State Data

When exploring motor-vehicle fatality trends among states, several different fatality rate estimates are available to assess relative risk. The first option is to calculate the total number of motor-vehicle deaths among state residents per 100,000 population. This population rate estimate is most valuable when assessing the risk of motor-vehicle death for residents in a particular state. The second option is to calculate the number of traffic deaths occurring in a state per 100 million vehicle miles. This analysis is most appropriate when assessing the risk of traffic deaths in a particular state. The third option is to calculate the number of traffic deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles. This rate calculation helps control for differences in the number of vehicles registered among states. The three rate calculations provide different perspectives of fatality risk among states.

In 2024, regardless of the type of rate used, Mississippi had the highest death rates. Massachusetts had the lowest traffic death rate per 100,000,000 vehicle miles and all motor-vehicle death rate per 100,000 population. New York had the lowest traffic death rate per 10,000 motor vehicles.

Source: Motor-vehicle traffic deaths are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. All motor-vehicle deaths are from the National Center for Health Statistics; motor-vehicle mileage and registration are from the Federal Highway Administration; population data are from the U.S. Census Bureau.