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

Massachusetts 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 363 deaths in 349 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in 2024.

In 2024 the rate is 5.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 11.5 in the United States.

In 2024 the rate is 0.59 deaths for each 100 million vehicle-miles in Massachusetts and 1.19 in the United States.

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

Deaths in Massachusetts rose by 6.1% from 2023 to 2024. In the United States they fell by 4.3%.

From 2015 to 2024, 6.6% of the fatal crashes in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts by deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year, 2015 to 2024
Barnstable County: 6.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBerkshire County: 9.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBristol County: 7.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDukes County: 5.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearEssex County: 4.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFranklin County: 10.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHampden County: 9.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHampshire County: 5.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMiddlesex County: 3.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNantucket County: 4.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNorfolk County: 5.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPlymouth County: 7.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSuffolk County: 3.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWorcester County: 6.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

Deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

  • Fewer than 1013 counties
  • 10 to 14.91 county
  • 15 to 19.90 counties
  • 20 to 29.90 counties
  • 30 or more0 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: 13 counties have a rate of fewer than 10; 1 county has a rate of 10 to 14.9; 0 counties have a rate of 15 to 19.9; 0 counties have a rate of 20 to 29.9; 0 counties have a rate of 30 or more. Table 1 has the rate of each county.

Counties

Table 1.Massachusetts: deaths and rate of each county, in name order
CountyResidentsDeaths, 2024Deaths, 2015 to 2024For each 100,000 residents in a year
Barnstable County233,951131386.2
Berkshire County129,049131229.5
Bristol County590,865354297.5
Dukes County21,3541 or 2105.2
Essex County826,170293324.2
Franklin County70,91187110.0
Hampden County463,418354189.0
Hampshire County164,67913845.2
Middlesex County1,663,929555133.2
Nantucket County14,7131 or 264.7
Norfolk County737,601373685.1
Plymouth County544,663403707.0
Suffolk County793,535332713.4
Worcester County883,722495336.3

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 Massachusetts by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 917 (1979)2024: 363

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

Table 2.Massachusetts: deaths, fatal crashes and rates by year, 1975 to 2024
YearDeathsFatal crashesFor each 100,000 residentsFor each 100 million vehicle-miles
20243633495.10.59
20233423244.80.56
20224354136.20.76
20214133935.90.70
20203433274.90.63
20193363234.90.52
20183553385.20.53
20173473335.10.55
20163873565.70.63
20153443275.10.58
20143543365.2n/a
20133513345.2n/a
20123833655.7n/a
20113743565.7n/a
20103473305.3n/a
20093403135.2n/a
20083643385.6n/a
20074344086.7n/a
20064294036.7n/a
20054414176.9n/a
20044764477.4n/a
20034624347.2n/a
20024594337.2n/a
20014774467.5n/a
20004334106.8n/a
1999414386n/an/a
1998406377n/an/a
1997441415n/an/a
1996417392n/an/a
1995444418n/an/a
1994440405n/an/a
1993475449n/an/a
1992485460n/an/a
1991552510n/an/a
1990605546n/an/a
1989696634n/an/a
1988725673n/an/a
1987689642n/an/a
1986752680n/an/a
1985742687n/an/a
1984666608n/an/a
1983651605n/an/a
1982659615n/an/a
1981746682n/an/a
1980881813n/an/a
1979917855n/an/a
1978861791n/an/a
1977744686n/an/a
1976789699n/an/a
1975864788n/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.Massachusetts beside the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents and for each 100 million vehicle-miles
RatePeriodMassachusettsUnited States
For each 100,000 residents20245.111.5
For each 100,000 residents2015 to 2024, in a year5.311.8
For each 100 million vehicle-miles20240.591.19
For each 100 million vehicle-miles2015 to 20240.601.23

Residents: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. Massachusetts had 7,138,560 residents in 2024.

Vehicle-miles: Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, table VM-2. Massachusetts had 62,013 million vehicle-miles in 2024. Table VM-2 of 2024

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.Massachusetts: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
FactorCountCounted amongShareShare in the United States
A driver recorded as drinkingof 3,483 fatal crashes1,0333,483 fatal crashes26.3%
A speeding-related driverof 3,483 fatal crashes1,0183,483 fatal crashes27.2%
No restraint usedof 1,826 occupant deaths with restraint use known1,1271,826 occupant deathswith restraint use known49.0%
Pedestriansof 3,665 deaths7473,665 deaths17.1%
Bicyclistsof 3,665 deaths863,665 deaths2.4%
Motorcyclistsof 3,665 deaths5723,665 deaths14.5%
On a rural roadof 3,476 fatal crashes with the condition reported2283,476 fatal crasheswith the condition reported42.7%
In the darkof 3,449 fatal crashes with the condition reported1,6723,449 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.Massachusetts: 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
Sunday16471146181562
Monday5972133128392
Tuesday5191153130425
Wednesday60103161121445
Thursday6596137169467
Friday94107143202546
Saturday16487155195601
All days6576271,0281,1263,438

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.Massachusetts: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function classFatal crashesShareShare in the United States
Interstate55315.9%12.6%
Other freeways and expressways1494.3%4.4%
Other principal arterial1,06430.6%29.8%
Minor arterial92926.7%22.1%
Major collector34810.0%15.5%
Minor collector320.9%3.4%
Local40111.5%12.2%
Not reported7n/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

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

All routes in Massachusetts

Interstate routes

Official channels

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

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. Massachusetts fatal crash statistics by county. https://fatalroads.com/state/massachusetts/. 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 Massachusetts in ten years?

FARS records 3,665 deaths in 3,483 fatal crashes in Massachusetts from 2015 to 2024. It records 3,817 deaths from 2005 to 2014.

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

Massachusetts had 363 of the 39,254 deaths in the United States in 2024. That is 0.9 percent.

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

FARS records a driver as drinking in 1,033 of 3,483 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 1,018 of them.

How many pages does Massachusetts have?

Massachusetts has 14 county pages, 26 route pages and one page for each year from 1975 to 2024.