Counties with the most motor vehicle accident fatalities in Minnesota

Written by:
January 4, 2023
McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

Counties with the most motor vehicle accident fatalities in Minnesota

Media outlets were quick during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns that defined the summer and fall of 2020 to note just how little traffic there was as a result. Simple logic would suggest that less traffic equals a lower likelihood of accidents and thus fewer injuries and fatalities. Sadly, this was not the case.

Nationwide, traffic fatalities rose 7.2% in 2020 to nearly 39,000. That number was the highest recorded since 2007. Qualifying this disturbing fact is a sticky wicket—common denominators behind traffic deaths such as impaired driving, failure to use a seat belt, and excessive speed were certainly contributing factors, but they alone do not account for a rise in deaths commensurate with a 430-million-mile drop in the number of miles people traveled across the course of the year. What can be qualified, however, is where fatal crashes took place.

Citing data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Stacker identified the counties in Minnesota that had the most fatalities from motor vehicle crashes in 2020. The number of accident fatalities are ranked by the number of deaths per 100,000 people, with the raw number functioning as a tiebreaker. The analysis only looked at counties with at least five deaths during 2020. Additional data is included on pedestrian, bicyclist, and drunk-driving-related deaths. In counties where at least five fatalities happened on the same street or interstate, the road with the most deaths is also included.

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Iulus Ascanius // Wikimedia Commons

#26. Washington County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 2.6 per 100K people (#1,705 nationally, 7 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Mulad // Wikimedia Commons

#25. Ramsey County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 3.5 per 100K people (#1,697 nationally, 19 deaths)
- 7 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 5 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Checubus // Shutterstock

#24. Hennepin County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 3.6 per 100K people (#1,692 nationally, 46 deaths)
- 7 pedestrian deaths
- 3 bicyclist deaths
- 22 deaths involving drunk drivers
- Roads with most fatalities: I-35W, EMERSON AVE N (5 fatalities each)
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#23. Dakota County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 3.9 per 100K people (#1,686 nationally, 17 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 5 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Myotus // Wikimedia Commons

#22. Carver County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 4.7 per 100K people (#1,675 nationally, 5 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Appraiser // Wikimedia Commons

#21. Scott County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 4.7 per 100K people (#1,674 nationally, 7 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#20. Anoka County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 4.7 per 100K people (#1,672 nationally, 17 deaths)
- 6 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Bobak Ha'Eri // Wikimedia Commons

#19. Wright County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 5.7 per 100K people (#1,615 nationally, 8 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikicommons

#18. Stearns County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 7.6 per 100K people (#1,519 nationally, 12 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Jonathunder // Wikimedia Commons

#17. Olmsted County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 8.1 per 100K people (#1,490 nationally, 13 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 1 death involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#16. Crow Wing County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 9.1 per 100K people (#1,435 nationally, 6 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 1 bicyclist death
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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#15. St. Louis County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 10.0 per 100K people (#1,381 nationally, 20 deaths)
- 3 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 12 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Tony Webster // Wikimedia Commons

#14. Chisago County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 10.7 per 100K people (#1,336 nationally, 6 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 1 death involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#13. Clay County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 10.8 per 100K people (#1,330 nationally, 7 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Beltrami County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 10.9 per 100K people (#1,325 nationally, 5 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 1 death involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#11. Rice County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 12.0 per 100K people (#1,250 nationally, 8 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#10. Douglas County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 12.9 per 100K people (#1,192 nationally, 5 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 2 bicyclist deaths
- 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#9. Nicollet County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 14.6 per 100K people (#1,082 nationally, 5 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 1 death involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#8. Morrison County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 14.8 per 100K people (#1,065 nationally, 5 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 1 death involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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SH5544 // Wikimedia Commons

#7. Otter Tail County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 15.1 per 100K people (#1,037 nationally, 9 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Bobak Ha'Eri // Wikimedia Commons

#6. Sherburne County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 15.6 per 100K people (#1,000 nationally, 15 deaths)
- 3 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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Jonathunder // Wikimedia Commons

#5. Itasca County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 17.8 per 100K people (#873 nationally, 8 deaths)
- 2 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#4. Isanti County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 19.7 per 100K people (#762 nationally, 8 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#3. Becker County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 22.9 per 100K people (#651 nationally, 8 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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AlexiusHoratius // Wikimedia Commons

#2. Wabasha County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 23.3 per 100K people (#641 nationally, 5 deaths)
- 0 pedestrian deaths
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities
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McGhiever // Wikimedia Commons

#1. Cass County, Minnesota

- Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 23.4 per 100K people (#635 nationally, 7 deaths)
- 1 pedestrian death
- 0 bicyclist deaths
- 1 death involving drunk drivers
- No roads with at least five fatalities

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