Mississippi car accident statistics (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Mississippi by year

Annual car accident deaths rose from 671 in 2020 to 701 in 2021, then fell to 638 in 2022. The count rose to 652 in 2023 and 664 in 2024. The highest count was in 2021, and the lowest was in 2022. The 2024 count was 7 deaths lower than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Mississippi accounted for 1.9% of the national total of 176,219 car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024. Its annual share of the U.S. total was 2.0% in 2020, 1.9% in 2021, 1.7% in 2022, 1.9% in 2023 and 2.0% in 2024. These national shares describe deaths in the selected passenger-vehicle-involved crashes, rather than all traffic deaths.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised when NHTSA publishes the final file.

Who died in Mississippi car accidents

People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 2,673 deaths, or 80.4% of car accident deaths during 2020 through 2024. This was the largest person category. People in other vehicles accounted for 218 deaths, or 6.6%, the smallest category. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 435 deaths, or 13.1%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Each category counts deaths in fatal crashes involving a passenger vehicle. The Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) label follows the FARS classification; it is not a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle. Its classification can include occupants of parked motor vehicles.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Collision types and setting

By manner of collision, deaths were: Angle (side impact), 591; Head-on, 544; Rear-end, 275; Sideswipe, 36; Other, 3; and Unknown, 1. Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 1,876 deaths. This describes a first harmful event such as a rollover or striking a fixed object, rather than a collision between motor vehicles in transport. Vehicles stopped in traffic can be in transport.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime accounted for 1,656 deaths (49.8%); nighttime accounted for 1,670 (50.2%). Urban locations recorded 1,017 deaths (30.6%), rural locations 2,272 (68.3%), and unknown land use 37 (1.1%). These figures classify car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Counties with the most car accident deaths

Hinds County had the most car accident deaths during 2020 through 2024, with 263, followed by Jackson County with 132 and Harrison County with 131. DeSoto County recorded 95 deaths and Rankin County 93. The listed counts continued with Lauderdale County at 88, Forrest County at 87, Marshall County at 85, Lee County at 84 and Washington County at 79. Pearl River County recorded 63 deaths, Scott County 62, Panola County 61, Pike County 59 and Jones County 58.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Counts and rates describe different measures. Among the listed counties, Marshall County had the highest average annual deaths per 100,000 residents at 50.0, while DeSoto County had the lowest at 9.9. Hinds County's rate was 24.0.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Up to 15 counties with the most deaths in the period, largest first. Rates for counties with few deaths change sharply with each death.

How Mississippi compares with the national rate

Mississippi's car accident death rate was 22.6 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024, compared with the national rate of 10.5. The state rate was higher than the national rate. The corresponding death counts were 3,326 for Mississippi and 176,219 for the United States.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

The rate uses deaths across the period divided by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, multiplied by 100,000. It does not adjust for miles driven or visitors. Mississippi's separately displayed July 1, 2024 population estimate of 2,950,172 is not the rate's denominator. For readers searching for a car accident lawyer, keep the grouping in mind: these deaths are assigned by crash location, not by where the people lived.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

About these figures

NHTSA's census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes is FARS. For inclusion, a crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public, with an occupant or nonoccupant dying within 30 days. Neither nonfatal crashes nor injuries are included. Crash location determines state and county counts; residence does not.^[8][6][7]

The 2020 through 2023 records are Final Files. The 2024 Annual Report File can change when NHTSA issues the Final File. Rates divide deaths for 2020 through 2024 by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025, then multiply by 100,000 for average annual deaths per 100,000 residents. They do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. The separate July 1, 2024 population estimate is not the denominator.^[8][6][7]

See also

• FARS Annual Report File and Final File
• Car accident statistics for Hinds County, Mississippi (2020-2024)