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Edition: FARS 2024, annual fileNHTSA released it on Release dates

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: fatal crash statistics

Counties of Pennsylvania by year (CSV)Cite this page

FARS records 137 deaths in 133 fatal crashes in Philadelphia County in 2024.

FARS records 1,196 deaths in 1,131 fatal crashes in the county from 2015 to 2024.

From 2015 to 2024 the rate is 7.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year.

The rate of Pennsylvania in the same years is 9.0.

By deaths from 2015 to 2024, Philadelphia County was number 1 of 67 counties of Pennsylvania.

Deaths in Philadelphia County rose by 21.1% between the ten years 2005 to 2014 (988) and the ten years 2015 to 2024 (1,196).

In the counties of Pennsylvania the deaths fell by 14.8% between the same years.

From 2015 to 2024, 0.6% of the fatal crashes in Philadelphia County with a known setting were rural, against 45.3% in Pennsylvania.

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 .

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

Figure 1.Deaths in Philadelphia 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.Philadelphia County: deaths and fatal crashes by year, 2015 to 2024
YearDeathsFatal crashesCrashes with a driver recorded as drinking
202413713316
202313512817
202214213317
202113312821
202016615425
2019918620
201810310016
2017949114
20161019313
2015948521
2015 to 20241,1961,131180
Each year from 1975
Figure 2.Deaths in Philadelphia County by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 171 (1975)2024: 137

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

Table 2.Philadelphia County: deaths and fatal crashes by year, 1975 to 2024
YearDeathsFatal crashes
2024137133
2023135128
2022142133
2021133128
2020166154
20199186
2018103100
20179491
201610193
20159485
20149789
20138984
201210797
20118783
20109384
20099584
20089288
2007125118
2006104100
20059996
2004121113
2003113107
2002122112
2001120114
2000122111
1999133119
199810496
1997149137
1996141133
1995147142
1994138131
1993135128
1992124115
1991134125
1990169158
1989167155
1988151140
1987119117
1986117116
1985118106
1984115106
198310997
1982124118
1981143130
198010295
1979124117
1978112107
1977117112
1976148142
1975171162

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.Philadelphia County beside Pennsylvania and the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents
PeriodPhiladelphia CountyPennsylvaniaUnited States
20248.78.611.5
2015 to 2024, in a year7.69.011.8

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. Philadelphia County had 1,572,735 residents in 2024.

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.Philadelphia County: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
FactorCountCounted amongShareShare in Pennsylvania
A driver recorded as drinkingof 1,131 fatal crashes1801,131 fatal crashes25.4%
A speeding-related driverof 1,131 fatal crashes3731,131 fatal crashes40.2%
No restraint usedof 215 occupant deaths with restraint use known147215 occupant deathswith restraint use known57.8%
Pedestriansof 1,196 deaths4351,196 deaths14.3%
Bicyclistsof 1,196 deaths471,196 deaths1.7%
Motorcyclistsof 1,196 deaths2061,196 deaths17.3%
On a rural roadof 1,130 fatal crashes with the condition reported71,130 fatal crasheswith the condition reported45.3%
In the darkof 1,130 fatal crashes with the condition reported6881,130 fatal crasheswith the condition reported43.6%

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 .

Weekday, time and road class

Table 5.Philadelphia County: fatal crashes by weekday and time of day, 2015 to 2024
WeekdayMidnight to 6 a.m.6 a.m. to noonNoon to 6 p.m.6 p.m. to midnightAll
Sunday86204462212
Monday46193155151
Tuesday30262650132
Wednesday27213256136
Thursday16183158123
Friday35323873178
Saturday75232668192
All days3151592284221,124

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.Philadelphia County: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function classFatal crashesShareShare in Pennsylvania
Interstate1029.1%9.9%
Other freeways and expressways141.2%3.2%
Other principal arterial53447.4%28.1%
Minor arterial17015.1%22.4%
Major collector302.7%13.1%
Minor collector40.4%4.2%
Local27324.2%19.1%
Not reported4n/an/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.Philadelphia County: fatal crashes by light condition, 2015 to 2024
Light conditionFatal crashes
Daylight394
Dark, not lighted27
Dark, lighted656
Dawn21
Dusk27
Dark, lighting unknown5
Other or unknown1 or 2
Table 8.Philadelphia County: fatal crashes by weather, 2015 to 2024
WeatherFatal crashes
Clear620
Cloudy19
Rain92
Snow, sleet or freezing rain5
Fog, smog or smoke3
Crosswinds or blowing sand/snow1 or 2
Other or not reported391

Routes in the county

Table 9.Signed routes in Philadelphia County that have a page: fatal crashes, 2015 to 2024
RouteTypeIn PhiladelphiaIn all of Pennsylvania
Interstate 76Interstate22123
Interstate 95Interstate55102
Interstate 476Interstate1 or 251
State Route 3State highway929
State Route 73State highway1032
State Route 291State highway720
State Route 309State highway1 or 281
State Route 611State highway57112
State Route 1001State highway731
State Route 1002State highway926
State Route 1003State highway1529
State Route 1004State highway1827
State Route 1005State highway1534
State Route 1009State highway1430
State Route 1011State highway1 or 220
State Route 1015State highway821
State Route 2001State highway1734
State Route 2004State highway324
State Route 2006State highway1 or 226
State Route 2007State highway1122
State Route 2009State highway2030
State Route 2014State highway1734
State Route 2016State highway1927
State Route 3003State highway320
State Route 3007State highway2143
State Route 3009State highway632
State Route 3015State highway1023
State Route 3017State highway426
State Route 4001State highway928
State Route 4002State highway725
State Route 4003State highway326
State Route 4004State highway1 or 222
US Route 1US highway88135
US Route 13US highway3385
US Route 30US highway5200

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 Pennsylvania

Adjacent counties

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

Figure 3.Philadelphia County on the county map of Pennsylvania

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

  • Fewer than 1019 counties
  • 10 to 14.928 counties
  • 15 to 19.917 counties
  • 20 to 29.92 counties
  • 30 or more1 county
  • Philadelphia County: 7.6

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 Pennsylvania

Table 10.Counties that share a boundary line with Philadelphia County
CountyStateDeaths, 2024Deaths, 2015 to 2024For each 100,000 residents in a year
Burlington CountyNew Jersey454459.7
Camden CountyNew Jersey374488.7
Gloucester CountyNew Jersey3236212.1
Bucks CountyPennsylvania455138.1
Delaware CountyPennsylvania322644.6
Montgomery CountyPennsylvania504205.0

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

Counties of similar population

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

Official channels

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

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: fatal crash statistics. https://fatalroads.com/county/pa/philadelphia/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to .

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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 . 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 Philadelphia in the ten years before 2015?

FARS records 988 deaths in Philadelphia County from 2005 to 2014. It records 1,196 deaths from 2015 to 2024.

What was the rate of Philadelphia in 2024?

The rate of Philadelphia County in 2024 was 8.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents. The rate of Pennsylvania was 8.6. The rate of the United States was 11.5.

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

FARS records a driver as drinking in 180 of 1,131 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 Philadelphia?

35 signed routes in the county have a page. FARS records 528 fatal crashes on them in the county from 2015 to 2024. The table of routes on this page gives the count for each route.