States › South Carolina › 2019

2019

South Carolina in 2019

Deaths 1,006Fatal crashes 927Per 100,000 19.5US deaths 36,355

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 2019.

In 2019, 1,006 people died in 927 fatal crashes in South Carolina, 19.5 deaths per 100,000 residents against 11.1 nationally.

The death toll was about level between 2018 (1,036) and 2019 (1,006).

South Carolina accounted for 2.8% of the 36,355 crash deaths recorded nationally that year.

31% 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 (41%).

36% of the crashes happened between 6pm to midnight; Friday was the most common day.

← 201820192020 →All years

Compared with 2018 and the nation

Measure	South Carolina 2019	South Carolina 2018	United States 2019
Deaths	1,006	1,036	36,355
Fatal crashes	927	969	33,487
Deaths per 100,000 residents	19.5	20.3	11.1
Crashes with a drinking driver	31%	27%	26%

Counties in 2019

Every county with a fatal crash in 2019, 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	72	78	18.9	714
Charleston County	72	76	17.6	682
Greenville County	68	73	12.8	831
Spartanburg County	63	64	17.3	672
Lexington County	50	53	16.9	501
Richland County	47	50	11.6	585
York County	43	50	16.5	338
Orangeburg County	37	43	51.7	387
Anderson County	35	38	17.5	435
Florence County	31	37	26.8	349
Berkeley County	29	32	12.1	410
Aiken County	28	30	16.7	321
Darlington County	23	25	40.0	213
Laurens County	20	23	32.6	238
Sumter County	22	22	21.0	234
Jasper County	19	20	56.2	178
Pickens County	18	20	14.5	203
Dorchester County	18	19	10.9	245
Lancaster County	14	18	16.1	167
Oconee County	16	17	20.6	142
Chesterfield County	16	16	36.0	118
Colleton County	16	16	40.8	215
Cherokee County	14	15	26.0	160
Kershaw County	14	15	20.9	167
Beaufort County	13	15	7.4	225
Clarendon County	13	15	48.3	146
Marion County	11	11	38.8	101
Georgetown County	10	11	16.7	150
Newberry County	10	10	25.5	95
Williamsburg County	10	10	33.5	114
Chester County	8	10	30.9	135
Fairfield County	8	10	49.1	113
Marlboro County	9	9	35.3	103
Hampton County	8	8	44.0	64
Dillon County	7	8	29.0	112
Union County	6	7	26.2	71
Greenwood County	5	6	8.6	124
McCormick County	5	6	60.1	32
Lee County	5	5	31.3	64
Edgefield County	4	4	13.6	52
Barnwell County	3	3	14.6	47
Saluda County	3	3	15.4	42
Allendale County	1–2	1–2	—	28
Calhoun County	1–2	1–2	—	67
Abbeville County	1–2	1–2	—	48

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%

1am4.3%

2am3.6%

3am2.8%

4am1.9%

5am3.3%

6am3%

7am3.6%

8am2.4%

9am2.7%

10am2.6%

11am4.1%

12pm3.7%

1pm4.1%

2pm4.5%

3pm4.7%

4pm4.5%

5pm4.3%

6pm6.7%

7pm5.9%

8pm6.4%

9pm6.7%

10pm5.4%

11pm5.1%

Weekday

Sunday14%

Monday12%

Tuesday13%

Wednesday13%

Thursday14%

Friday18%

Saturday16%

Road type

Minor arterial41%

Other principal arterial34%

Interstate11%

Local7%

Major collector5%

Other freeways and expressways2%

Minor collector0%

Questions and answers

How many people died in crashes in South Carolina in 2019?

1,006 people in 927 fatal crashes, according to NHTSA's FARS 2019 file, or 19.5 per 100,000 residents.

Which county in South Carolina had the most crash deaths in 2019?

Horry County with 78 deaths in 72 fatal crashes. The table on this page lists every county with a fatal crash that year.

How did 2019 compare with 2018 in South Carolina?

1,006 deaths against 1,036 in 2018 (+-3%). Nationally the 2019 total was 36,355.

Provenance

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2019 national file (accident table, vehicle and person tables); US Census Bureau population estimates. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026.