Denver County, Colorado: fatal crash statistics

Counties of Colorado by year (CSV)Cite this page

FARS records 63 deaths in 62 fatal crashes in Denver County in 2024.

FARS records 608 deaths in 581 fatal crashes in the county from 2015 to 2024.

From 2015 to 2024 the rate is 8.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year.

The rate of Colorado in the same years is 11.4.

By deaths from 2015 to 2024, Denver County was number 3 of 64 counties of Colorado.

Deaths in Denver County rose by 52.0% between the ten years 2005 to 2014 (400) and the ten years 2015 to 2024 (608).

In the counties of Colorado the deaths rose by 29.1% between the same years.

From 2015 to 2024, 0.0% of the fatal crashes in Denver County with a known setting were rural, against 39.1% in Colorado.

To qualify as a FARS case, the crash had to involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.
The set of first files, known as the Annual Report File (ARF), is released following the crash year. The ARF is replaced about a year later with a final file, which contains additional cases or updates to cases that had become available after the ARF was released.
NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on 2 Oct 2026.

This page rests on the FARS 2024 annual file. NHTSA released it on 1 Apr 2026. NHTSA can revise the counts in the final file. Release dates

Figure 1.Deaths in Denver County by year, 2015 to 2024

Table 1 has the numbers. Go to the table

Since the last update: no figure of this county has a change on record.

Deaths and fatal crashes by year

Table 1.Denver County: deaths and fatal crashes by year, 2015 to 2024
Year	Deaths	Fatal crashes	Crashes with a driver recorded as drinking
2024	63	62	25
2023	76	71	29
2022	74	71	24
2021	68	64	27
2020	51	50	13
2019	61	57	17
2018	60	58	19
2017	49	48	18
2016	54	49	16
2015	52	51	17
2015 to 2024	608	581	205

Each year from 1975

Figure 2.Deaths in Denver County by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 83 (2000)2024: 63

The columns with a stronger shade are the years 2015 to 2024.

Table 2.Denver County: deaths and fatal crashes by year, 1975 to 2024
Year	Deaths	Fatal crashes
2024	63	62
2023	76	71
2022	74	71
2021	68	64
2020	51	50
2019	61	57
2018	60	58
2017	49	48
2016	54	49
2015	52	51
2014	42	40
2013	40	37
2012	36	34
2011	33	31
2010	40	35
2009	36	35
2008	46	45
2007	39	39
2006	35	31
2005	53	52
2004	60	58
2003	56	54
2002	65	63
2001	65	62
2000	83	82
1999	52	45
1998	49	46
1997	68	65
1996	59	56
1995	61	54
1994	57	55
1993	42	42
1992	53	53
1991	35	35
1990	47	47
1989	48	46
1988	41	39
1987	47	46
1986	52	49
1985	50	48
1984	52	47
1983	55	53
1982	68	65
1981	80	78
1980	73	69
1979	75	70
1978	68	61
1977	63	59
1976	66	58
1975	53	49

Note: a count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2". A death is in FARS when it occurs in 30 days or less after the crash.

Rate for each 100,000 residents

Table 3.Denver County beside Colorado and the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents
Period	Denver County	Colorado	United States
2024	8.5	11.5	11.5
2015 to 2024, in a year	8.5	11.4	11.8

Note: the rate divides the deaths in the county by its residents. Persons who do not live in the county are in the deaths, not in the residents.

Population: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. Denver County had 741,591 residents in 2024.

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.Denver County: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
Factor	Count	Counted among	Share	Share in Colorado
A driver recorded as drinkingof 581 fatal crashes	205	581 fatal crashes	35.3%	34.1%
A speeding-related driverof 581 fatal crashes	208	581 fatal crashes	35.8%	35.4%
No restraint usedof 222 occupant deaths with restraint use known	120	222 occupant deathswith restraint use known	54.1%	54.5%
Pedestriansof 608 deaths	177	608 deaths	29.1%	14.1%
Bicyclistsof 608 deaths	23	608 deaths	3.8%	2.5%
Motorcyclistsof 608 deaths	126	608 deaths	20.7%	19.4%
On a rural roadof 577 fatal crashes with the condition reported	0	577 fatal crasheswith the condition reported	0.0%	39.1%
In the darkof 581 fatal crashes with the condition reported	348	581 fatal crasheswith the condition reported	59.9%	45.1%

Note: FARS records a driver as drinking when police reported alcohol involvement or a test of the driver was positive for alcohol. It is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure, which uses a blood alcohol concentration of .08 g/dL or higher. One crash can be in two or more rows. NHTSA's definitions

Note that alcohol data is often missing. For that reason, this data element may under-count the actual number of drinking drivers.

NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on 2 Oct 2026.

Weekday, time and road class

Table 5.Denver County: fatal crashes by weekday and time of day, 2015 to 2024
Weekday	Midnight to 6 a.m.	6 a.m. to noon	Noon to 6 p.m.	6 p.m. to midnight	All
Sunday	38	6	13	40	97
Monday	22	15	11	28	76
Tuesday	13	7	20	18	58
Wednesday	11	13	20	33	77
Thursday	14	24	12	24	74
Friday	17	18	15	38	88
Saturday	35	12	19	45	111
All days	150	95	110	226	581

Note: a cell with a stronger shade has a larger count. The table has the fatal crashes with a known hour and weekday.

Table 6.Denver County: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function class	Fatal crashes	Share	Share in Colorado
Interstate	93	16.1%	14.9%
Other freeways and expressways	27	4.7%	4.6%
Other principal arterial	264	45.8%	39.3%
Minor arterial	110	19.1%	19.3%
Major collector	37	6.4%	10.2%
Minor collector	0	0.0%	2.8%
Local	46	8.0%	8.9%
Not reported	4	n/a	n/a

Note: the classes are those of the Federal Highway Administration. The shares are of the crashes with a reported class. Road function classes

Light condition and weather

Table 7.Denver County: fatal crashes by light condition, 2015 to 2024
Light condition	Fatal crashes
Daylight	207
Dark, not lighted	14
Dark, lighted	334
Dawn	9
Dusk	17
Dark, lighting unknown	0
Other or unknown	0

Table 8.Denver County: fatal crashes by weather, 2015 to 2024
Weather	Fatal crashes
Clear	280
Cloudy	17
Rain	10
Snow, sleet or freezing rain	6
Fog, smog or smoke	0
Crosswinds or blowing sand/snow	0
Other or not reported	268

Routes in the county

Table 9.Signed routes in Denver County that have a page: fatal crashes, 2015 to 2024
Route	Type	In Denver	In all of Colorado
Interstate 25	Interstate	45	382
Interstate 70	Interstate	40	313
Interstate 225	Interstate	5	31
State Route 2	State highway	28	30
State Route 30	State highway	9	42
State Route 83	State highway	6	71
State Route 88	State highway	35	46
State Route 95	State highway	23	49
State Route 121	State highway	1 or 2	62
State Route 470	State highway	1 or 2	41
US Route 6	US highway	5	109
US Route 40	US highway	45	176
US Route 85	US highway	13	146
US Route 285	US highway	5	103
US Route 287	US highway	10	177

Note: the table has each route with a page that has a fatal crash in the county, in name order. Local streets and county roads have no page. Their crashes are in the county totals. All routes in Colorado

Adjacent counties

These lists are for navigation. They are in name order.

Figure 3.Denver County on the county map of Colorado

Deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year, 2015 to 2024

Fewer than 108 counties
10 to 14.99 counties
15 to 19.917 counties
20 to 29.912 counties
30 or more18 counties
Denver County: 8.5

The limits of the classes are the same for every state. A county with few residents can show a high rate from few deaths. A class is not a judgement of a county. The full map and the table of counties of Colorado

Table 10.Counties that share a boundary line with Denver County
County	State	Deaths, 2024	Deaths, 2015 to 2024	For each 100,000 residents in a year
Adams County	Colorado	84	635	12.3
Arapahoe County	Colorado	55	501	7.7
Jefferson County	Colorado	54	478	8.3

Source of the list: Census Bureau county adjacency file, 2026 edition.

Counties of similar population

These counties of Colorado have a population nearest to that of Denver County. The list is for navigation and is in name order. The number is the deaths from 2015 to 2024.

Official channels

NHTSA Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST)NHTSA's query tool for FARS counts.
NHTSA FARS EncyclopediaNHTSA's tables of FARS data.
Colorado Office of Transportation SafetyThe highway safety office of Colorado.

These links go to the sites of the agencies. They were checked on 2 Oct 2026.

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. Denver County, Colorado: fatal crash statistics. https://fatalroads.com/county/co/denver/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to 31 Dec 2024.

The address of this page does not change.

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Source of the figures

Counts: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national files of 1975 to 2024. The factors use the vehicle and person files from 2015. Residents: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, vintage 2025. Map: Census Bureau cartographic boundary file, 2021 edition. Data to 31 Dec 2024. The figures are totals. No page of this site is about one crash or one person.

How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections.

Questions

How many deaths did FARS record in Denver in the ten years before 2015?

FARS records 400 deaths in Denver County from 2005 to 2014. It records 608 deaths from 2015 to 2024.

What was the rate of Denver in 2024?

The rate of Denver County in 2024 was 8.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents. The rate of Colorado was 11.5. The rate of the United States was 11.5.

How many fatal crashes in Denver had a driver recorded as drinking?

FARS records a driver as drinking in 205 of 581 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. This count is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure. NHTSA says that alcohol data is often missing, so the count may be too low.

How many fatal crashes did FARS record on signed routes in Denver?

15 signed routes in the county have a page. FARS records 273 fatal crashes on them in the county from 2015 to 2024. The table of routes on this page gives the count for each route.