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

South Dakota 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 146 deaths in 134 fatal crashes in South Dakota in 2024.

In 2024 the rate is 15.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in South Dakota and 11.5 in the United States.

In 2024 the rate is 1.40 deaths for each 100 million vehicle-miles in South Dakota and 1.19 in the United States.

By deaths for each 100,000 residents in 2024, South Dakota was number 11 of 51, the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Deaths in South Dakota rose by 4.3% from 2023 to 2024. In the United States they fell by 4.3%.

From 2015 to 2024, 81.7% of the fatal crashes in South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota by deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year, 2015 to 2024
Aurora County: 54.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBeadle County: 11.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBennett County: 29.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBon Homme County: 22.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBrookings County: 6.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBrown County: 6.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBrule County: 11.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearBuffalo County: 71.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearButte County: 17.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCampbell County: 29.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCharles Mix County: 29.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearClark County: 13.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearClay County: 8.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCodington County: 10.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCorson County: 35.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearCuster County: 35.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDavison County: 6.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDay County: 11.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDeuel County: 18.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDewey County: 16.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearDouglas County: 13.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearEdmunds County: 30.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFall River County: 35.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearFaulk County: 26.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGrant County: 24.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearGregory County: 19.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHaakon County: 37.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHamlin County: 12.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHand County: 15.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHanson County: 58.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHarding County: 77.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHughes County: 6.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHutchinson County: 34.0 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearHyde County: 39.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJackson County: 98.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJerauld County: 21.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearJones County: 143.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearKingsbury County: 17.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLake County: 8.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLawrence County: 30.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLincoln County: 8.8 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearLyman County: 55.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMcCook County: 28.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMcPherson County: 12.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMarshall County: 17.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMeade County: 14.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMellette County: 20.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMiner County: 26.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMinnehaha County: 7.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearMoody County: 21.7 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearOglala Lakota County: 53.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPennington County: 12.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearPerkins County: count of 1 or 2, no rate shownPotter County: 17.2 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearRoberts County: 29.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSanborn County: 33.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSpink County: 12.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearStanley County: 16.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearSully County: 27.9 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTodd County: 4.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTripp County: 23.4 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearTurner County: 22.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearUnion County: 11.1 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearWalworth County: 20.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearYankton County: 16.5 deaths for each 100,000 residents in a yearZiebach County: count of 1 or 2, no rate shown

Deaths for each 100,000 residents in a year

  • Fewer than 109 counties
  • 10 to 14.912 counties
  • 15 to 19.910 counties
  • 20 to 29.916 counties
  • 30 or more17 counties
  • Count of 1 or 2, no rate shown2 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: 9 counties have a rate of fewer than 10; 12 counties have a rate of 10 to 14.9; 10 counties have a rate of 15 to 19.9; 16 counties have a rate of 20 to 29.9; 17 counties have a rate of 30 or more; 2 counties have a count of 1 or 2 and no rate. Table 1 has the rate of each county.

Counties

Table 1.South Dakota: deaths and rate of each county, in name order
CountyResidentsDeaths, 2024Deaths, 2015 to 2024For each 100,000 residents in a year
Aurora County2,7911 or 21554.4
Beadle County19,52242211.7
Bennett County3,3061 or 21029.5
Bon Homme County7,1511 or 21622.9
Brookings County36,8141 or 2246.8
Brown County37,6213266.8
Brule County5,2971 or 2611.4
Buffalo County1,80941471.8
Butte County10,88531817.2
Campbell County1,3430429.1
Charles Mix County9,27682729.0
Clark County4,0000513.1
Clay County15,1901 or 2128.2
Codington County29,27053110.9
Corson County3,7771 or 21435.2
Custer County9,3241 or 23135.2
Davison County19,9900136.5
Day County5,4470611.0
Deuel County4,3763818.5
Dewey County5,3821 or 2916.2
Douglas County2,8680413.9
Edmunds County4,03101230.2
Fall River County7,41352535.7
Faulk County2,1800626.9
Grant County7,6131 or 21824.4
Gregory County4,0710819.5
Haakon County1,8241 or 2737.6
Hamlin County6,7300812.8
Hand County3,1180515.7
Hanson County3,5011 or 22058.1
Harding County1,3121 or 21077.5
Hughes County17,5571 or 2116.2
Hutchinson County7,40142534.0
Hyde County1,2091 or 2539.6
Jackson County2,71633098.7
Jerauld County1,6751 or 2421.8
Jones County898013143.8
Kingsbury County5,2801 or 2917.7
Lake County11,0440108.4
Lawrence County28,709118030.3
Lincoln County75,1238568.8
Lyman County3,69252155.7
Marshall County4,4350817.3
McCook County5,88161628.3
McPherson County2,3320312.6
Meade County30,87574314.7
Mellette County2,0490420.1
Miner County2,2790626.6
Minnehaha County209,416161497.6
Moody County6,5991 or 21421.7
Oglala Lakota County13,41637553.9
Pennington County116,3121214112.6
Perkins County2,83301 or 2n/a
Potter County2,4010417.2
Roberts County10,2781 or 23029.3
Sanborn County2,3770833.6
Spink County6,1541 or 2812.6
Stanley County3,0011 or 2516.6
Sully County1,4730427.9
Todd County8,913044.1
Tripp County5,73801323.4
Turner County9,23701922.1
Union County17,3731 or 21811.1
Walworth County5,24401120.5
Yankton County23,57743816.5
Ziebach County2,3811 or 21 or 2n/a

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 South Dakota by year, 1975 to 2024

Tallest column: 228 (1980)2024: 146

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

Table 2.South Dakota: deaths, fatal crashes and rates by year, 1975 to 2024
YearDeathsFatal crashesFor each 100,000 residentsFor each 100 million vehicle-miles
202414613415.71.40
202314012815.31.35
202213712115.11.35
202114813116.51.48
202014113215.91.45
20191028811.51.03
201813011014.81.34
201712911114.81.34
201611610313.41.22
201513411615.71.44
201413612516.0n/a
201313512116.0n/a
201213311815.9n/a
201111110113.5n/a
201014012417.2n/a
200913111216.2n/a
200812110915.1n/a
200714613018.4n/a
200619117224.4n/a
200518615824.0n/a
200419716625.6n/a
200320317326.6n/a
200218015923.7n/a
200117115422.6n/a
200017315022.9n/a
1999150136n/an/a
1998165149n/an/a
1997148128n/an/a
1996175142n/an/a
1995158140n/an/a
1994154141n/an/a
1993140118n/an/a
1992161141n/an/a
1991143130n/an/a
1990153139n/an/a
1989152134n/an/a
1988147127n/an/a
1987134107n/an/a
1986134118n/an/a
1985130109n/an/a
1984143132n/an/a
1983175147n/an/a
1982148129n/an/a
1981177162n/an/a
1980228188n/an/a
1979211169n/an/a
1978191165n/an/a
1977208179n/an/a
1976219185n/an/a
1975195160n/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.South Dakota beside the United States: deaths for each 100,000 residents and for each 100 million vehicle-miles
RatePeriodSouth DakotaUnited States
For each 100,000 residents202415.711.5
For each 100,000 residents2015 to 2024, in a year14.911.8
For each 100 million vehicle-miles20241.401.19
For each 100 million vehicle-miles2015 to 20241.341.23

Residents: Census Bureau estimates, vintage 2025. South Dakota had 927,110 residents in 2024.

Vehicle-miles: Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, table VM-2. South Dakota had 10,450 million vehicle-miles in 2024. Table VM-2 of 2024

Factors that NHTSA records

Table 4.South Dakota: counts by recorded factor, 2015 to 2024
FactorCountCounted amongShareShare in the United States
A driver recorded as drinkingof 1,174 fatal crashes4101,174 fatal crashes26.3%
A speeding-related driverof 1,174 fatal crashes3121,174 fatal crashes27.2%
No restraint usedof 913 occupant deaths with restraint use known601913 occupant deathswith restraint use known49.0%
Pedestriansof 1,323 deaths1021,323 deaths17.1%
Bicyclistsof 1,323 deaths91,323 deaths2.4%
Motorcyclistsof 1,323 deaths2231,323 deaths14.5%
On a rural roadof 1,174 fatal crashes with the condition reported9591,174 fatal crasheswith the condition reported42.7%
In the darkof 1,169 fatal crashes with the condition reported4261,169 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.South Dakota: 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
Sunday39265149165
Monday15384335131
Tuesday15385642151
Wednesday19334949150
Thursday12424842144
Friday17438751198
Saturday53526755227
All days1702724013231,166

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.South Dakota: fatal crashes by road function class, 2015 to 2024
Road function classFatal crashesShareShare in the United States
Interstate17314.7%12.6%
Other freeways and expressways383.2%4.4%
Other principal arterial29925.5%29.8%
Minor arterial22719.3%22.1%
Major collector25621.8%15.5%
Minor collector282.4%3.4%
Local15313.0%12.2%
Not reported0n/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

10 signed routes in South Dakota have a page. A route page needs 20 or more fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024.

All routes in South Dakota

Interstate routes

Official channels

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

Cite this page

Fatal Roads. South Dakota fatal crash statistics by county. https://fatalroads.com/state/south-dakota/. 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 South Dakota in ten years?

FARS records 1,323 deaths in 1,174 fatal crashes in South Dakota from 2015 to 2024. It records 1,430 deaths from 2005 to 2014.

What part of the deaths in the United States was in South Dakota?

South Dakota had 146 of the 39,254 deaths in the United States in 2024. That is 0.4 percent.

How many fatal crashes in South Dakota had a driver recorded as drinking?

FARS records a driver as drinking in 410 of 1,174 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. It records a speeding-related driver in 312 of them.

How many pages does South Dakota have?

South Dakota has 66 county pages, 10 route pages and one page for each year from 1975 to 2024.