Community Life
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities


Traffic Injuries and Fatalities

What does this measure?

The number of traffic injuries and deaths in a region, expressed as a rate per 1,000 residents.

Why is this important?

Traffic injuries and fatalities present an enormous cost to a community in terms of both money spent and lives altered.

How is our county doing?

In 2021, Essex County had a traffic injury and death rate of 4.1 per 1,000 residents, an increase from 2020, but a 5% decrease in the rate from 2004. The rate in Essex County was similar to the state rate of 4.3 per 1,000 residents in 2021.

How do we compare to similar counties?

The rate in Essex County was higher than Lake County and Middlesex (3.9 and 3.4 per 1,000 residents respectively) in 2021, but lower than Westchester, NY (6.5).

Notes about the data

Data not available for the nation for 2021.

Traffic Injuries and Fatalities
200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Essex County, MA4.36.86.65.85.44.74.64.44.44.34.64.85.15.05.14.63.54.1
Middlesex County, MA5.76.46.25.75.44.64.43.94.14.24.24.24.44.34.14.02.73.4
Lake County, IL9.18.48.17.86.86.76.46.26.26.46.26.57.05.05.04.83.43.9
Westchester County, NY7.87.67.37.06.48.68.38.27.77.77.37.98.18.18.08.15.36.5
Massachusetts6.16.56.25.75.44.74.74.74.74.74.85.05.25.15.04.83.54.3

Source: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, Illinois Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Notes: Rates per 10,000 residents. Massachusetts data not available for 2011.




Number of Traffic Injuries and Fatalities
200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
Essex County, MA3,1114,9624,7794,2673,9483,4973,3973,2803,3043,2593,5723,7513,9473,9513,9813,6182,8183,278
Middlesex County, MA8,3519,2778,9838,3477,9556,8846,6295,9756,3806,5356,6486,7337,0296,9426,6436,4944,3585,461
Lake County, IL6,1765,7735,5775,4134,7474,6864,4854,3364,3684,5014,3784,5584,9153,5223,4763,3242,4082,798
Westchester County, NY7,2997,1066,7776,4955,9818,0887,8597,8167,3467,3957,0487,6587,8397,8247,7327,8365,2906,525
Massachusetts39,29241,70239,93936,91835,08530,74130,64531,31031,54731,51932,54433,98235,42135,18834,43133,26924,64029,809

Source: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, Illinois Department of Transportation, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Notes: Massachusetts data not available for 2011.




INDICATORS TREND | ESSEX COUNTY