27th 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 increased from 1.26 in 2019 to 1.30 in 2020 (Table 17, Rural Fatality Rate per 100 Million VehicleMiles, 2020, Figure 12). In 2020, 5,822 rural fatalities were reported, fewer than the 6,273 rural fatalities reported in 2019, as rural VMT (vehicle-miles of travel) decreased to 0.45 trillion from 0.50 trillion in 2019, partly as a result of COVID-19.

For 2020, Maryland reported the lowest rural fatality rate, 0.57, while South Carolina reported the highest, 2.92. Twenty states reported a decrease in their rural fatality rate compared to 2019, led by Hawaii, Arkansas, and Kansas (which improved 1.97, 1.03, and 0.70 points respectively). Three states had rates that remained the same. Twenty-seven states saw their fatality rate increase, led by Rhode Island, Connecticut, and South Carolina (which worsened at 1.02, 0.79, and 0.73 points, respectively).

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

2020 Rank	State	Fatality Rate Per 100 Million Rural Vehicle-Miles
1	Maryland	0.57
2	Minnesota	0.69
3	New Hampshire	0.77
4	Washington	0.81
5	Michigan	0.82
6	Vermont	0.82
7	New York	0.83
8	Maine	0.83
9	Pennsylvania	0.83
10	Iowa	0.84
11	Ohio	0.85
12	Wisconsin	0.89
13	New Jersey	0.9
14	Illinois	0.92
15	Massachusetts	0.95
16	Utah	0.98
17	Missouri	1.02
18	Arkansas	1.03
19	North Dakota	1.04
20	Louisiana	1.11
21	West Virginia	1.14
22	North Carolina	1.16
23	Tennessee	1.17
24	Kentucky	1.19
25	Connecticut	1.19
26	Rhode Island	1.19
27	Virginia	1.2
28	Nebraska	1.23
29	South Dakota	1.25
30	Kansas	1.27
31	New Mexico	1.29
32	Colorado	1.29
33	Oklahoma	1.33
34	Wyoming	1.35
35	Georgia	1.37
36	Alabama	1.45
37	Indiana	1.45
38	Delaware	1.49
39	California	1.52
40	Texas	1.54
41	Arizona	1.62
42	Oregon	1.63
43	Idaho	1.64
44	Alaska	1.71
45	Florida	1.79
46	Mississippi	1.81
47	Montana	1.84
48	Nevada	2.19
49	Hawaii	2.89
50	South Carolina	2.92
	Average	1.3