Quick answer
According to crimebycity.com's analysis of NHTSA fatal-crash data, Mississippi has the worst drivers in America by traffic-fatality rate: 25.2 deaths per 100,000 residents per year (2020–2024). Massachusetts is safest at 5.4 — a 4.6x difference. The US average is 12.3.
All 50 States + DC, Ranked
Ranked by traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year (worst first). Crash-factor shares show what’s behind each state’s fatal crashes; factors overlap.
| # | State | Deaths per 100K/yr | Deaths 2020–2024 | Alcohol % | Speeding % | Dark % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 25.2 | 3,703 | 17.7% | 17.6% | 46.0% |
| 2 | Wyoming | 21.4 | 622 | 30.9% | 40.2% | 36.6% |
| 3 | Arkansas | 20.9 | 3,179 | 27.1% | 22.4% | 43.4% |
| 4 | New Mexico | 20.8 | 2,196 | 24.7% | 35.8% | 51.9% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 20.6 | 5,443 | 32.9% | 39.6% | 52.8% |
| 6 | Montana | 19.3 | 1,081 | 43.9% | 37.1% | 42.1% |
| 7 | Alabama | 19.1 | 4,841 | 24.9% | 26.7% | 47.8% |
| 8 | Louisiana | 18.6 | 4,268 | 30.2% | 25.0% | 55.3% |
| 9 | Tennessee | 18.1 | 6,377 | 24.8% | 16.8% | 46.9% |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 17.3 | 3,481 | 26.9% | 28.1% | 45.9% |
| 11 | Kentucky | 17.1 | 3,851 | 25.7% | 16.3% | 42.2% |
| 12 | Arizona | 16.6 | 6,102 | 20.1% | 33.1% | 48.5% |
| 13 | Missouri | 16.2 | 5,006 | 28.3% | 36.9% | 45.5% |
| 14 | South Dakota | 15.7 | 712 | 34.1% | 26.0% | 36.8% |
| 15 | Florida | 15.4 | 17,131 | 19.5% | 10.0% | 55.4% |
| 16 | Georgia | 15.2 | 8,276 | 19.4% | 21.8% | 52.0% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 15.1 | 8,058 | 23.5% | 33.3% | 47.1% |
| 18 | West Virginia | 15.0 | 1,331 | 29.0% | 26.0% | 37.7% |
| 19 | Texas | 14.1 | 21,238 | 25.3% | 35.0% | 56.6% |
| 20 | Kansas | 13.5 | 1,985 | 25.3% | 22.0% | 42.0% |
| 21 | Oregon | 13.4 | 2,833 | 30.3% | 29.9% | 42.7% |
| 22 | Indiana | 13.3 | 4,541 | 20.0% | 27.1% | 44.5% |
| 23 | Delaware | 13.3 | 675 | 24.2% | 30.1% | 53.0% |
| 24 | North Dakota | 12.7 | 495 | 36.1% | 24.7% | 33.3% |
| 25 | Idaho | 12.5 | 1,215 | 32.0% | 23.4% | 35.1% |
| 26 | Nevada | 12.3 | 1,958 | 29.1% | 29.6% | 52.6% |
| 27 | Nebraska | 12.0 | 1,176 | 32.8% | 19.5% | 40.4% |
| 28 | Colorado | 11.9 | 3,486 | 35.0% | 35.2% | 47.3% |
| 29 | Maine | 11.7 | 811 | 38.1% | 24.6% | 36.8% |
| 30 | Iowa | 11.1 | 1,770 | 24.5% | 20.6% | 39.8% |
| 31 | Michigan | 11.0 | 5,541 | 27.8% | 26.3% | 46.0% |
| 32 | California | 10.8 | 21,077 | 27.5% | 31.5% | 59.1% |
| 33 | Virginia | 10.7 | 4,660 | 29.2% | 31.5% | 46.1% |
| 34 | Ohio | 10.6 | 6,257 | 31.5% | 22.1% | 45.7% |
| 35 | Vermont | 10.5 | 340 | 35.1% | 33.9% | 31.0% |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 10.2 | 3,017 | 31.9% | 31.4% | 42.1% |
| 37 | Illinois | 9.9 | 6,213 | 24.2% | 34.4% | 49.9% |
| 38 | Alaska | 9.5 | 347 | 28.4% | 37.7% | 42.9% |
| 39 | Maryland | 9.4 | 2,901 | 28.0% | 27.1% | 56.3% |
| 40 | Washington | 9.1 | 3,530 | 30.2% | 32.1% | 47.7% |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | 9.1 | 5,876 | 24.7% | 39.4% | 43.2% |
| 42 | New Hampshire | 9.0 | 628 | 35.0% | 31.2% | 36.7% |
| 43 | Utah | 8.8 | 1,484 | 25.2% | 30.8% | 42.3% |
| 44 | Connecticut | 8.8 | 1,586 | 34.4% | 37.4% | 51.4% |
| 45 | Minnesota | 7.7 | 2,205 | 30.5% | 29.9% | 38.6% |
| 46 | New Jersey | 7.0 | 3,242 | 22.6% | 25.4% | 51.6% |
| 47 | District of Columbia | 6.0 | 200 | 24.1% | 39.6% | 65.2% |
| 48 | New York | 5.7 | 5,601 | 20.4% | 33.2% | 47.6% |
| 49 | Rhode Island | 5.6 | 305 | 37.2% | 39.9% | 47.8% |
| 50 | Massachusetts | 5.4 | 1,896 | 29.5% | 30.6% | 47.4% |
How to Read This Ranking
“Worst drivers” is measured here as an outcome: how many people die in traffic per 100,000 residents. It captures driving behavior (the alcohol and speeding columns), but also structural factors — rural states with long, fast highways tend to rank worse than dense states where average speeds are lower. That’s why Mississippi and Wyoming top the list while Massachusetts and Rhode Island rank safest.
All figures come from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, the federal census of every fatal motor-vehicle crash in the US. See the methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which state has the worst drivers?
By traffic-fatality rate, Mississippi ranks worst: 25.2 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year across 2020–2024 (NHTSA FARS), with 18% of fatal crashes involving a drinking driver.
Which state has the safest drivers?
Massachusetts has the lowest traffic-fatality rate: 5.4 deaths per 100,000 residents per year — 4.6x lower than Mississippi.
How is this ranking measured?
States are ranked by traffic deaths per 100,000 residents per year from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (2020–2024), with each state's share of fatal crashes involving alcohol, speeding, and dark conditions shown alongside. Fatality rate is an outcome measure — it reflects driving behavior but also road types, speeds, and rural/urban mix.