Most Dangerous Counties in North Carolina

Quick answer: Mecklenburg County recorded the most road deaths in North Carolina from 2020 to 2024 (556), while Robeson County had the highest death rate, 50.1 per 100,000 residents a year against 15 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	Robeson County	50.1	293	116,902
2	Scotland County	48.2	81	33,590
3	Northampton County	43.7	37	16,931
4	Duplin County	42.6	105	49,335
5	Columbus County	39.9	100	50,140
6	Warren County	39.4	37	18,795
7	Montgomery County	39.2	51	26,007
8	Anson County	38.6	43	22,289
9	Gates County	38.6	20	10,376
10	Halifax County	37.3	89	47,675
11	Bladen County	36.5	54	29,566
12	Hertford County	34.2	34	19,908
13	Sampson County	33	98	59,470
14	Yadkin County	28.2	53	37,573
15	Bertie County	28	24	17,170

100 counties · click a heading to sort

Every county in North Carolina

County	Deaths	Fatal crashes	Per 100k / yr	Pedestrians	At night	Alcohol	Deadliest roads
Mecklenburg County	556	521	9.6	26%	61%	34%	I-485, I-85, I-77
Wake County	432	398	7.3	24%	55%	26%	US-401, I-40, US-70
Guilford County	346	327	12.6	24%	55%	25%	I-40, US-29, US-70
Robeson County	293	264	50.1	13%	53%	22%	I-95, SR-71, SR-41
Cumberland County	270	243	16	27%	56%	23%	US-401, I-95, SR-210
Forsyth County	220	210	11.3	17%	42%	19%	US-52, I-40, SR-150
Buncombe County	190	178	13.9	21%	46%	18%	US-25, I-40, US-19
Johnston County	188	171	16.1	12%	46%	26%	US-70, I-95, I-40
Davidson County	164	151	19	12%	53%	23%	I-85, SR-109, SR-150
Harnett County	154	140	22.1	14%	47%	17%	US-421, SR-210, SR-87
Durham County	153	148	9.2	19%	57%	35%	US-501, I-85, I-40
Pitt County	150	137	16.9	18%	51%	31%	US-264, US-13, SR-11
Randolph County	144	140	19.7	17%	49%	17%	I-73, US-220, US-64
Catawba County	141	131	17.2	14%	51%	23%	SR-16, SR-127, US-70
Rowan County	138	131	18.4	14%	46%	14%	I-85, US-601, US-29
Gaston County	135	131	11.5	16%	44%	24%	US-321, I-85, SR-279
Onslow County	127	119	12.2	19%	49%	19%	US-17, US-258, SR-24
Cabarrus County	126	117	10.7	21%	49%	26%	I-85, US-29, SR-3
Alamance County	120	110	13.6	18%	48%	20%	SR-87, I-40, SR-49
Iredell County	118	111	12	14%	41%	28%	I-77, I-40, SR-150
Wayne County	118	103	19.9	11%	49%	24%	US-70, SR-55, US-13
Union County	114	107	9.1	9%	46%	26%	US-74, US-601, SR-218
Brunswick County	112	104	14.7	13%	36%	24%	US-17, SR-130, US-74
Duplin County	105	95	42.6	14%	38%	26%	I-40, US-117, SR-903
Nash County	105	97	21.8	10%	55%	30%	US-64, I-95, SR-97
Moore County	101	88	19.3	6%	40%	18%	US-1, SR-690, US-15
New Hanover County	101	96	8.6	28%	53%	22%	US-17, US-421, US-117
Columbus County	100	87	39.9	9%	34%	22%	US-701, US-74, SR-87
Sampson County	98	89	33	7%	36%	26%	US-421, SR-24, US-13
Cleveland County	95	92	18.8	14%	42%	13%	US-74, SR-18, I-85
Wilson County	91	78	23	16%	54%	23%	US-264, US-301, I-95
Orange County	90	79	12	20%	53%	24%	SR-86, I-40, US-70
Halifax County	89	79	37.3	10%	56%	29%	I-95, US-158, SR-125
Franklin County	88	75	23.7	7%	51%	33%	US-401, US-1, SR-39
Rockingham County	85	79	18.5	13%	41%	18%	US-220, US-29, US-311
Scotland County	81	72	48.2	10%	46%	19%	US-74, US-501, US-401
Rutherford County	75	64	23.1	13%	45%	12%	US-74, US-221, US-64
Hoke County	74	69	27.5	11%	46%	16%	US-401, SR-211, SR-20
Wilkes County	73	68	22.1	11%	26%	16%	US-421, SR-18, SR-16
Chatham County	73	70	18.2	8%	43%	23%	US-64, US-421, US-15
Lenoir County	73	63	26.6	14%	44%	16%	SR-11, US-258, SR-903
Caldwell County	69	68	17.1	9%	46%	19%	US-321, US-64, SR-18
Surry County	68	65	19	12%	43%	14%	US-52, I-77, US-601
Granville County	67	61	22	7%	44%	31%	I-85, US-15, US-158
Craven County	66	62	12.9	18%	45%	15%	US-17, US-70, SR-55
Henderson County	66	64	11.1	15%	30%	25%	US-25, US-64, I-26
Lee County	65	62	19.8	11%	55%	23%	US-421, SR-87, US-1
Burke County	65	61	14.8	15%	38%	15%	I-40, US-70, SR-181
Pender County	63	61	19.2	16%	49%	26%	US-117, US-421, SR-210
Edgecombe County	62	53	25.4	6%	43%	40%	US-64, SR-43, SR-97
Richmond County	57	50	26.9	12%	50%	24%	US-74, US-1, US-220
Carteret County	55	51	15.9	13%	43%	22%	US-70, SR-24, SR-101
Lincoln County	55	52	11.9	7%	29%	25%	US-321, SR-27, SR-150
Bladen County	54	53	36.5	9%	47%	19%	SR-87, US-701, SR-41
Haywood County	53	49	16.9	13%	24%	14%	I-40, US-23, US-19
Vance County	53	47	25	11%	47%	23%	SR-39, I-85, US-1
Yadkin County	53	49	28.2	8%	33%	14%	I-77, SR-67, US-421
Montgomery County	51	48	39.2	10%	40%	12%	I-73, SR-73, SR-109
Stanly County	45	43	13.9	7%	35%	21%	SR-24, SR-740, US-52
Anson County	43	40	38.6	9%	38%	28%	US-74, US-52, SR-742
Pasquotank County	39	36	19.1	8%	53%	19%	US-17, US-158, SR-344
Beaufort County	37	35	16.6	11%	34%	40%	US-264, SR-33, US-17
McDowell County	37	32	16.5	8%	34%	19%	US-221, US-70, SR-226
Warren County	37	34	39.4	8%	56%	24%	US-158, US-401, I-85
Northampton County	37	33	43.7	11%	36%	21%	SR-46, US-158, SR-48
Alexander County	36	33	19.8	3%	30%	36%	SR-16, US-64, SR-127
Person County	35	32	17.7	6%	38%	19%	US-158, US-501, SR-57
Jackson County	35	33	16	6%	24%	27%	US-23, SR-107, US-74
Hertford County	34	27	34.2	6%	48%	37%	SR-11, US-158, US-13
Stokes County	33	33	14.6	9%	52%	18%	SR-704, US-52, SR-8
Davie County	33	31	15	3%	39%	29%	I-40, US-64, SR-801
Madison County	24	23	22	8%	39%	22%	I-26, SR-208, SR-213
Bertie County	24	21	28	8%	48%	29%	SR-45, SR-308, SR-11
Watauga County	24	23	8.7	12%	22%	13%	US-421, US-321, SR-105
Dare County	24	21	12.7	29%	48%	14%	US-158, SR-12, US-64
Cherokee County	23	22	15.6	4%	36%	32%	US-64, US-19, SR-294
Martin County	23	22	21.3	13%	50%	27%	SR-11, US-64, SR-903
Caswell County	22	19	19.6	9%	47%	21%	SR-86, US-158, SR-57
Currituck County	20	19	13.1	15%	37%	11%	US-158, SR-168, SR-34
Gates County	20	20	38.6	5%	45%	40%	SR-32, US-158, SR-37
Polk County	20	20	20.1	5%	15%	15%	SR-108, I-26, SR-9
Ashe County	20	17	14.8	0%	29%	18%	US-221, SR-88, SR-16
Macon County	19	17	10	5%	35%	6%	US-23, SR-106, US-64
Greene County	18	18	17.6	6%	39%	39%	SR-903, US-258, US-13
Graham County	16	16	39.6	0%	19%	12%	SR-143, SR-28, US-129
Swain County	15	15	21.4	7%	13%	33%	US-19, US-74, SR-1311
Perquimans County	14	13	21.1	7%	54%	15%	US-17
Mitchell County	13	13	17.3	0%	15%	8%	SR-226, US-19, SR-80
Yancey County	13	12	13.8	8%	17%	25%	US-19, SR-197, US-19E
Pamlico County	13	13	21	0%	38%	8%	SR-55, SR-304, SR-306
Jones County	13	13	28	8%	46%	31%	US-17, US-70, SR-58
Avery County	12	12	13.6	0%	33%	25%	SR-105, SR-194, US-221
Transylvania County	12	11	7.1	8%	18%	0%	US-64, US-276, US-178
Clay County	10	9	17.2	10%	33%	11%	US-64
Tyrrell County	9	7	52.6	0%	29%	0%	US-64, SR-94
Alleghany County	9	8	16.1	22%	25%	12%	SR-18, US-21
Chowan County	6	6	8.7	0%	67%	67%	SR-32
Camden County	5	5	9.2	0%	40%	40%	US-17, SR-343
Washington County	5	5	9.2	0%	40%	20%	US-64, SR-32, SR-99
Hyde County	3	3	13.1	0%	33%	0%	US-264

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 North Carolina for driving?

Mecklenburg County recorded the most road deaths in North Carolina from 2020 to 2024 (556), while Robeson County had the highest death rate, 50.1 per 100,000 residents a year against 15 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 North Carolina roads from 2020 to 2024?

8,058 people, according to NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, about 1,612 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.