NATIONAL RANKING

Deadliest States for Driving

All 51 US states ranked by road fatality rate per 100,000 population, from deadliest to safest. NHTSA FARS data.

Mississippi
#1 Deadliest State
24.9
Highest rate per 100k

Mississippi

#1 deadliest state at 24.9 per 100k residents

20.1

National average per 100k (50 states plus DC)

1.4x

Gap between deadliest (MS) and safest (LA) state

Top 10 Deadliest States by Fatality Rate

Road deaths per 100,000 population. Higher values indicate more dangerous roads relative to population size.

per 100k

What this shows Mississippi leads with a fatality rate of 24.9 per 100,000 residents, compared to a national average of 20.1.

Source NHTSA FARS As of 2023
# State Rate / 100K VMT Rate Total Fatalities Latest Year Drunk % Speed % Trend
1 Mississippi (MS) 24.9 1.8 6,303 732 18.7% 14.8% ↑ increasing
2 Wyoming (WY) 24.7 1.5 1,153 144 31.3% 31.0% ↑ increasing
3 New Mexico (NM) 20.7 1.6 3,684 437 23.8% 24.6% ↓ decreasing
4 South Carolina (SC) 19.5 1.7 9,435 1,047 31.1% 41.1% ↓ decreasing
5 Arkansas (AR) 19.4 1.5 5,243 596 24.0% 22.0% ↓ decreasing
6 Alabama (AL) 19.1 1.4 8,643 974 21.9% 26.7% ↔ stable
7 Tennessee (TN) 18.6 1.6 10,379 1,323 24.3% 16.2% ↔ stable
8 Montana (MT) 18.4 1.5 1,840 208 43.5% 33.2% ↓ decreasing
9 Kentucky (KY) 18.0 1.7 6,977 814 23.5% 16.3% ↑ increasing
10 Louisiana (LA) 17.7 1.5 7,293 811 29.5% 19.9% ↓ decreasing

Understanding Fatality Rates

The fatality rate per 100,000 population normalizes crash deaths by state population, enabling fair comparisons between large and small states. A higher rate means more road deaths relative to the number of people living there. The VMT rate (per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) accounts for driving volume, which can provide additional context — a state may have a high per-capita rate partly because its residents drive more miles.

Safest States → ← Rankings Hub

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Rates are per 100,000 population