit County 8.6 /100k · OH Ventura County 8.6 /100k · CA Baldwin County 8.7 /100k · AL

Similar fatality volume

Nearest counties by recorded FARS deaths (625 here), excluding the rate-peer set.

Pierce County 627 deaths · WA Tulsa County 637 deaths · OK Mobile County 612 deaths · AL Nassau County 611 deaths · NY

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.