States › South Carolina › 2015

2015

South Carolina in 2015

Deaths 979Fatal crashes 911Per 100,000 20.0US deaths 35,484

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 2015.

In 2015, 979 people died in 911 fatal crashes in South Carolina, 20.0 deaths per 100,000 residents against 11.1 nationally.

The death toll rose 19% from 823 in 2014 to 979 in 2015.

South Carolina accounted for 2.8% of the 35,484 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

32.5% 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 minor arterial roads (38%).

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

← 201420152016 →All years

Compared with 2014 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 2015	South Carolina 2014	United States 2015
Deaths	979	823	35,484
Fatal crashes	911	756	32,538
Deaths per 100,000 residents	20.0	17.1	11.1
Crashes with a drinking driver	32%	38%	28%

Counties in 2015

Every county with a fatal crash in 2015, by deaths. Counts under three are shown as "1–2" (small-count rule); the per-100,000 column is blank for them. 45 counties listed.

County	Fatal crashes	Deaths	Per 100,000	Deaths 2015–2024
Horry County	76	81	19.6	714
Spartanburg County	61	75	20.3	672
Greenville County	70	73	12.8	831
Charleston County	63	64	14.8	682
Lexington County	40	46	14.7	501
Richland County	43	45	10.4	585
Florence County	29	38	27.5	349
Berkeley County	35	36	13.6	410
Anderson County	30	32	14.7	435
Dorchester County	29	32	18.3	245
Orangeburg County	31	31	37.3	387
Aiken County	26	26	14.5	321
Darlington County	23	25	40.0	213
Laurens County	20	22	31.2	238
Colleton County	21	21	53.5	215
Sumter County	20	20	19.1	234
York County	18	18	5.9	338
Georgetown County	17	18	27.3	150
Kershaw County	15	18	25.1	167
Clarendon County	17	17	54.8	146
Beaufort County	16	17	8.4	225
Chester County	15	17	52.6	135
Cherokee County	14	17	29.4	160
Chesterfield County	16	16	36.0	118
Pickens County	15	16	11.6	203
Lancaster County	15	15	13.4	167
Jasper County	13	15	42.1	178
Oconee County	13	13	15.8	142
Greenwood County	11	11	15.7	124
Marion County	11	11	38.8	101
Calhoun County	8	10	70.2	67
Marlboro County	9	9	35.3	103
Lee County	8	8	50.1	64
Williamsburg County	8	8	26.8	114
Dillon County	7	7	25.4	112
Fairfield County	7	7	34.4	113
Hampton County	7	7	38.5	64
Newberry County	7	7	17.9	95
Abbeville County	5	6	24.4	48
Union County	4	6	22.5	71
Barnwell County	5	5	24.4	47
Allendale County	4	4	53.0	28
Bamberg County	4	4	31.1	35
McCormick County	3	3	30.1	32
Edgefield County	1–2	1–2	—	52

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

12am3.7%

1am4.2%

2am3.7%

3am2.7%

4am2.2%

5am3.5%

6am4.2%

7am3%

8am2.3%

9am2.7%

10am2.7%

11am2.9%

12pm3%

1pm3.8%

2pm4.4%

3pm4.8%

4pm5.6%

5pm5%

6pm6.5%

7pm6.5%

8pm5.4%

9pm6.1%

10pm5.9%

11pm5%

Weekday

Sunday14%

Monday13%

Tuesday12%

Wednesday14%

Thursday13%

Friday16%

Saturday19%

Road type

Minor arterial38%

Other principal arterial27%

Interstate11%

Minor collector7%

Local7%

Major collector5%

Other freeways and expressways5%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 2015?

979 people in 911 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 2015 file, or 20.0 per 100,000 residents.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 2015?

Horry County with 81 deaths in 76 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 2015 compare with 2014 in South Carolina?

979 deaths against 823 in 2014 (+19%). Nationally the 2015 total was 35,484.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2015 national file (accident table, vehicle and person tables); US Census Bureau population estimates. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.