States › New York › 2021

2021

New York in 2021

Deaths 1,156Fatal crashes 1,098Per 100,000 5.8US deaths 43,230

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. Final FARS file for 2021.

In 2021, 1,156 people died in 1,098 fatal crashes in New York, 5.8 deaths per 100,000 residents against 13.0 nationally.

The death toll rose 11% from 1,045 in 2020 to 1,156 in 2021.

New York accounted for 2.7% of the 43,230 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

24% of the state's fatal crashes that year had at least one driver reported as drinking.

By FHWA road function class, the largest share was on other principal arterial roads (30%).

35% of the crashes happened between 6pm to midnight; Saturday was the most common day.

← 202020212022 →All years

Compared with 2020 and the nation

Measure	New York 2021	New York 2020	United States 2021
Deaths	1,156	1,045	43,230
Fatal crashes	1,098	958	39,785
Deaths per 100,000 residents	5.8	5.2	13.0
Crashes with a drinking driver	24%	20%	26%

Counties in 2021

Every county with a fatal crash in 2021, by deaths. Counts under three are shown as "1–2" (small-count rule); the per-100,000 column is blank for them. 62 counties listed.

County	Fatal crashes	Deaths	Per 100,000	Deaths 2015–2024
Suffolk County	142	153	10.0	1,389
Nassau County	80	83	6.0	771
Kings County	81	82	3.1	646
Erie County	60	63	6.6	503
Queens County	59	63	2.7	698
Monroe County	54	56	7.4	449
New York County	47	48	2.9	363
Bronx County	46	48	3.5	447
Westchester County	38	42	4.2	376
Orange County	30	34	8.3	324
Onondaga County	29	31	6.6	288
Niagara County	24	24	11.5	180
Oneida County	23	23	10.1	190
Dutchess County	20	21	7.0	242
Broome County	19	20	10.2	126
Oswego County	19	20	16.9	155
Albany County	19	19	5.9	197
Rockland County	17	17	4.9	158
St. Lawrence County	16	16	15.1	117
Sullivan County	15	15	18.6	116
Chautauqua County	13	13	10.5	115
Chemung County	12	13	16.0	75
Ulster County	12	12	6.6	169
Richmond County	10	11	2.2	133
Ontario County	10	10	8.8	115
Schenectady County	10	10	6.2	96
Franklin County	9	10	21.2	46
Jefferson County	9	9	8.0	101
Rensselaer County	9	9	5.6	95
Tompkins County	9	9	8.5	74
Greene County	8	9	19.2	73
Saratoga County	8	8	3.3	166
Columbia County	7	8	13.3	82
Madison County	7	8	11.9	73
Warren County	6	8	12.3	67
Allegany County	7	7	14.8	46
Washington County	7	7	11.7	75
Wayne County	7	7	7.7	106
Cayuga County	6	7	9.4	68
Clinton County	6	7	9.0	56
Genesee County	6	7	12.2	85
Livingston County	6	6	9.7	52
Tioga County	6	6	12.6	63
Putnam County	5	6	6.1	67
Schoharie County	5	6	19.9	57
Cortland County	5	5	10.9	43
Seneca County	5	5	15.3	45
Montgomery County	4	5	10.1	39
Steuben County	4	5	5.4	83
Wyoming County	4	5	12.6	38
Cattaraugus County	3	5	6.6	87
Chenango County	4	4	8.7	62
Lewis County	4	4	15.1	37
Orleans County	4	4	10.1	40
Otsego County	4	4	6.6	44
Schuyler County	4	4	23.4	22
Yates County	4	4	16.4	31
Fulton County	3	3	5.8	47
Delaware County	1–2	1–2	—	67
Essex County	1–2	1–2	—	39
Hamilton County	1–2	1–2	—	9
Herkimer County	1–2	1–2	—	59

Per 100,000 uses the 2024 population estimate for every year, so early-year rates are understated where a county has grown.

Hour of day

12am4.3%

1am3.6%

2am3.4%

3am3.2%

4am2.7%

5am2.6%

6am3%

7am2.3%

8am2.5%

9am2.8%

10am2.8%

11am2.6%

12pm4.5%

1pm5%

2pm4.8%

3pm4.8%

4pm3.9%

5pm6%

6pm5.6%

7pm5.7%

8pm6.1%

9pm5.9%

10pm6.2%

11pm5.6%

Weekday

Sunday14%

Monday12%

Tuesday13%

Wednesday12%

Thursday15%

Friday16%

Saturday16%

Road type

Other principal arterial30%

Minor arterial22%

Local19%

Major collector11%

Other freeways and expressways8%

Interstate8%

Minor collector2%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in New York in 2021?

1,156 people in 1,098 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 2021 file, or 5.8 per 100,000 residents.

Which county in New York had the most crash deaths in 2021?

Suffolk County with 153 deaths in 142 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 2021 compare with 2020 in New York?

1,156 deaths against 1,045 in 2020 (+11%). Nationally the 2021 total was 43,230.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2021 national file (accident table, vehicle and person tables); US Census Bureau population estimates. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.