States › Missouri › Routes › US Route 61
US Route 61
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 158Deaths 174Counties 16Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
US Route 61 in Missouri was the trafficway in 158 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 174 people died.
That is 1.8% of the 8,801 fatal crashes in Missouri over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 25% from 126 in 2005–2014 to 158 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in Jefferson County (28), Lincoln County (23) and Marion County (18) and 13 other counties.
21.5% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Missouri: 27.5%) and 24.7% had a speeding-related driver (36.5%); pedestrians were 8.6% and motorcyclists 14.4% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Missouri
| Measure | US Route 61 | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 158 | 8,801 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 174 | 9,557 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 1.8% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +25% | +7% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-61 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson County | 28 | 18% | 324 |
| 2 | Lincoln County | 23 | 15% | 102 |
| 3 | Marion County | 18 | 11% | 43 |
| 4 | St. Charles County | 18 | 11% | 286 |
| 5 | Cape Girardeau County | 16 | 10% | 104 |
| 6 | New Madrid County | 11 | 7% | 60 |
| 7 | Scott County | 8 | 5% | 57 |
| 8 | St. Louis County | 7 | 4% | 827 |
| 9 | Pike County | 6 | 4% | 36 |
| 10 | Ralls County | 6 | 4% | 33 |
| 11 | Ste. Genevieve County | 6 | 4% | 45 |
| 12 | Lewis County | 4 | 3% | 15 |
| 13 | Perry County | 4 | 3% | 38 |
| 14 | Clark County | 1 | 1% | 18 |
| 15 | Howell County | 1 | 1% | 72 |
| 16 | Pemiscot County | 1 | 1% | 60 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 61 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Missouri share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 31 | 20% |
| Mile 15–20 | 29 | 18% |
| Mile 10–15 | 26 | 16% |
| Mile 5–10 | 25 | 16% |
| Mile 20–25 | 21 | 13% |
| Mile 25–30 | 14 | 9% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 94.9% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Missouri
- Interstate 70 346
- Interstate 44 272
- Interstate 55 178
- US Route 60 156
- US Route 63 150
- US Route 67 136
- US Route 54 118
- US Route 65 115
- US Route 50 111
- Interstate 435 101
- State Route 13 99
- Interstate 270 93
All routes and counties in Missouri
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 61 in Missouri?
158 fatal crashes with 174 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 61 had the most fatal crashes?
Jefferson County (28), Lincoln County (23), Marion County (18), St. Charles County (18) and Cape Girardeau County (16).
What share of crashes on US Route 61 involved alcohol or speeding?
21.5% had a driver reported as drinking and 24.7% a speeding-related driver, against 27.5% and 36.5% for all fatal crashes in Missouri.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 61?
47.8% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.