26th Annual Highway Report: Rural Fatality Rate

The rural fatality rate measures fatalities on all rural arterials in the state. The nation’s rural highway fatality rate improved from 1.36 in 2018 to 1.26 in 2019 (Table 18, Rural Fatality Rate per 100 Million Vehicle- Miles, 2019, Figure 13). In 2019, 6,273 rural fatalities were reported, fewer than the 6,654 rural fatalities reported in 2018, as rural VMT (vehicle-miles of travel) increased to 0.50 trillion from 0.49 trillion in 2018.

For 2019, Rhode Island reported the lowest rural fatality rate, 0.17, while Hawaii reported the highest, 4.86. Twenty-nine states reported a decrease in their rural fatality rate compared to 2018, led by North Carolina, Hawaii, and Rhode Island (which improved 2.41, 1.74, and 1.15 points respectively). Twenty-one states saw their fatality rate increase, led by Nevada, Utah, and Nebraska (at 0.56, 0.51, and 0.40 points, respectively).

Rural Highway Fatality Rate (Per 100 Million Vehicle-Miles Traveled)

2019 Rank	State	Fatality Rate Per 100 Million Rural Vehicle-Miles
1	Rhode Island	0.17
2	Vermont	0.39
3	Connecticut	0.40
4	Massachusetts	0.48
5	Maryland	0.57
6	Minnesota	0.60
7	Michigan	0.66
8	North Dakota	0.73
9	New Jersey	0.75
10	Pennsylvania	0.75
10	Ohio	0.78
12	Maine	0.82
13	Iowa	0.83
14	South Dakota	0.84
15	Illinois	0.85
16	Wisconsin	0.89
17	New York	0.98
18	Missouri	1.02
19	Virginia	1.03
20	Kentucky	1.05
21	Washington	1.05
22	Georgia	1.12
23	Tennessee	1.13
24	North Carolina	1.18
25	Louisiana	1.18
26	Colorado	1.24
27	Indiana	1.34
28	Texas	1.35
29	New Hampshire	1.35
30	West Virginia	1.38
31	Oklahoma	1.39
32	California	1.42
33	Arizona	1.43
33	Oregon	1.46
35	Mississippi	1.50
35	Idaho	1.53
37	Montana	1.54
38	Utah	1.58
39	Nebraska	1.62
40	Alabama	1.67
41	New Mexico	1.74
41	Delaware	1.82
43	Florida	1.86
44	Wyoming	1.92
45	Kansas	1.97
46	Alaska	2.01
47	Arkansas	2.06
48	South Carolina	2.19
49	Nevada	2.30
50	Hawaii	4.86
	Average	1.26