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

North Carolina 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 1,619 deaths in 1,509 fatal crashes in North Carolina in 2024.

In 2024 the rate is 14.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 11.5 in the United States.

In 2024 the rate is 1.24 deaths for each 100 million vehicle-miles in North Carolina and 1.19 in the United States.

By deaths for each 100,000 residents in 2024, North Carolina was number 15 of 51, the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Deaths in North Carolina rose by 2.7% from 2023 to 2024. In the United States they fell by 4.3%.

From 2015 to 2024, 57.2% of the fatal crashes in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina by deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year, 2015 to 2024
Alamance County: 12.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAlexander County: 15.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAlleghany County: 15.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAnson County: 26.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAshe County: 16.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearAvery County: 13.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBeaufort County: 15.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBertie County: 32.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBladen County: 34.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBrunswick County: 15.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBuncombe County: 13.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBurke County: 16.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCabarrus County: 10.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCaldwell County: 15.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCamden County: 8.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCarteret County: 13.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCaswell County: 24.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCatawba County: 14.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearChatham County: 18.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCherokee County: 20.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearChowan County: 13.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearClay County: 18.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCleveland County: 21.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearColumbus County: 38.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCraven County: 12.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCumberland County: 14.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCurrituck County: 15.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDare County: 11.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDavidson County: 18.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDavie County: 16.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDuplin County: 33.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDurham County: 9.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearEdgecombe County: 23.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearForsyth County: 11.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFranklin County: 21.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGaston County: 12.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGates County: 31.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGraham County: 43.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGranville County: 22.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGreene County: 17.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGuilford County: 12.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHalifax County: 30.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHarnett County: 21.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHaywood County: 17.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHenderson County: 10.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHertford County: 27.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHoke County: 25.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHyde County: 12.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearIredell County: 12.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJackson County: 17.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJohnston County: 15.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJones County: 27.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLee County: 21.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLenoir County: 23.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLincoln County: 14.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMcDowell County: 15.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMacon County: 14.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMadison County: 20.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMartin County: 20.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMecklenburg County: 9.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMitchell County: 12.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMontgomery County: 34.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMoore County: 18.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNash County: 24.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNew Hanover County: 9.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearNorthampton County: 39.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOnslow County: 11.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOrange County: 10.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPamlico County: 18.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPasquotank County: 15.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPender County: 25.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPerquimans County: 15.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPerson County: 15.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPitt County: 14.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPolk County: 17.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRandolph County: 18.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRichmond County: 24.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRobeson County: 42.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRockingham County: 16.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRowan County: 16.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRutherford County: 17.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSampson County: 32.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearScotland County: 35.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearStanly County: 15.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearStokes County: 15.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSurry County: 19.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSwain County: 17.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTransylvania County: 10.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTyrrell County: 29.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearUnion County: 9.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearVance County: 21.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWake County: 6.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWarren County: 36.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWashington County: 14.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWatauga County: 10.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWayne County: 17.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWilkes County: 19.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWilson County: 20.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearYadkin County: 24.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearYancey County: 15.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

Deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

  • Fewer than 106 counties
  • 10 to 14.925 counties
  • 15 to 19.934 counties
  • 20 to 29.922 counties
  • 30 or more13 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; 25 counties have a rate of 10 to 14.9; 34 counties have a rate of 15 to 19.9; 22 counties have a rate of 20 to 29.9; 13 counties have a rate of 30 or more. Table 1 has the rate of each county.

Counties

Table 1.North Carolina: deaths and rate of each county, in name order
CountyResidentsDeaths, 2024Deaths, 2015 to 2024For each 100,000 residents in a year
Alamance County183,3612521412.6
Alexander County36,74965715.5
Alleghany County11,40201715.3
Anson County21,524136126.2
Ashe County27,37834316.0
Avery County18,1031 or 22413.6
Beaufort County44,730117115.5
Bertie County17,1841 or 26032.8
Bladen County29,967610834.3
Brunswick County166,8892421415.1
Buncombe County279,2274434713.1
Burke County88,5691814216.0
Cabarrus County245,6732323510.6
Caldwell County80,8542412315.1
Camden County11,249098.4
Carteret County70,215139313.5
Caswell County22,46175524.4
Catawba County167,1892223714.8
Chatham County83,8321714118.6
Cherokee County30,41545820.1
Chowan County14,02501913.6
Clay County11,96652118.6
Cleveland County102,5061620821.0
Columbus County50,3011820438.4
Craven County104,1731213112.8
Cumberland County337,2485950114.9
Currituck County32,4361 or 24515.8
Dare County38,22874311.6
Davidson County177,9813330618.1
Davie County45,485106916.0
Duplin County51,0021918133.4
Durham County342,314312969.2
Edgecombe County49,0661511823.3
Forsyth County397,8363941911.0
Franklin County79,9301715421.9
Gaston County243,0203727712.2
Gates County10,28853431.0
Graham County8,1351 or 23643.4
Granville County61,628913822.9
Greene County20,70043617.4
Guilford County557,0597464912.1
Halifax County46,9931315230.7
Harnett County146,4563529321.6
Haywood County63,2331010817.4
Henderson County121,2861612310.5
Hertford County19,09976127.8
Hoke County55,6591513825.6
Hyde County4,5931 or 2612.2
Iredell County206,1192723812.8
Jackson County44,98657617.5
Johnston County249,5224034115.8
Jones County9,5001 or 22627.6
Lee County68,8191213521.4
Lenoir County55,4321512923.1
Lincoln County97,519712714.5
Macon County38,82085414.8
Madison County22,46694520.7
Martin County21,56254620.7
McDowell County45,29867015.5
Mecklenburg County1,206,8291211,0599.5
Mitchell County15,14251812.0
Montgomery County26,34889134.2
Moore County108,3831718318.1
Nash County98,7901223224.3
New Hanover County243,335292109.1
Northampton County16,52677339.6
Onslow County214,6721923111.4
Orange County151,7452214710.0
Pamlico County12,68832318.3
Pasquotank County41,62046315.6
Pender County70,150715925.2
Perquimans County13,47432115.7
Person County40,26666015.2
Pitt County180,8822626114.7
Polk County20,38853517.3
Randolph County148,8162926118.0
Richmond County42,1371410624.3
Robeson County119,4004653142.5
Rockingham County93,6701315516.9
Rowan County153,7133223316.1
Rutherford County65,5791611817.9
Sampson County61,0772119932.4
Scotland County33,610812035.0
Stanly County67,532119515.1
Stokes County45,81267015.4
Surry County72,0661214119.6
Swain County14,0471 or 22417.0
Transylvania County34,20943510.4
Tyrrell County3,49841129.5
Union County263,704242329.6
Vance County42,60249521.9
Wake County1,229,475837726.9
Warren County19,05587136.7
Washington County10,65031614.1
Watauga County54,92145810.5
Wayne County121,1682120917.2
Wilkes County66,2521712919.2
Wilson County80,8852116420.3
Yadkin County38,223119124.2
Yancey County19,0621 or 22815.3

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 North Carolina by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 1,693 (2021)2024: 1,619

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

Table 2.North Carolina: deaths, fatal crashes and rates by year, 1975 to 2024
YearDeathsFatal crashesFor each 100,000 residentsFor each 100 million vehicle-miles
20241,6191,50914.61.24
20231,5771,46514.51.29
20221,6311,50115.21.37
20211,6931,56316.01.44
20201,5381,41514.71.45
20191,4571,35813.91.19
20181,4361,32113.81.19
20171,4121,30613.71.18
20161,4501,34814.31.24
20151,3791,27513.71.23
20141,2841,18812.9n/a
20131,2901,18813.1n/a
20121,2991,22913.3n/a
20111,2301,14312.7n/a
20101,3201,21813.8n/a
20091,3131,20713.9n/a
20081,4281,31915.3n/a
20071,6761,51518.4n/a
20061,5541,42417.4n/a
20051,5471,41817.8n/a
20041,5731,41718.4n/a
20031,5531,39618.4n/a
20021,5761,42718.9n/a
20011,5301,36018.6n/a
20001,5571,40819.3n/a
19991,5051,350n/an/a
19981,5961,433n/an/a
19971,4831,290n/an/a
19961,4941,329n/an/a
19951,4481,305n/an/a
19941,4311,254n/an/a
19931,3891,228n/an/a
19921,2651,124n/an/a
19911,3691,213n/an/a
19901,3851,250n/an/a
19891,4711,321n/an/a
19881,5731,400n/an/a
19871,5841,416n/an/a
19861,6471,489n/an/a
19851,4821,332n/an/a
19841,4501,291n/an/a
19831,2341,083n/an/a
19821,3031,168n/an/a
19811,4751,319n/an/a
19801,5031,327n/an/a
19791,5271,352n/an/a
19781,4921,331n/an/a
19771,4281,251n/an/a
19761,5021,304n/an/a
19751,5061,343n/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.North Carolina beside the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents and for each 100 million vehicle-miles
RatePeriodNorth CarolinaUnited States
For each 100,000 residents202414.611.5
For each 100,000 residents2015 to 2024, in a year14.511.8
For each 100 million vehicle-miles20241.241.19
For each 100 million vehicle-miles2015 to 20241.281.23

Residents: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. North Carolina had 11,052,061 residents in 2024.

Vehicle-miles: Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, table VM-2. North Carolina had 131,008 million vehicle-miles in 2024. Table VM-2 of 2024

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.North Carolina: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
FactorCountCounted amongShareShare in the United States
A driver recorded as drinkingof 14,061 fatal crashes3,55614,061 fatal crashes26.3%
A speeding-related driverof 14,061 fatal crashes4,46914,061 fatal crashes27.2%
No restraint usedof 10,042 occupant deaths with restraint use known4,70310,042 occupant deathswith restraint use known49.0%
Pedestriansof 15,192 deaths2,25815,192 deaths17.1%
Bicyclistsof 15,192 deaths26515,192 deaths2.4%
Motorcyclistsof 15,192 deaths2,04515,192 deaths14.5%
On a rural roadof 14,043 fatal crashes with the condition reported8,03814,043 fatal crasheswith the condition reported42.7%
In the darkof 14,007 fatal crashes with the condition reported6,48614,007 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.North Carolina: 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
Sunday5933435666362,138
Monday2414495445471,781
Tuesday2404135815661,800
Wednesday2474195965991,861
Thursday2624315756041,872
Friday3074366697922,204
Saturday5493516178772,394
All days2,4392,8424,1484,62114,050

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.North Carolina: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function classFatal crashesShareShare in the United States
Interstate1,3629.7%12.6%
Other freeways and expressways5784.1%4.4%
Other principal arterial3,79527.0%29.8%
Minor arterial2,26116.1%22.1%
Major collector2,11415.1%15.5%
Minor collector7965.7%3.4%
Local3,13122.3%12.2%
Not reported24n/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

77 signed routes in North Carolina have a page. A route page needs 20 or more fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024.

All routes in North Carolina

Interstate routes

Official channels

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

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. North Carolina fatal crash statistics by county. https://fatalroads.com/state/north-carolina/. 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 North Carolina in ten years?

FARS records 15,192 deaths in 14,061 fatal crashes in North Carolina from 2015 to 2024. It records 13,941 deaths from 2005 to 2014.

What part of the deaths in the United States was in North Carolina?

North Carolina had 1,619 of the 39,254 deaths in the United States in 2024. That is 4.1 percent.

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

FARS records a driver as drinking in 3,556 of 14,061 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 4,469 of them.

How many pages does North Carolina have?

North Carolina has 100 county pages, 77 route pages and one page for each year from 1975 to 2024.