NHTSA FARS 2020–2024 · Census population
Most Dangerous Counties in California
Quick answer: Los Angeles County recorded the most road deaths in California from 2020 to 2024 (4,095), while Inyo County had the highest death rate, 52.3 per 100,000 residents a year against 10.7 for the state as a whole.
Per 100,000 residents a year · counties with 10,000+ people
Highest death rate
| # | County | Deaths per 100k / year | Deaths 2020–2024 | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inyo County | 52.3 | 49 | 18,739 |
| 2 | Trinity County | 50.4 | 40 | 15,860 |
| 3 | Colusa County | 34.6 | 38 | 21,984 |
| 4 | Siskiyou County | 33.6 | 73 | 43,466 |
| 5 | Lake County | 29.6 | 101 | 68,152 |
| 6 | Lassen County | 29.6 | 45 | 30,356 |
| 7 | Calaveras County | 28.5 | 66 | 46,248 |
| 8 | Glenn County | 28.1 | 40 | 28,494 |
| 9 | Mono County | 27.4 | 18 | 13,148 |
| 10 | Amador County | 27 | 56 | 41,428 |
| 11 | Tehama County | 24.2 | 79 | 65,167 |
| 12 | Tuolumne County | 24.2 | 66 | 54,498 |
| 13 | Kern County | 22.5 | 1,028 | 915,075 |
| 14 | Madera County | 22.2 | 179 | 160,940 |
| 15 | Yuba County | 21.8 | 92 | 84,507 |
58 counties · click a heading to sort
Every county in California
| County | Deaths | Fatal crashes | Per 100k / yr | Pedestrians | At night | Alcohol | 2020→2024 | Deadliest roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 4,095 | 3,850 | 8.3 | 36% | 68% | 18% | I-5, I-10, I-405 | |
| San Bernardino County | 1,988 | 1,803 | 18.1 | 25% | 63% | 25% | I-15, I-10, SR-210 | |
| Riverside County | 1,618 | 1,527 | 13.1 | 24% | 61% | 33% | I-10, SR-74, I-15 | |
| San Diego County | 1,486 | 1,393 | 9 | 31% | 59% | 28% | I-5, I-8, SR-78 | |
| Orange County | 1,103 | 1,056 | 7 | 35% | 61% | 26% | I-5, SR-39, SR-91 | |
| Kern County | 1,028 | 932 | 22.5 | 23% | 59% | 29% | SR-58, SR-99, SR-178 | |
| Sacramento County | 963 | 904 | 12.1 | 34% | 61% | 29% | I-5, SR-99, US-50 | |
| Fresno County | 907 | 801 | 17.8 | 23% | 57% | 32% | SR-180, SR-99, SR-41 | |
| San Joaquin County | 669 | 609 | 16.8 | 19% | 59% | 35% | SR-99, I-5, SR-4 | |
| Santa Clara County | 584 | 558 | 6.1 | 34% | 59% | 26% | US-101, I-280, I-680 | |
| Alameda County | 517 | 488 | 6.3 | 30% | 58% | 27% | I-880, I-580, I-680 | |
| Stanislaus County | 468 | 416 | 16.9 | 23% | 57% | 29% | SR-132, SR-99, SR-108 | |
| Contra Costa County | 432 | 400 | 7.4 | 23% | 61% | 35% | SR-4, I-80, I-680 | |
| Tulare County | 411 | 377 | 17.2 | 16% | 55% | 37% | SR-99, SR-198, SR-63 | |
| Ventura County | 307 | 280 | 7.3 | 21% | 50% | 34% | US-101, SR-126, SR-1 | |
| Merced County | 289 | 263 | 19.9 | 20% | 60% | 27% | SR-152, SR-99, I-5 | |
| Solano County | 245 | 231 | 10.8 | 24% | 62% | 30% | I-80, SR-12, SR-29 | |
| Monterey County | 238 | 218 | 10.9 | 20% | 54% | 39% | US-101, SR-1, SR-68 | |
| Butte County | 203 | 186 | 19.5 | 19% | 48% | 31% | SR-99, SR-70, SR-32 | |
| Santa Barbara County | 196 | 176 | 8.8 | 18% | 52% | 31% | US-101, SR-1, SR-154 | |
| San Francisco County | 191 | 180 | 4.6 | 47% | 57% | 14% | US-101, I-80, I-280 | |
| San Mateo County | 191 | 178 | 5.1 | 30% | 58% | 21% | I-280, US-101, SR-1 | |
| Placer County | 190 | 176 | 9.1 | 14% | 48% | 30% | I-80, SR-65, SR-49 | |
| Sonoma County | 179 | 173 | 7.4 | 20% | 43% | 31% | US-101, SR-12, SR-116 | |
| Madera County | 179 | 156 | 22.2 | 17% | 58% | 35% | SR-41, SR-99, SR-145 | |
| Imperial County | 167 | 136 | 18.5 | 18% | 49% | 33% | I-8, SR-115, SR-86 | |
| Shasta County | 165 | 154 | 18.2 | 24% | 55% | 29% | I-5, SR-299, SR-44 | |
| Kings County | 160 | 138 | 20.9 | 18% | 54% | 30% | SR-41, SR-198, SR-43 | |
| Yolo County | 137 | 125 | 12.4 | 16% | 48% | 34% | I-5, I-80, SR-16 | |
| San Luis Obispo County | 134 | 124 | 9.5 | 17% | 47% | 35% | US-101, SR-46, SR-1 | |
| Santa Cruz County | 114 | 108 | 8.6 | 25% | 46% | 32% | SR-1, SR-129, SR-17 | |
| Humboldt County | 113 | 103 | 16.8 | 23% | 41% | 31% | US-101, SR-299, SR-96 | |
| El Dorado County | 108 | 101 | 11.2 | 10% | 37% | 42% | US-50, SR-49, SR-193 | |
| Lake County | 101 | 94 | 29.6 | 22% | 51% | 31% | SR-20, SR-29, SR-53 | |
| Mendocino County | 98 | 93 | 21.7 | 6% | 40% | 32% | US-101, SR-20, SR-1 | |
| Yuba County | 92 | 86 | 21.8 | 15% | 53% | 27% | SR-70, SR-20, SR-65 | |
| Sutter County | 89 | 77 | 18 | 13% | 56% | 32% | SR-99, SR-20, SR-113 | |
| Nevada County | 79 | 73 | 15.4 | 6% | 48% | 34% | SR-49, SR-20, I-80 | |
| Tehama County | 79 | 67 | 24.2 | 14% | 48% | 34% | I-5, SR-36, SR-99 | |
| Napa County | 78 | 73 | 11.6 | 15% | 45% | 29% | SR-29, SR-128, SR-121 | |
| Siskiyou County | 73 | 66 | 33.6 | 5% | 53% | 48% | I-5, US-97, SR-263 | |
| Calaveras County | 66 | 61 | 28.5 | 2% | 36% | 39% | SR-4, SR-49, SR-26 | |
| Tuolumne County | 66 | 61 | 24.2 | 8% | 36% | 36% | SR-120, SR-108, SR-49 | |
| San Benito County | 62 | 58 | 18.4 | 6% | 43% | 28% | SR-156, SR-25, US-101 | |
| Amador County | 56 | 46 | 27 | 4% | 33% | 46% | SR-88, SR-49, SR-16 | |
| Marin County | 54 | 52 | 4.2 | 17% | 33% | 21% | US-101, SR-1, I-580 | |
| Inyo County | 49 | 38 | 52.3 | 6% | 39% | 26% | US-395, SR-190, SR-178 | |
| Lassen County | 45 | 37 | 29.6 | 9% | 41% | 32% | US-395, SR-44, SR-139 | |
| Trinity County | 40 | 38 | 50.4 | 5% | 34% | 47% | SR-299, SR-3, SR-36 | |
| Glenn County | 40 | 34 | 28.1 | 10% | 41% | 24% | I-5, SR-45, SR-32 | |
| Colusa County | 38 | 32 | 34.6 | 8% | 38% | 31% | SR-20, I-5, SR-45 | |
| Del Norte County | 26 | 24 | 19.2 | 12% | 33% | 33% | US-101, US-199 | |
| Mono County | 18 | 16 | 27.4 | 0% | 50% | 31% | US-395, US-6 | |
| Modoc County | 18 | 16 | 41.9 | 0% | 12% | 19% | SR-139, SR-299, US-395 | |
| Plumas County | 18 | 17 | 18.5 | 0% | 29% | 24% | SR-70, SR-89, SR-147 | |
| Mariposa County | 8 | 8 | 9.4 | 0% | 25% | 38% | SR-49, SR-140 | |
| Sierra County | 5 | 5 | 31.2 | 0% | 60% | 40% | SR-89, US-395, SR-49 | |
| Alpine County | 4 | 4 | 69.3 | 0% | 75% | 75% | SR-4, SR-89, SR-88 |
Deaths = people killed in crashes in the county, 2020–2024. Pedestrians = share of deaths who were on foot. At night = share of fatal crashes in the dark. Alcohol = share of fatal crashes where police reported a driver had been drinking. Rate = yearly average deaths ÷ average population × 100,000. Source: NHTSA FARS, U.S. Census Bureau.
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Questions
Dangerous counties — FAQ
What is the most dangerous county in California for driving?
Los Angeles County recorded the most road deaths in California from 2020 to 2024 (4,095), while Inyo County had the highest death rate, 52.3 per 100,000 residents a year against 10.7 for the state as a whole. Big counties lead on counts because more people drive there; the rate shows the risk for each resident.
How many people died on California roads from 2020 to 2024?
21,077 people, according to NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, about 4,215 a year.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every fatal crash in NHTSA's FARS census for 2020–2024, placed in the county where it happened, divided by the county's average population from the U.S. Census Bureau. Rates are only ranked for counties with at least 10,000 residents.