Two states, side by side
Compare the fatal crash rates of two states
Pick two states and see each one’s fatal crashes, residents and rate per 100,000, and the rate per 100 million miles driven, next to each other, with the five-year average and what the record says about those crashes. No winner is declared: both sets of inputs are on the page.
Texas and California (example)
In 2024, NHTSA recorded 3,774 fatal crashes in Texas, where 31,318,578 people lived: 12.1 per 100,000, and 1.2 per 100 million miles driven. In 2024, NHTSA recorded 3,583 fatal crashes in California, where 39,364,774 people lived: 9.1 per 100,000, and 1.1 per 100 million miles driven. The United States as a whole was 10.7 per 100,000 and 1.1 per 100 million miles.
The road is a scale of fatal crashes per 100,000 residents in 2024, 0 to 40. The yellow post is Texas; the white posts are California and the United States.
| Figure | Texas | California |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2024 | 3,774 | 3,583 |
| Deaths in those crashes, 2024 | 4,160 | 3,876 |
| Residents, 2024 (Census) | 31,318,578 | 39,364,774 |
| Per 100,000 residents, 2024 | 12.1 | 9.1 |
| Vehicle-miles, 2024 (millions, FHWA) | 308,461 | 325,959 |
| Per 100 million vehicle-miles, 2024 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Five-year average per 100,000, 2020 to 2024 | 12.7 | 9.9 |
| Fatal crashes, 2020 to 2024 | 19,209 | 19,496 |
| Rural share of fatal crashes | 36% | 26% |
| On an interstate | 15% | 14% |
| Dark, not lighted | 32% | 26% |
| Involving a pedestrian | 20% | 29% |
| Involving a cyclist | 2% | 4% |
| Speeding reported | 35% | 32% |
| Driver drinking reported | 22% | 23% |
| Involving a large truck | 17% | 10% |
| Involving a motorcycle | 14% | 15% |
| Hit-and-run | 9% | 12% |
| Involving a teen driver (15 to 19) | 10% | 8% |
| On a Saturday or Sunday | 35% | 35% |
Shares are of each state’s fatal crashes over 2020 to 2024, counted from FARS fields. “Speeding” is any vehicle coded speeding-related; “drinking” is police-reported, not blood alcohol.
- Formula
- fatal crashes ÷ residents × 100,000 · fatal crashes ÷ vehicle-miles × 100,000,000
- Texas
- 3,774 ÷ 31,318,578 × 100,000 = 12.1 · 3,774 ÷ 308,461 million miles × 100 = 1.2 · five-year 19,209 ÷ 150,966,394 × 100,000 = 12.7
- California
- 3,583 ÷ 39,364,774 × 100,000 = 9.1 · 3,583 ÷ 325,959 million miles × 100 = 1.1 · five-year 19,496 ÷ 196,352,523 × 100,000 = 9.9
How the comparison is built
- Same inputs as every state page: fatal crashes from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (2020 to 2024, the latest year an Annual Report File), residents from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates, vehicle-miles from FHWA’s table VM-2. Nothing is recomputed for the comparison.
- Two rates: per 100,000 residents, and per 100 million vehicle-miles in the form of 23 CFR 490.207. The per-mile rate adjusts for how much people drive; the two can disagree, and both are shown.
- No verdict. The page prints two sets of rates and their inputs. It does not call either state safer, rank them or grade them; roads carry people who do not live there, and one crash can move a small place by many points.
- Gaps: crashes coded to an unknown county are in the state’s count. The latest year is NHTSA’s Annual Report File, revised when the final file replaces it.
Informational only, not professional advice. Last reviewed: October 2026. Snapshot built 2026-10-30.
Frequently asked questions
Which state is safer?
The page does not say. It prints two sets of inputs and two rates each. A state with long rural highways, more miles driven per person and more through-traffic will record more fatal crashes per resident without any one road or driver being more dangerous, which is why the per-mile rate is beside the per-resident one.
Which rate should I read, per resident or per mile?
Per 100 million vehicle-miles is the form federal highway performance rules use (23 CFR 490.207) and it adjusts for how much people drive. Per 100,000 residents is the form most news stories use. The page shows both so neither is read alone.
Where do the vehicle-miles come from?
FHWA Highway Statistics table VM-2, total annual vehicle-miles by state, for the same year as the crashes. FHWA publishes no county vehicle-miles, so the county comparison has no per-mile row.
Why is the latest year marked as provisional?
The latest FARS year is the Annual Report File. NHTSA replaces it with a final file about a year later, and the counts move slightly. The page says which it used.
Related tools
Type a county and see its fatal crash rate: NHTSA fatal crashes divided by Census population, per 100,000, with every input shown. State pages add the rate per 100 million miles.
Open tool →Compare Fatal Crash Rates of Two CountiesTwo counties side by side: NHTSA fatal crashes, Census population, the rate per 100,000 and the five-year average for each, with what the record says about those crashes. No ranking.
Open tool →Crash Rate CalculatorType a crash count and a population and get the rate per 100,000 residents, and per 100 million vehicle-miles if you have the miles, with the formula written out and worked on your numbers.
Open tool →