How many people die on Iowa roads?
In 2024, NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) recorded 324 fatal crashes in Iowa, in which 356 people died. Over the whole period the file covers, 1975 to 2024, it records 22,702 deaths.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) exported 2026-09-11
Fatal crashes in Iowa by year
Fatal crashes in Iowa1975–2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)All 50 years as a table
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 324 | 356 |
| 2023 | 330 | 379 |
| 2022 | 305 | 336 |
| 2021 | 329 | 356 |
| 2020 | 310 | 343 |
| 2019 | 313 | 336 |
| 2018 | 291 | 319 |
| 2017 | 301 | 330 |
| 2016 | 355 | 402 |
| 2015 | 282 | 320 |
| 2014 | 288 | 322 |
| 2013 | 290 | 317 |
| 2012 | 330 | 365 |
| 2011 | 329 | 360 |
| 2010 | 348 | 390 |
| 2009 | 338 | 371 |
| 2008 | 368 | 412 |
| 2007 | 393 | 446 |
| 2006 | 386 | 439 |
| 2005 | 398 | 450 |
| 2004 | 354 | 388 |
| 2003 | 383 | 443 |
| 2002 | 372 | 405 |
| 2001 | 384 | 446 |
| 2000 | 394 | 445 |
| 1999 | 428 | 490 |
| 1998 | 386 | 449 |
| 1997 | 411 | 468 |
| 1996 | 411 | 465 |
| 1995 | 446 | 527 |
| 1994 | 415 | 478 |
| 1993 | 401 | 459 |
| 1992 | 388 | 437 |
| 1991 | 423 | 488 |
| 1990 | 404 | 465 |
| 1989 | 451 | 514 |
| 1988 | 494 | 557 |
| 1987 | 443 | 491 |
| 1986 | 388 | 441 |
| 1985 | 416 | 474 |
| 1984 | 376 | 420 |
| 1983 | 437 | 514 |
| 1982 | 431 | 480 |
| 1981 | 530 | 613 |
| 1980 | 541 | 626 |
| 1979 | 566 | 655 |
| 1978 | 552 | 638 |
| 1977 | 549 | 628 |
| 1976 | 657 | 779 |
| 1975 | 575 | 670 |
1975 opened at 575 fatal crashes and 2024 closed at 324. A year the source holds no rows for is left blank rather than drawn through.
The counties with the most
Iowa counties with the most fatal crashes2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)Counted over the whole period the export covers. A county with more road on it records more crashes; this is not a safety ranking.
| County | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Polk 19153 | 40 | 47 |
| Scott 19163 | 22 | 23 |
| Linn 19113 | 16 | 18 |
| Black Hawk 19013 | 15 | 15 |
| Dubuque 19061 | 10 | 11 |
| Woodbury 19193 | 10 | 11 |
| Muscatine 19139 | 9 | 9 |
| Pottawattamie 19155 | 9 | 9 |
| Johnson 19103 | 8 | 8 |
| Cerro Gordo 19033 | 7 | 7 |
| Iowa 19095 | 6 | 6 |
| Jones 19105 | 5 | 5 |
| Plymouth 19149 | 5 | 6 |
| Washington 19183 | 5 | 8 |
| Benton 19011 | 4 | 4 |
Which roads carry the deaths
Fatal crashes by road class2024
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)Share is of the crashes this source assigned a road class to, not of every crash in the state.
| Road class | Fatal crashes | Deaths | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| County | 82 | 89 | 25% |
| U.S. Highway | 73 | 81 | 23% |
| Municipal | 62 | 66 | 19% |
| State Highway | 45 | 51 | 14% |
| Township | 36 | 38 | 11% |
| Interstate | 23 | 27 | 7% |
| Other | 2 | 3 | 1% |
| Not Signed | 1 | 1 | 0% |
Where these numbers come from
These figures come from NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). They are exported into this repository by export_fars_state.py, reviewed, and committed, so the page is static and the
number on it cannot change between a reader loading it and citing it.
The export covers 1975 to 2024 and was generated on 2026-09-11. Every year in that span carries rows.
Counties are keyed by FIPS code rather than by name, because a county name is not unique across the country and thirty states have a Washington County. The code is printed beside each name so a row can be joined to any other federal file.
You are welcome to quote these figures. Please cite NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) as the source, which is where they come from, and link this page if the compilation was useful.
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