2025 TxDOT Data:

Texas’s Deadliest Counties for Drivers

More than 3,700 people lost their lives in crashes last year. We wanted to take a closer look at where these accidents happen. Our study examines all 254 counties in the state to determine what makes a county "dangerous," and which counties are the most prominent by that definition.

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As long as there have been drivers and cars, there have been crashes, and as long as there have been crashes, there have been crash-related fatalities. Last year, 3,814 people tragically lost their lives in auto accidents on Texas roads. That is a drop of over eight percent from 2024 and a continuation of a steady decline that has carried on since peaking at nearly 4,500 in 2021.

With the Texas Department of Transportation releasing their crash statistics for this most recent year, we wanted to take a look at which counties are the most dangerous by seeing which ones had the highest fatality rates in the state.

To keep those comparisons fair and account for statistical anomalies that come with small sample sizes, we split the state’s counties into three groups based on population. That way each county is only compared to other similar counties across the state.

The “Big Six”

THE BIG SIX
Rank	County	Population	Fatalities	Fatalities/100K	Top City	City Fatalities
1	Travis	1,363,767	146	10.71	Austin	96
2	Dallas	2,656,028	280	10.54	Dallas	172
3	Harris	5,009,302	517	10.32	Houston	300
4	Bexar	2,127,737	195	9.16	San Antonio	172
5	Tarrant	2,230,708	191	8.56	Fort Worth	113
6	El Paso	875,784	72	8.22	El Paso	56

The six largest cities in Texas are very much a world of their own when it comes to their traffic statistics. With most of their populations exceeding a million people (four of them exceeding two million), extensive and almost constant construction, and hundreds, if not thousands of miles of roads, these metropolitan areas are the textbook example of how “everything is bigger in Texas.”

They are also bigger in terms of the volume of accidents they see every year. Accidents are a daily occurrence in these counties, with most of them usually seeing multiple crashes every single day. As a result, their injury and fatality numbers are often higher.

It should come as little surprise that Harris County, the largest in the state by population, also takes the crown for our deadliest when it comes to the sheer number of fatalities in 2025. Its 517 total deaths more than doubles any other county outside of runner-up Dallas.

However, Travis County takes the crown among the big six when comparing on an equal footing. Travis’s 146 total fatalities equate to 10.71 fatalities per 100,000 residents, making it the deadliest county among the Big Six when adjusted for each county’s population size, narrowly ahead of Dallas County at 10.54.

El Paso County is the smallest member of this group, and actually has a smaller population than some in our next tier down. However, we have opted to include it as the most populous county in West Texas. Unsurprisingly, its smaller size means fewer accidents, but comparatively speaking, El Paso’s drivers are among the safest in the state. Its per-100K fatality rate of just 8.22 ranks 211^th out of 227 counties to record a fatality.

The “250k Club”

250K CLUB
Rank	County	Population	Fatalities	Fatalities/100K	Top City	City Fatalities
1	Jefferson	253,948	44	17.33	Beaumont	20
2	Nueces	353,125	52	14.73	Corpus Christi	38
3	Bell	399,578	49	12.26	Killeen	14
4	Lubbock	327,394	39	11.91	Lubbock	24
5	Brazoria	413,224	43	10.41	Alvin	5
6	McLennan	270,358	28	10.36	Waco	13
7	Galveston	367,407	33	8.98	Texas City	10
8	Williamson	727,480	64	8.80	Round Rock	12
9	Hays	292,029	24	8.22	San Marcos	9
10	Cameron	431,874	34	7.87	Brownsville	11
11	Montgomery	749,613	58	7.74	Conroe	13
12	Fort Bend	958,434	59	6.16	Sugar Land	12
13	Webb	272,823	16	5.86	Laredo	13
14	Hidalgo	914,820	52	5.68	McAllen	13
15	Denton	1,045,120	57	5.45	Denton	16
16	Collin	1,254,658	67	5.34	Plano	18

Our mid-size group presents some interesting observations, including some potential candidates for the “sweet spot” of a larger population size combining with an effectively low fatality rate. Denton and Collin counties perhaps lead this charge. Both have populations in excess of a million residents, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that they rank 11^th (tied) and 7^th in terms of total fatalities. Yet, both have per-capita fatality rates of under six per 100K, making them statistically among the best in the state in that category at 224^th and 225^th respectively. You could argue that this makes them among the safest counties in Texas relative to their population size.

Webb County also falls into this category, recording just 16 deaths with a population of nearly 275,000, giving a per-capita rate of 5.86, ranking just above Denton and Collin counties at 220^th.

This is particularly surprising because these counties (Denton and Collin, in particular) are among the fastest growing in not just the state, but the entire nation. Perhaps that might be a contributing factor as to why—this explosive growth and higher density create lower-speed roads both by design and in practice through brutal traffic both on local freeway stretches and surrounding surface streets. Lower speeds don’t always mean fewer accidents, but it does mean the average accident is more survivable.

This pattern is further supported by looking at suburbs and more rural counties that fit the other end of the spectrum: older and established cores with aging infrastructure, lower population density, and heavier truck traffic. Jefferson County stands out with the highest per-capita fatality rate at 17.33 per 100K—more than three times the rate of Collin County. It is also home to one of the most crash-prone intersections in the state, found in the city of Beaumont.

Nueces County, home of Corpus Christi, and Bell County, home of Killeen, also run well above the group average.

Our Smaller Counties

SMALLER COUNTIES (top 25 shown)
Rank	County	Population	Fatalities	Fatalities/100K	Top City	City Fatalities
1	Loving	48	1	2083.33	N/A	0
2	Kenedy	330	3	909.09	Armstrong	0
3	Oldham	1,823	10	548.55	Adrian	0
4	McMullen	565	2	353.98	Tilden	0
5	Glasscock	1,153	3	260.19	Garden City	0
6	Irion	1,526	3	196.59	Barnhart	0
7	Borden	557	1	179.53	Gail	0
8	Culberson	2,254	4	177.46	Van Horn	1
9	Armstrong	1,809	3	165.84	Claude	0
10	Hudspeth	3,608	5	138.58	Cornudas	0
11	Martin	5,179	7	135.16	Stanton	0
12	La Salle	6,679	9	134.75	Cotulla	0
13	Leon	16,698	19	113.79	Flynn	0
14	Crockett	2,799	3	107.18	Ozona	0
15	Hartley	4,996	5	100.08	Channing	0
16	Motley	1,015	1	98.52	Matador	0
17	Sutton	3,269	3	91.77	Sonora	0
18	San Augustine	7,767	7	90.12	San Augustine	1
19	Presidio	5,686	5	87.94	Marfa	0
20	Lee	18,451	15	81.30	Giddings	1
21	Edwards	1,383	1	72.31	Rocksprings	0
22	Somervell	10,098	7	69.32	Glen Rose	1
23	Upton	3,128	2	63.94	McCamey	0
24	Jack	9,398	6	63.84	Jacksboro	0
25	Parmer	9,669	6	62.05	Bovina	0

Our smaller counties are where we start to see some of those anomalies that make them statistically difficult to compare to their larger counterparts, notably because of their staggering per-capita numbers.

Loving County is an interesting example. With a most recent recorded population of just 48 people, it is the least populous county in not just Texas, but the entire United States. But that didn’t stop the county from recording one solitary traffic fatality in 2025, and that single death produces a countywide per-capita fatality rate of 2,083 deaths per 100K people.

You may also notice on our chart above that there is no city associated with that fatal accident. Loving County is so small that there are no incorporated cities anywhere. Its largest population center, Mentone, has been designated a Texas Historical Landmark as the “Smallest County Seat in Texas.”

But the real story lives in the mid-range of this list, where the numbers start to stabilize into meaningful patterns. Counties like Bastrop (33.06), Ector (28.82), and Bowie (28.26) have populations of roughly 90,000 to 170,000 and double-digit fatality counts, making their elevated rates far more statistically reliable than the micro-counties at the top.

Geography tells a consistent story: many of the highest-rate small counties sit along major interstate and highway corridors — I-40 through Oldham County, I-10 through Culberson and Hudspeth counties, SH 71 through Bastrop County and SH 130 through Caldwell County— where high-speed traffic passes through sparsely populated areas with limited emergency response infrastructure. These aren’t places where residents are driving dangerously; they’re places where through-traffic on major roadways suffers fatalities disproportionately relative to the people who actually live there.

Oldham County is a perfect example of this trend. This small county in the panhandle, located west of Amarillo, is home to just under 2,000 people. There were 10 traffic fatalities here in 2025, with the majority being accidents along I-40. In terms of total deaths, that’s relatively low compared to many other counties. However, 10 fatalities in a county with that small of a population produces a per-capita rate of 548.55, 3^rd highest in the state. The 10 recorded fatalities also place Oldham in a tie for 77^th for total traffic deaths. You could argue that this combination is a valid reason to consider Oldham County among the contenders for the title of Texas’ Deadliest County for Drivers.

Other Interesting Observations

Just 9 counties (Harris, Dallas, Bexar, Tarrant, Travis, El Paso, Collin, Williamson, and Montgomery) accounted for 1,590 fatalities, 41.7 percent of the entire total. Seven of these are also among the 10 most populous counties in the state, and the other two rank 11^th and 12^th, so the trend of higher populations meaning higher fatality counts holds true.
With that being said, a disproportionate number of accidents occurred in Smaller Counties as well. These areas accounted for 44.4 percent of all traffic fatalities, yet they combine for only 25.6 percent of the population. By contrast, the Big Six accounts for 36.7 percent of traffic deaths but holds 45.6 percent of the population.
El Paso performed the best out of the state’s major metros, but eight counties in the 250K Club group actually performed even better. While they weren’t grouped in the same category, Collin, Denton, Webb, Hidalgo, Fort Bend, Cameron, Montgomery, and Hays counties all had lower per-capita fatality rates (Hays by less than 0.01), bucking the trend of smaller counties dominating this metric.
Traffic deaths tend to be highly concentrated in major metros. Nearly two-thirds of all traffic deaths in the Big Six counties happened in their deadliest city. For counties in the 250K Club (which, mind you, are often suburban counties), the deadliest city tends to only account for around one-third of them.
Finally, 27 counties did not record a single traffic fatality in 2025, awarding them the de-facto title of Texas’ Safest Counties for Drivers. Willacy County in particular is notable because of its population size: 20,027, making it by far the largest in that group.

Have You Been Injured in an Accident?

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you may have options for recovering compensation. Texas law enables crash victims to recover damages in accordance with their percentage of fault. Depending on the nature of your accident, that could mean pursuing the other driver, their employer, a vehicle manufacturer, or even your own insurer.

For more than 30 years, Angel Reyes & Associates has been an advocate for Texans injured on our roads. Whether your crash was in an intersection, a parking lot, or on a high-speed freeway, we can work with you to evaluate your situation completely, analyze your options, and aggressively pursue a positive outcome.

We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you never pay a dime unless we recover on your behalf. We even offer free, no-obligation consultations to help you get started. Contact us and see for yourself why more than 70,000 Texans have made us the firm they trust during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

Methodology Notes

All fatality counts in this study come from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Information System (CRIS), using a statewide export of 2025 fatal crashes processed as of September 25, 2026. TxDOT continues to receive late crash reports, so 2025 figures may still be revised slightly from the time we extracted this data.

We counted fatalities (people killed) rather than fatal crashes, and each death is assigned to the county where the crash occurred, not where the victim lived.

Because not all of our state’s counties are equal, comparing them on raw numbers alone can lead to some strange conclusions. Raw totals disadvantage larger counties, which have bigger populations and therefore more crashes. Adjusting for population can swing too far the other way: one fatality in a county of under 5,000 people has a much greater impact on the numbers than one fatality in Harris County, which has a population of over 5 million. To balance this, we split our data into three groups: the “Big Six,” the county homes of Texas’ six major cities; the “250k Club,” all other counties with populations over 250,000; and “Smaller Counties,” which covers all others.

Within each group, we ranked counties by fatalities per 100,000 residents, calculated by dividing each county’s total fatalities by its population, based on U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 county population estimates (July 1, 2024), and multiplying by 100,000.

Statewide rankings include only the 227 counties that recorded at least one traffic fatality, and counties with equal fatality totals share the same rank. Each county’s “Top City” is the city with the most traffic deaths within both its city limits and that county, according to TxDOT’s crash records; in counties where no city recorded a death, we list a community within the county for reference. Where cities are tied, we list the most populous.

Because some cities, such as Dallas and Austin, extend into neighboring counties, their city totals include only deaths that occurred within the county they are listed under.