Policy Study

25th Annual Highway Report: Rural Fatality Rate

Most states (34 of 50) reported a decrease in their rural fatality rates compared to 2016, led by Florida and North California, which improved 5.47 and 2.35 points, respectively.

The rural fatality rate measures fatalities on all rural arterials in the state.

The nation’s rural highway fatality rate improved from 1.71 in 2016 to 1.36 in 2018 (Table 18, Rural  Fatality Rate Per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles, 2018, Figure 13).

The last several years saw the rural fatality rate increase after a decades-long downward trend. While there is no one cause, distracted driving appears to be the biggest contributor. In 2018, 6,654 rural fatalities were reported, fewer than the 8,032 rural fatalities reported in 2018, as rural VMT (vehicle-miles of travel) increased to 0.49 trillion from 0.47 trillion in 2016.

For 2018, Maryland reported the lowest rural fatality rate, 0.32, while Hawaii reported the highest, 6.6.

Most states (34 of 50) reported a decrease in their rural fatality rate compared to 2016, led by Florida and North California, which improved 5.47 and 2.35 points, respectively.

Thirteen states saw their rural fatality rate increase, with Delaware and Rhode Island reporting the largest rate increases of 1.05 and 0.82 points, respectively. Three states—Michigan, Ohio, and Arkansas—saw no change in their rural fatality rate.

Rural Highway Fatality Rate (Per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles Traveled)
2018 RankStateFatality Rate Per 100 Million Rural Vehicle-Miles
1Maryland0.32
2Massachusetts0.49
3Minnesota0.58
4New Jersey0.59
5Ohio0.69
6Michigan0.7
7Connecticut0.73
8Georgia0.78
9Maine0.8
10Pennsylvania0.82
10Louisiana0.82
12Vermont0.84
13Virginia0.93
14Wisconsin0.97
15Iowa0.98
16Illinois1.01
17Utah1.06
18Tennessee1.07
19Washington1.09
20Oklahoma1.14
21Kentucky1.16
22Nebraska1.2
23Missouri1.22
24West Virginia1.28
25Indiana1.3
26Rhode Island1.32
27New Mexico1.39
28North Dakota1.41
29Alabama1.43
30Colorado1.45
31Arizona1.46
32South Dakota1.5
33Texas1.54
33New Hampshire1.54
35California1.56
35Idaho1.56
37Montana1.59
38Florida1.6
39Wyoming1.69
40Arkansas1.72
41Nevada1.73
41Mississippi1.73
43Oregon1.84
44New York1.93
45Kansas2
46Alaska2.02
47South Carolina2.15
48Delaware2.21
49North Carolina3.59
50Hawaii6.6
View national trends and state-by-state performances by category:
overall
Overall
total-disbursements-per-mile
Total Disbursements Per Mile
capital-bridge-disbursements-per-mile
Capital & Bridge Disbursements Per Mile
maintenance-disbursements-per-mile
Maintenance Disbursements Per Mile
administrative-disbursements-per-mile
Administrative Disbursements Per Mile
rural-interstate-percent-poor-condition
Rural Interstate Pavement Condition
rural-other-principal-arterial-percent-narrow-lanes
Rural Arterial Pavement Condition
urban-interstate-percent-poor-condition
Urban Interstate Pavement Condition
rural-other-principal-arterial-percent-poor-condition
Urban Arterial Pavement Condition
urbanized-area-congestion-peak-hours-spent-in-congestion-per-auto-commuter
Urbanized Area Congestion
bridges-percent-deficient
Structurally Deficient Bridges
fatality-rate-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-of-travel
Overall Fatality Rate
fatality-rate-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-of-travel
Rural Fatality Rate
fatality-rate-per-100-million-vehicle-miles-of-travel
Urban Fatality Rate