29th Annual Highway Report: Rural Fatality Rate

The rural fatality rate measures fatalities on all major rural arterials in the state. The nation’s rural highway fatality held (Table 17, Fatality Rate per 100 Million Rural Vehicle-Miles, 2023, Figure 12). In 2023, 6,095 rural fatalities were reported, fewer than the 6,466 rural fatalities reported in 2022 as rural VMT (vehicle- miles of travel) decreased from 0.52 trillion miles in 2022 to 0.51 trillion miles in 2023.

Eighteen states reported an increase in their rural fatality rate compared to 2022, led by Kansas (0.30 points), Washington (0.25 points), and Iowa (0.24 points). No states had rates remain the same. Thirty- two states reported a decrease in rural fatality rate, led by Hawaii (2.15 points), Delaware (1.48 points), and Rhode Island (0.87 points).

In 2023, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Minnesota reported the lowest rural fatality rate. Alaska, South Carolina, Hawaii, Oregon, and Wyoming reported the highest. Compared to 2022, the states whose ratio increased by the highest percentage were New York, Kansas, Iowa, New Jersey, and Wisconsin (33%, 33%, 32%, 30%, 24% respectively). The states that improved the most were Massachusetts (71%), Maryland (68%), Rhode Island (63%), Maine (56%), and Hawaii (53%).