Wisconsin car accident statistics (2020-2024)

Car accident deaths in Wisconsin by year

Car accident deaths fell from 490 in 2020 to 481 in 2021, rose to 505 in 2022, fell to 481 in 2023 and rose to 508 in 2024. The highest count was in 2024; 2021 and 2023 shared the lowest count. The 2024 count was 18 deaths higher than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Wisconsin's share of the national car accident death total was 1.5% in 2020, 1.3% in 2021, 1.4% in 2022, 1.4% in 2023 and 1.5% in 2024. For 2020 through 2024, the state's 2,465 deaths represented 1.4% of the national total of 176,219. The 2024 figures remain subject to revision when NHTSA publishes the Final File.^{[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 Wisconsin car accidents

People in cars, SUVs, pickups or vans accounted for 1,943 deaths, or 78.8% of car accident deaths during 2020 through 2024. This was the largest person category. People in other vehicles accounted for 224 deaths, or 9.1%, the smallest category. Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) accounted for 298 deaths, or 12.1%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

These categories describe the people killed in qualifying passenger-vehicle-involved crashes. The Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping) label follows the FARS classification and 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

Car accident deaths by manner of collision were: Angle (side impact), 702; Head-on, 314; Rear-end, 177; Sideswipe, 51; Other, 10; and Unknown, 3. Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport accounted for 1,208 deaths. That row means the first harmful event was not between motor vehicles in transport, such as a rollover or impact with a fixed object. A vehicle stopped in traffic can be in transport.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime accounted for 1,238 deaths (50.2%); nighttime, 1,148 (46.6%); and unknown time, 79 (3.2%). Urban classifications accounted for 1,029 deaths (41.7%); rural, 1,431 (58.1%); and unknown land use, 5 (0.2%).^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Counties with the most car accident deaths

The county table lists the counties with the most car accident deaths from 2020 through 2024. Milwaukee County recorded 425 deaths, followed by Dane County with 165, Rock County with 89, Waukesha County with 84 and Racine County with 66. Brown County and Kenosha County each recorded 61 deaths. Dodge County recorded 54, Fond du Lac County 50 and Winnebago County 48. Marathon County and Walworth County each recorded 47, Manitowoc County 46, and Columbia County and Sauk County each recorded 45.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Death counts and rates describe different measures. Among the listed counties, Columbia County had the highest average annual deaths per 100,000 residents at 15.4, while Waukesha County had the lowest at 4.1. Milwaukee County's rate was 9.2.^{[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 Wisconsin compares with the national rate

Wisconsin's car accident death rate was 8.3, compared with the national rate of 10.5. Both figures measure average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. Wisconsin's rate was lower than the national rate. The corresponding death counts were 2,465 for Wisconsin and 176,219 for the United States.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

The calculation divides deaths during the period by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates, then multiplies by 100,000. It does not adjust for miles driven or visitors. Wisconsin's separately displayed 2024 population estimate of 5,957,168 is not the rate's denominator. When reading these figures alongside a search for a car accident lawyer, keep the crash-location grouping and the population-based rate distinct.^{[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. The census excludes nonfatal crashes and injuries. Crash location determines state and county counts, rather than the deceased person's residence.^[8][6][7]

Data for 2020 through 2023 use FARS Final Files; 2024 uses the revisable Annual Report File. Rates divide 2020 through 2024 deaths by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025, then multiply by 100,000. These are average annual deaths per 100,000 residents, without adjustments 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 Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (2020-2024)
• Car accident statistics for Dane County, Wisconsin (2020-2024)