Michigan police reported 288,880 traffic crashes in 2024, roughly one every 109 seconds. Those crashes injured 71,316 people and killed 1,099. This page maps all 83 counties, tracks the last decade, and shows where and when Michigan crashes turn deadly. Every figure comes from Michigan State Police and federal crash records, and the sources are listed at the bottom so you can check the work.
What the 2024 data shows
- Crashes are down. Deaths are up. Since 2015 reported crashes fell 2.7%, but people killed rose 14.1%. Michigan crashes are now 17% more likely to kill someone than they were a decade ago.
- Rural roads are the real danger. Counties under 50,000 residents average 15.2 traffic deaths per 100,000 people each year. Michigan's largest metro counties average 8.7. Wayne County has the most crashes by far; it is not close to the deadliest per person.
- A quarter of deaths happen on unlit roads. 1,664 of the 6,527 people killed from 2019 to 2024 died in the dark on roads with no street lighting.
- Pedestrians are 14% of the toll. 910 pedestrians were killed in Michigan traffic crashes over those six years.
- The state's own 2024 report contains an arithmetic error. We found it while building this page, verified it three ways, and corrected it below.
Michigan traffic crashes in 2024: the topline numbers
Source: Michigan State Police, 2024 Michigan Traffic Crash Annual Report. "Suspected serious injury" is the KABCO "A" category used by Michigan police at the scene.
Are Michigan roads getting safer?
Not by the measure that matters most. Total reported crashes have drifted down over the decade, helped by the collapse in driving during 2020. Deaths moved the other way. In 2015 Michigan recorded 3.24 deaths for every 1,000 reported crashes. In 2024 it recorded 3.80, a 17.3% increase in lethality.
Source: Michigan State Police, Decade at a Glance, 2015 – 2024. Note the 2020 dip in both series, when pandemic restrictions cut traffic volume sharply while the fatality count barely moved.
Michigan traffic crashes by county
Crash volume follows population. Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent counties account for the largest raw counts, led by Wayne County's 50,355 crashes, 17.4% of the statewide total. Shade below is by 2024 crash volume. Use the table underneath to sort by deaths, injuries or per-capita rate.
2024 reported crashes per county. Every county is outlined; the palest shade is the lowest band, not missing data.
| County | Crashes | Injured | Killed | Population | Deaths / 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne | 50,355 | 16,458 | 177 | 1,771,063 | 11.6 |
| Oakland | 35,951 | 9,139 | 68 | 1,296,888 | 5.1 |
| Macomb | 21,960 | 6,596 | 70 | 886,175 | 6.4 |
| Kent | 19,429 | 5,249 | 64 | 673,002 | 8.7 |
| Genesee | 10,087 | 2,986 | 54 | 402,279 | 13.8 |
| Washtenaw | 9,844 | 2,231 | 35 | 373,875 | 7.3 |
| Ingham | 8,235 | 2,126 | 21 | 290,427 | 8.3 |
| Ottawa | 7,797 | 1,798 | 17 | 306,235 | 6.6 |
| Kalamazoo | 7,272 | 1,848 | 25 | 264,780 | 11.3 |
| Saginaw | 5,154 | 1,358 | 29 | 187,714 | 10.6 |
| Jackson | 4,968 | 900 | 23 | 160,233 | 14.1 |
| Muskegon | 4,640 | 1,123 | 21 | 177,428 | 12.3 |
| Berrien | 4,626 | 1,062 | 17 | 152,703 | 12.3 |
| Calhoun | 4,624 | 793 | 20 | 133,785 | 16.8 |
| Livingston | 4,560 | 948 | 14 | 196,976 | 8.5 |
| Allegan | 4,042 | 820 | 21 | 122,429 | 14.7 |
| St. Clair | 3,614 | 826 | 18 | 160,308 | 14.3 |
| Monroe | 3,569 | 1,003 | 20 | 156,045 | 12.6 |
| Grand Traverse | 3,454 | 683 | 10 | 96,625 | 12.2 |
| Eaton | 3,030 | 740 | 18 | 109,494 | 12.9 |
| Bay | 2,954 | 702 | 13 | 102,651 | 12.7 |
| Lapeer | 2,840 | 520 | 19 | 89,168 | 13.8 |
| Midland | 2,662 | 490 | 9 | 84,022 | 9.9 |
| Clinton | 2,537 | 353 | 11 | 80,050 | 11.2 |
| Van Buren | 2,508 | 570 | 11 | 76,129 | 18.4 |
| Isabella | 2,438 | 440 | 14 | 65,072 | 16.9 |
| Lenawee | 2,426 | 644 | 23 | 97,746 | 17.2 |
| Shiawassee | 2,155 | 391 | 13 | 67,982 | 13.2 |
| Tuscola | 1,947 | 332 | 6 | 52,757 | 13.6 |
| Hillsdale | 1,835 | 277 | 5 | 45,590 | 12.8 |
| Ionia | 1,823 | 343 | 7 | 66,250 | 14.1 |
| Montcalm | 1,752 | 386 | 14 | 69,314 | 19.5 |
| Gratiot | 1,640 | 237 | 12 | 41,372 | 17.3 |
| Mecosta | 1,616 | 268 | 8 | 41,947 | 13.9 |
| Branch | 1,594 | 178 | 6 | 46,187 | 11.5 |
| St. Joseph | 1,566 | 382 | 11 | 61,171 | 19.1 |
| Barry | 1,558 | 270 | 10 | 64,025 | 14.3 |
| Sanilac | 1,549 | 202 | 4 | 40,293 | 15.7 |
| Huron | 1,542 | 204 | 2 | 30,780 | 12.5 |
| Newaygo | 1,536 | 281 | 14 | 51,504 | 20.4 |
| Marquette | 1,452 | 233 | 6 | 67,979 | 7.8 |
| Cass | 1,442 | 295 | 8 | 51,550 | 21.7 |
| Emmet | 1,332 | 194 | 3 | 33,949 | 11.3 |
| Wexford | 1,316 | 297 | 5 | 34,460 | 15.0 |
| Mason | 1,184 | 178 | 4 | 29,093 | 19.5 |
| Oceana | 1,117 | 152 | 2 | 27,014 | 14.8 |
| Cheboygan | 1,113 | 164 | 0 | 25,964 | 14.1 |
| Charlevoix | 1,060 | 108 | 7 | 26,105 | 13.4 |
| Delta | 1,039 | 146 | 5 | 36,687 | 10.9 |
| Osceola | 1,029 | 140 | 1 | 23,484 | 19.9 |
| Clare | 1,009 | 166 | 2 | 31,405 | 18.6 |
| Antrim | 969 | 154 | 4 | 24,536 | 12.9 |
| Manistee | 963 | 141 | 7 | 25,519 | 16.3 |
| Chippewa | 931 | 162 | 3 | 36,253 | 9.7 |
| Dickinson | 929 | 145 | 3 | 25,995 | 14.1 |
| Otsego | 922 | 209 | 3 | 26,083 | 16.0 |
| Ogemaw | 841 | 166 | 7 | 20,985 | 23.0 |
| Leelanau | 789 | 114 | 3 | 22,871 | 10.9 |
| Houghton | 778 | 140 | 2 | 38,041 | 8.8 |
| Gladwin | 761 | 144 | 3 | 25,995 | 9.6 |
| Alpena | 710 | 155 | 6 | 28,903 | 8.6 |
| Arenac | 708 | 112 | 5 | 15,087 | 34.2 |
| Kalkaska | 698 | 139 | 5 | 18,618 | 18.8 |
| Roscommon | 665 | 157 | 8 | 23,932 | 29.9 |
| Presque Isle | 662 | 64 | 0 | 13,230 | 15.1 |
| Missaukee | 660 | 86 | 0 | 15,239 | 10.9 |
| Iosco | 623 | 118 | 3 | 25,361 | 16.4 |
| Benzie | 578 | 84 | 8 | 18,520 | 20.7 |
| Crawford | 577 | 98 | 1 | 13,599 | 9.8 |
| Mackinac | 550 | 87 | 4 | 11,144 | 29.9 |
| Alcona | 539 | 55 | 6 | 10,624 | 22.0 |
| Iron | 389 | 45 | 6 | 11,709 | 21.4 |
| Schoolcraft | 358 | 51 | 2 | 8,178 | 18.3 |
| Lake | 354 | 56 | 2 | 13,005 | 14.1 |
| Montmorency | 347 | 47 | 1 | 9,828 | 3.4 |
| Menominee | 315 | 89 | 6 | 23,050 | 17.4 |
| Gogebic | 268 | 79 | 1 | 14,217 | 3.5 |
| Ontonagon | 259 | 28 | 1 | 5,824 | 25.8 |
| Baraga | 252 | 30 | 0 | 8,169 | 22.4 |
| Oscoda | 247 | 53 | 2 | 8,596 | 38.8 |
| Alger | 242 | 41 | 0 | 8,695 | 23.0 |
| Luce | 151 | 26 | 0 | 6,328 | 10.5 |
| Keweenaw | 63 | 11 | 0 | 2,161 | 15.4 |
Which Michigan county is the most dangerous to drive in?
It depends entirely on whether you mean volume or risk, and the two answers point in opposite directions. By raw count, Wayne County. By risk to any given resident, the answer is rural. Averaged over 2019 to 2024, counties with fewer than 50,000 residents lost 15.2 people per 100,000 to traffic crashes each year. Michigan's largest counties, those above 250,000 residents, lost 8.7. Rural Michigan dies on the road at about 1.7 times the metro rate.
Among counties above 50,000 residents, the highest six-year fatality rates are Cass (21.7), Newaygo (20.4), Montcalm (19.5) deaths per 100,000 residents per year. Higher speeds, longer emergency response times, more undivided two-lane roads and less lighting all push rural crash outcomes toward the severe end.
A caution on rates: in Michigan's smallest counties a single multi-fatality crash can swing a one-year rate dramatically. We use a six-year average and exclude counties under 50,000 residents from the ranking above for that reason. The full table includes every county.
When do Michigan crashes turn fatal?
Federal records geolocate 6,076 fatal Michigan crashes between 2019 and 2024. Their timing is not evenly spread. Deaths peak in the 6pm hour, climb again late at night, and cluster on weekends and in late summer.
By hour of day
By day of week
By month
By light condition
Daylight accounts for the largest single share simply because most driving happens then. The striking figure is the second row: 1,664 deaths on unlit roads in the dark, more than deaths on lit roads in the dark, even though unlit roads carry far less traffic.
By road type
By first harmful event
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Michigan records, 2019 – 2024. Categories reported as unknown are omitted.
Which Michigan cities have the most traffic deaths?
Fatalities within municipal limits, 2019 – 2024 (NHTSA FARS). Crashes on rural roads outside any municipality are not included in this ranking.
A correction to the state's official 2024 report
While building the county table we found that the St. Joseph County row in the Michigan State Police 2024 Michigan Traffic Crash Annual Report (county totals table) repeats Shiawassee County's figures from the preceding page. The printed row reads 2,155 crashes, 12 fatal crashes and 13 deaths, identical to Shiawassee's first four values.
Three independent checks confirm it is an error:
- The row fails its own arithmetic. Fatal (12) plus injury (286) plus property-damage-only (1,281) crashes total 1,579, not the printed 2,155.
- The column does not add up. Summing all 83 printed county rows gives 289,469 crashes against a printed statewide total of 288,880, an excess of exactly 589. The same method isolates an excess of 3 fatal crashes and 2 deaths.
- Federal data agrees with the corrected figure. Backing those excesses out of the St. Joseph row gives 1,566 crashes, 9 fatal crashes and 11 deaths. NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System independently records 9 fatal crashes and 11 deaths in St. Joseph County in 2024, and 12 and 13 in Shiawassee, matching that reconstruction exactly.
The corrected St. Joseph figures (1,566 crashes, 9 fatal crashes, 11 deaths, 276 injury crashes) are what appear in the table above. Statewide totals on this page are the state's published totals and are unaffected. We have flagged this to the publishing agency; if you are citing county-level Michigan crash figures for 2024, this is the one row to check.
Methodology and sources
Two datasets, used for different things. County and statewide totals, including all injury counts, come from the Michigan State Police 2024 Michigan Traffic Crash Annual Report, the state's official tabulation of police-reported crashes. Anything involving location, timing, light, weather, road class or six-year fatality rates comes from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a federal census of crashes that killed someone within 30 days. FARS covers fatalities only, which is why it is not used for injury or total-crash figures.
The two sources reconcile closely: MSP counts 1,012 fatal crashes and 1,099 deaths in Michigan in 2024; FARS independently counts 1,011 and 1,098. Population is the Census Bureau's July 2024 county estimate. Rates are computed by us, not taken from either source. Facts are cited with attribution; neither agency's compiled tables are republished wholesale, and neither endorses this page.
- Michigan State Police, Criminal Justice Information Center — Traffic Crash Reporting (2024 Annual Report; Decade at a Glance)
- NHTSA — Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national CSV releases 2019 – 2024 (public domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau — County Population Estimates, vintage 2024
- Michigan Traffic Crash Facts (UMTRI / Michigan OHSP) — michigantrafficcrashfacts.org, consulted for definitions
This analysis is free to cite and quote with attribution. Journalists may republish the charts and figures with a link to this page. The underlying data is public; our compilation, corrections and calculations are what we are asking you to credit.
Koussan Law, "Michigan Traffic Crash Data by County: The 2024 Numbers," analysis of Michigan State Police and NHTSA FARS records. https://www.k-law.com/blogs/michigan-traffic-crash-data-by-county
Questions about the methodology, or want the underlying county table as a spreadsheet? Email referral@k-law.com.
What the data means if you were hurt in a Michigan crash
Two patterns in this data have direct legal consequences. First, Michigan's no-fault system means your own insurer pays personal injury protection benefits regardless of who caused the crash, and those claims run on short deadlines: written notice within one year of the crash, and a one-year-back rule limiting how far back benefits can be recovered (MCL 500.3145). Second, suing an at-fault driver for pain and suffering requires clearing the serious impairment threshold (MCL 500.3135), and most auto negligence claims carry a three-year limitations period (MCL 600.5805). Claims against a government road agency can run far shorter.
The unlit-road and rural findings above matter here too. Where a road defect, missing lighting or a poorly designed intersection contributed to a crash, a claim may involve the responsible road authority, which brings its own notice deadlines measured in days rather than years.
This page is general information about public crash data, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines and thresholds depend on the specific facts of a case.
