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

Kentucky fatal crash statistics by county

This record uses FARS 2024. Read counts, rates and file versions before comparing periods.

Counties by year (CSV)Cite this page

FARS records 707 deaths in 663 fatal crashes in Kentucky in 2024.

In 2024 the rate is 15.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in Kentucky and 11.5 in the United States.

In 2024 the rate is 1.44 deaths for each 100 million vehicle-miles in Kentucky and 1.19 in the United States.

By deaths for each 100,000 residents in 2024, Kentucky was number 13 of 51, the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Deaths in Kentucky fell by 13.1% from 2023 to 2024. In the United States they fell by 4.3%.

From 2015 to 2024, 66.4% of the fatal crashes in Kentucky with a known setting were rural, against 42.7% in the United States.

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 Kentucky by year, 2015 to 2024

Table 2 has the numbers. Go to the table

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

County map

Figure 2.Counties of Kentucky by deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year, 2015 to 2024
Adair County: 23.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAllen County: 25.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAnderson County: 12.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBallard County: 42.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBarren County: 21.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBath County: 26.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBell County: 23.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBoone County: 8.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBourbon County: 29.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBoyd County: 8.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBoyle County: 13.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBracken County: 22.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBreathitt County: 37.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBreckinridge County: 26.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBullitt County: 14.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearButler County: 33.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCaldwell County: 29.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCalloway County: 15.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCampbell County: 9.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCarlisle County: 29.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCarroll County: 30.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCarter County: 20.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCasey County: 19.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearChristian County: 16.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearClark County: 18.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearClay County: 27.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearClinton County: 29.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCrittenden County: 27.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCumberland County: 26.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDaviess County: 11.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearEdmonson County: 19.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearElliott County: 18.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearEstill County: 11.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFayette County: 11.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFleming County: 11.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFloyd County: 29.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFranklin County: 10.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFulton County: 20.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGallatin County: 37.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGarrard County: 17.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGrant County: 19.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGraves County: 20.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGrayson County: 32.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGreen County: 27.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGreenup County: 9.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHancock County: 19.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHardin County: 18.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHarlan County: 20.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHarrison County: 12.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHart County: 28.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHenderson County: 17.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHenry County: 25.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHickman County: 22.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHopkins County: 17.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJackson County: 28.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJefferson County: 14.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJessamine County: 12.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJohnson County: 14.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearKenton County: 6.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearKnott County: 20.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearKnox County: 17.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLarue County: 29.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLaurel County: 21.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLawrence County: 23.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLee County: 22.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLeslie County: 26.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLetcher County: 22.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLewis County: 35.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLincoln County: 24.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLivingston County: 22.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLogan County: 19.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLyon County: 38.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMcCracken County: 19.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMcCreary County: 26.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMcLean County: 19.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMadison County: 11.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMagoffin County: 28.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMarion County: 26.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMarshall County: 26.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMartin County: 15.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMason County: 20.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMeade County: 26.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMenifee County: 34.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMercer County: 18.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMetcalfe County: 19.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMonroe County: 11.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMontgomery County: 22.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMorgan County: 18.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMuhlenberg County: 22.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNelson County: 24.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNicholas County: 32.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOhio County: 24.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOldham County: 8.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOwen County: 25.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOwsley County: 35.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPendleton County: 14.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPerry County: 30.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPike County: 27.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPowell County: 32.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPulaski County: 20.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRobertson County: 22.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRockcastle County: 34.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRowan County: 16.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRussell County: 17.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearScott County: 14.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearShelby County: 13.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSimpson County: 24.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSpencer County: 12.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTaylor County: 20.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTodd County: 35.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTrigg County: 29.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTrimble County: 28.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearUnion County: 20.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWarren County: 13.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWashington County: 27.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWayne County: 23.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWebster County: 23.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWhitley County: 23.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWolfe County: 58.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWoodford County: 20.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

Deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

  • Fewer than 106 counties
  • 10 to 14.919 counties
  • 15 to 19.922 counties
  • 20 to 29.957 counties
  • 30 or more16 counties

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.

In words: 6 counties have a rate of fewer than 10; 19 counties have a rate of 10 to 14.9; 22 counties have a rate of 15 to 19.9; 57 counties have a rate of 20 to 29.9; 16 counties have a rate of 30 or more. Table 1 has the rate of each county.

Counties

Table 1.Kentucky: deaths and rate of each county, in name order
CountyResidentsDeaths, 2024Deaths, 2015 to 2024For each 100,000 residents in a year
Adair County19,23564523.5
Allen County22,09535325.1
Anderson County24,9581 or 22912.4
Ballard County7,6081 or 23342.2
Barren County45,41279521.4
Bath County12,97043326.2
Bell County23,00535823.1
Boone County143,49061198.8
Bourbon County20,33745929.3
Boyd County47,9481 or 2418.6
Boyle County31,29784213.8
Bracken County8,46201922.7
Breathitt County12,75144937.4
Breckinridge County21,26445426.3
Bullitt County85,7651011614.1
Butler County12,48054233.4
Caldwell County12,58853729.2
Calloway County38,90245815.1
Campbell County94,0543889.4
Carlisle County4,76401429.4
Carroll County11,1111 or 23330.5
Carter County26,19565620.9
Casey County16,05333119.5
Christian County71,4361112016.7
Clark County37,68496718.3
Clay County19,5551 or 25627.8
Clinton County9,17232929.9
Crittenden County8,9751 or 22527.8
Cumberland County6,03701726.9
Daviess County104,275812111.9
Edmonson County12,66232419.6
Elliott County7,2701 or 21418.9
Estill County13,9451 or 21611.3
Fayette County327,0713736911.5
Fleming County15,6481 or 21711.4
Floyd County34,630910429.0
Franklin County52,39735110.0
Fulton County6,26001320.8
Gallatin County8,7641 or 23337.8
Garrard County17,94843017.1
Grant County25,73265019.8
Graves County36,79877520.3
Grayson County27,17938632.5
Green County11,54873127.7
Greenup County35,2505349.6
Hancock County9,0181 or 21719.1
Hardin County112,6442519918.0
Harlan County25,04645420.6
Harrison County19,4671 or 22312.2
Hart County19,9101 or 25528.7
Henderson County44,34857817.3
Henry County16,20234125.8
Hickman County4,39001022.3
Hopkins County45,021118017.7
Jackson County13,2941 or 23728.0
Jefferson County794,1661131,08814.0
Jessamine County56,31636512.1
Johnson County22,1331 or 23314.7
Kenton County174,44171086.4
Knott County13,46343020.6
Knox County29,65235317.3
Larue County15,15644329.3
Laurel County63,2441813221.4
Lawrence County15,8251 or 23723.3
Lee County7,29341622.3
Leslie County9,7491 or 22726.5
Letcher County20,20744822.3
Lewis County12,91264735.6
Lincoln County25,05386024.5
Livingston County8,84742022.1
Logan County28,44945319.3
Lyon County9,07743338.4
Madison County99,600910911.7
Magoffin County11,17143428.5
Marion County19,9981 or 25226.7
Marshall County31,65588426.7
Martin County10,6831 or 21715.0
Mason County16,91473420.0
McCracken County67,7321612719.1
McCreary County16,9231 or 24626.7
McLean County9,0811 or 21819.6
Meade County30,49757826.7
Menifee County6,3291 or 22234.7
Mercer County23,49934218.8
Metcalfe County10,53702019.6
Monroe County11,1561 or 21211.0
Montgomery County28,81346422.7
Morgan County14,2331 or 22518.3
Muhlenberg County30,57256822.1
Nelson County48,6091011224.0
Nicholas County7,75232432.3
Ohio County23,90055824.2
Oldham County70,6004598.7
Owen County11,46532825.3
Owsley County3,9301 or 21535.7
Pendleton County14,8011 or 22114.3
Perry County26,8051 or 28330.7
Pike County55,3581916227.9
Powell County12,86154132.4
Pulaski County66,9591813620.9
Robertson County2,3521 or 2522.7
Rockcastle County16,21265734.6
Rowan County24,5261 or 24116.7
Russell County18,5491 or 23217.8
Scott County61,724148514.9
Shelby County50,482106713.9
Simpson County20,41854624.1
Spencer County20,7071 or 22412.4
Taylor County26,81135420.8
Todd County12,78754435.5
Trigg County14,51334329.9
Trimble County8,6391 or 22428.0
Union County13,1271 or 22820.0
Warren County146,5662117813.2
Washington County12,31033327.3
Wayne County19,56344823.9
Webster County12,87233023.2
Whitley County37,205128523.3
Wolfe County6,2631 or 24058.7
Woodford County27,68445620.9

Note: the rate is for the ten years 2015 to 2024. Residents: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. A count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2", and no rate is given for it.

Download: the deaths and fatal crashes of each county by year, 1975 to 2024 (CSV)

Each year

Figure 3.Deaths in Kentucky by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 985 (2005)2024: 707

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

Table 2.Kentucky: deaths, fatal crashes and rates by year, 1975 to 2024
YearDeathsFatal crashesFor each 100,000 residentsFor each 100 million vehicle-miles
202470766315.41.44
202381476717.91.66
202274469316.51.55
202180673417.91.68
202078070917.31.68
201973266716.41.48
201872466416.21.46
201778272117.61.59
201683476318.81.69
201576169417.21.56
201467261215.2n/a
201363859014.5n/a
201274669417.0n/a
201172066916.5n/a
201076069417.5n/a
200979173018.3n/a
200882575119.2n/a
200786480320.3n/a
200691383721.6n/a
200598588523.5n/a
200496485423.3n/a
200392884522.5n/a
200291581022.4n/a
200184576220.8n/a
200082072120.3n/a
1999814724n/an/a
1998858766n/an/a
1997857774n/an/a
1996842734n/an/a
1995849732n/an/a
1994778693n/an/a
1993871761n/an/a
1992815718n/an/a
1991826722n/an/a
1990849753n/an/a
1989772686n/an/a
1988838717n/an/a
1987844768n/an/a
1986805723n/an/a
1985712624n/an/a
1984754674n/an/a
1983778690n/an/a
1982822726n/an/a
1981812720n/an/a
1980820746n/an/a
1979896795n/an/a
1978878772n/an/a
1977940796n/an/a
1976854748n/an/a
1975863751n/an/a

Note: each year is a link to the page of that year. The rate for residents starts in 2000. The rate for vehicle-miles starts in 2015.

Two rates

One rate divides the deaths by the residents. The other rate divides the deaths by the miles that vehicles travel in the state.

Table 3.Kentucky beside the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents and for each 100 million vehicle-miles
RatePeriodKentuckyUnited States
For each 100,000 residents202415.411.5
For each 100,000 residents2015 to 2024, in a year17.111.8
For each 100 million vehicle-miles20241.441.19
For each 100 million vehicle-miles2015 to 20241.581.23

Residents: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. Kentucky had 4,584,046 residents in 2024.

Vehicle-miles: Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, table VM-2. Kentucky had 49,168 million vehicle-miles in 2024. Table VM-2 of 2024

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.Kentucky: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
FactorCountCounted amongShareShare in the United States
A driver recorded as drinkingof 7,075 fatal crashes1,7897,075 fatal crashes26.3%
A speeding-related driverof 7,075 fatal crashes1,1447,075 fatal crashes27.2%
No restraint usedof 5,661 occupant deaths with restraint use known2,9745,661 occupant deathswith restraint use known49.0%
Pedestriansof 7,684 deaths8527,684 deaths17.1%
Bicyclistsof 7,684 deaths947,684 deaths2.4%
Motorcyclistsof 7,684 deaths1,0087,684 deaths14.5%
On a rural roadof 7,064 fatal crashes with the condition reported4,6937,064 fatal crasheswith the condition reported42.7%
In the darkof 7,056 fatal crashes with the condition reported2,8597,056 fatal crasheswith the condition reported49.2%

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.Kentucky: 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
Sunday2681563092861,019
Monday123224360266973
Tuesday118232313254917
Wednesday116229344258947
Thursday1372453592741,015
Friday1412103833601,094
Saturday2091893413671,106
All days1,1121,4852,4092,0657,071

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.Kentucky: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function classFatal crashesShareShare in the United States
Interstate76210.8%12.6%
Other freeways and expressways1522.2%4.4%
Other principal arterial1,57222.3%29.8%
Minor arterial1,44320.4%22.1%
Major collector1,33618.9%15.5%
Minor collector73810.5%3.4%
Local1,05514.9%12.2%
Not reported17n/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

Routes

62 signed routes in Kentucky have a page. A route page needs 20 or more fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024.

All routes in Kentucky

Interstate routes

Official channels

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

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. Kentucky fatal crash statistics by county. https://fatalroads.com/state/kentucky/. 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. Vehicle-miles: Federal Highway Administration, table VM-2. Map: Census Bureau cartographic boundary file, 2021 edition. Data to .

How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections. All states by year (CSV).

Questions

How many deaths did FARS record in Kentucky in ten years?

FARS records 7,684 deaths in 7,075 fatal crashes in Kentucky from 2015 to 2024. It records 7,914 deaths from 2005 to 2014.

What part of the deaths in the United States was in Kentucky?

Kentucky had 707 of the 39,254 deaths in the United States in 2024. That is 1.8 percent.

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

FARS records a driver as drinking in 1,789 of 7,075 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 1,144 of them.

How many pages does Kentucky have?

Kentucky has 120 county pages, 62 route pages and one page for each year from 1975 to 2024.