States › South Carolina › 2017

2017

South Carolina in 2017

Deaths 989Fatal crashes 925Per 100,000 19.7US deaths 37,473

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 2017.

In 2017, 989 people died in 925 fatal crashes in South Carolina, 19.7 deaths per 100,000 residents against 11.5 nationally.

The death toll was about level between 2016 (1,020) and 2017 (989).

South Carolina accounted for 2.6% of the 37,473 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

32.8% 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 (42%).

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

← 201620172018 →All years

Compared with 2016 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 2017	South Carolina 2016	United States 2017
Deaths	989	1,020	37,473
Fatal crashes	925	941	34,560
Deaths per 100,000 residents	19.7	20.6	11.5
Crashes with a drinking driver	33%	34%	27%

Counties in 2017

Every county with a fatal crash in 2017, by deaths. Counts under three are shown as "1–2" (small-count rule); the per-100,000 column is blank for them. 46 counties listed.

County	Fatal crashes	Deaths	Per 100,000	Deaths 2015–2024
Greenville County	73	74	13.0	831
Charleston County	66	72	16.7	682
Horry County	64	67	16.2	714
Richland County	49	52	12.1	585
Spartanburg County	51	51	13.8	672
Lexington County	44	47	15.0	501
Anderson County	42	44	20.3	435
Aiken County	32	39	21.8	321
Berkeley County	33	34	12.9	410
Florence County	29	32	23.2	349
Orangeburg County	27	29	34.9	387
Laurens County	25	29	41.1	238
York County	25	28	9.2	338
Beaufort County	25	26	12.9	225
Cherokee County	20	20	34.6	160
Pickens County	19	20	14.5	203
Kershaw County	19	19	26.5	167
Clarendon County	18	19	61.2	146
Sumter County	18	18	17.2	234
Colleton County	17	18	45.8	215
Lancaster County	17	18	16.1	167
Oconee County	16	18	21.8	142
Dorchester County	16	16	9.2	245
Darlington County	15	15	24.0	213
Georgetown County	15	15	22.7	150
Williamsburg County	14	15	50.2	114
Chester County	13	15	46.4	135
Fairfield County	13	13	63.8	113
Chesterfield County	12	12	27.0	118
Jasper County	9	11	30.9	178
Greenwood County	9	10	14.3	124
Dillon County	7	9	32.6	112
Abbeville County	8	8	32.5	48
Marion County	7	8	28.2	101
Barnwell County	6	8	39.0	47
Marlboro County	5	8	31.4	103
Calhoun County	7	7	49.1	67
Newberry County	7	7	17.9	95
Saluda County	6	7	36.0	42
Union County	6	6	22.5	71
Lee County	5	5	31.3	64
Edgefield County	4	4	13.6	52
Hampton County	4	4	22.0	64
Bamberg County	3	4	31.1	35
McCormick County	3	4	40.1	32
Allendale County	1–2	4	53.0	28

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

12am4.6%

1am2.5%

2am3.6%

3am3.5%

4am2.2%

5am4%

6am3.7%

7am3.6%

8am3.4%

9am2.4%

10am2.5%

11am2.7%

12pm3.6%

1pm2.9%

2pm3.9%

3pm5.4%

4pm5.5%

5pm5%

6pm5%

7pm7%

8pm4.8%

9pm6.5%

10pm6.7%

11pm5.3%

Weekday

Sunday16%

Monday13%

Tuesday12%

Wednesday11%

Thursday13%

Friday17%

Saturday19%

Road type

Minor arterial42%

Other principal arterial32%

Interstate11%

Local8%

Major collector4%

Other freeways and expressways2%

Minor collector0%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 2017?

989 people in 925 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 2017 file, or 19.7 per 100,000 residents.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 2017?

Greenville County with 74 deaths in 73 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 2017 compare with 2016 in South Carolina?

989 deaths against 1,020 in 2016 (+-3%). Nationally the 2017 total was 37,473.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2017 national file (accident table, vehicle and person tables); US Census Bureau population estimates. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.