The deadliest roads in Iowa
I-80 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Iowa from 2015 to 2024: 156, with 179 deaths. The 58 roads listed held 44% of all fatal crashes in Iowa from 2015 to 2024; 6 are interstates, 18 US routes, 34 state highways.
137 numbered roads in Iowa recorded a fatal crash in those years; the 58 with 5 or more are ranked below, and 6 have a page of their own. All fatal crashes in Iowa.
Every numbered road in Iowa, ranked by fatal crashes
| Road | Kind | Fatal crashes | Deaths | 2022 to 2024 | Counties with the most | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-80 | Interstate | 156 | 179 | 47 | Pottawattamie, Polk, Scott |
| 2 | US 30 | US route | 73 | 89 | 20 | Boone, Benton, Tama |
| 3 | I-35 | Interstate | 64 | 72 | 21 | Polk, Story, Warren |
| 4 | US 61 | US route | 60 | 64 | 14 | Scott, Muscatine, Lee |
| 5 | US 34 | US route | 59 | 69 | 17 | Mills, Union, Des Moines |
| 6 | US 6 | US route | 56 | 62 | 19 | Polk, Scott, Pottawattamie |
| 7 | US 20 | US route | 53 | 61 | 11 | Woodbury, Dubuque, Hardin |
| 8 | US 69 | US route | 48 | 54 | 16 | Polk, Clarke, Winnebago |
| 9 | US 65 | US route | 48 | 52 | 13 | Polk, Warren, Cerro Gordo |
| 10 | US 218 | US route | 46 | 50 | 14 | Lee, Henry, Black Hawk |
| 11 | US 18 | US route | 41 | 48 | 8 | Floyd, Cerro Gordo, Kossuth |
| 12 | I-29 | Interstate | 40 | 46 | 10 | Pottawattamie, Woodbury, Harrison |
| 13 | US 151 | US route | 39 | 48 | 13 | Linn, Jones, Dubuque |
| 14 | State Highway 2 | State highway | 34 | 43 | 7 | Lee, Fremont, Ringgold |
| 15 | I-380 | Interstate | 34 | 39 | 12 | Linn, Johnson, Black Hawk |
| 16 | US 63 | US route | 32 | 37 | 11 | Wapello, Black Hawk, Mahaska |
| 17 | US 71 | US route | 32 | 36 | 8 | Dickinson, Audubon, Clay |
| 18 | State Highway 92 | State highway | 27 | 31 | 8 | Mahaska, Adair, Warren |
| 19 | State Highway 3 | State highway | 27 | 28 | 8 | Plymouth, Butler, Dubuque |
| 20 | State Highway 163 | State highway | 26 | 28 | 10 | Polk, Mahaska, Jasper |
| 21 | US 75 | US route | 25 | 26 | 11 | Plymouth, Sioux, Woodbury |
| 22 | US 59 | US route | 22 | 27 | 8 | Crawford, Shelby, Cherokee |
| 23 | US 169 | US route | 22 | 22 | 4 | Webster, Madison, Ringgold |
| 24 | State Highway 14 | State highway | 20 | 26 | 2 | Marshall, Marion, Grundy |
| 25 | US 67 | US route | 19 | 21 | 9 | Scott, Clinton, Jackson |
| 26 | State Highway 141 | State highway | 19 | 20 | 9 | Dallas, Polk, Crawford |
| 27 | State Highway 5 | State highway | 19 | 20 | 3 | Warren, Monroe, Marion |
| 28 | State Highway 1 | State highway | 16 | 21 | 8 | Johnson, Washington, Jefferson |
| 29 | State Highway 9 | State highway | 16 | 17 | 6 | Allamakee, Winneshiek, Dickinson |
| 30 | State Highway 38 | State highway | 13 | 17 | 3 | Muscatine, Jones, Cedar |
| 31 | I-235 | Interstate | 12 | 13 | 5 | Polk |
| 32 | US 52 | US route | 12 | 12 | 2 | Jackson, Clayton, Dubuque |
| 33 | State Highway 150 | State highway | 11 | 18 | 3 | Fayette, Benton, Buchanan |
| 34 | State Highway 175 | State highway | 11 | 12 | 2 | Monona, Webster, Sac |
| 35 | State Highway 4 | State highway | 10 | 13 | 3 | Calhoun, Pocahontas, Greene |
| 36 | State Highway 22 | State highway | 10 | 11 | 4 | Muscatine, Washington, Johnson |
| 37 | State Highway 28 | State highway | 9 | 10 | 2 | Polk, Warren |
| 38 | State Highway 415 | State highway | 9 | 10 | 3 | Polk |
| 39 | State Highway 330 | State highway | 8 | 10 | 4 | Marshall, Jasper |
| 40 | State Highway 25 | State highway | 8 | 9 | 2 | Adair, Greene, Guthrie |
| 41 | State Highway 27 | State highway | 8 | 9 | 3 | Lee, Black Hawk, Floyd |
| 42 | State Highway 146 | State highway | 7 | 11 | 2 | Poweshiek |
| 43 | State Highway 149 | State highway | 7 | 8 | 1 | Keokuk, Wapello, Iowa |
| 44 | State Highway 21 | State highway | 7 | 7 | 1 | Black Hawk, Benton, Poweshiek |
| 45 | State Highway 44 | State highway | 7 | 7 | 3 | Guthrie, Shelby, Audubon |
| 46 | State Highway 13 | State highway | 6 | 7 | 2 | Delaware, Clayton |
| 47 | State Highway 100 | State highway | 6 | 6 | 2 | Linn |
| 48 | State Highway 17 | State highway | 6 | 6 | 2 | Hamilton, Boone, Polk |
| 49 | State Highway 31 | State highway | 6 | 6 | 1 | Woodbury, Cherokee, Ida |
| 50 | State Highway 60 | State highway | 6 | 6 | 4 | O'Brien, Sioux, Osceola |
| 51 | US 275 | US route | 6 | 6 | 2 | Fremont, Pottawattamie |
| 52 | State Highway 122 | State highway | 5 | 9 | 0 | Cerro Gordo |
| 53 | State Highway 136 | State highway | 5 | 9 | 1 | Clinton, Dubuque, Jones |
| 54 | State Highway 7 | State highway | 5 | 6 | 1 | Webster, Buena Vista, Calhoun |
| 55 | State Highway 922 | State highway | 5 | 6 | 3 | Linn |
| 56 | I-280 | Interstate | 5 | 5 | 1 | Scott |
| 57 | State Highway 12 | State highway | 5 | 5 | 1 | Plymouth, Woodbury |
| 58 | State Highway 58 | State highway | 5 | 5 | 0 | Black Hawk |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Download every numbered road in Iowa as CSV. Free to reuse with credit: “Fatal Crash Data, fatalcrashdata.com/deadliest-roads/iowa/, from NHTSA FARS (2024 Annual Report File).”
Interstates in Iowa per mile
Fatal crashes a year per 100 miles of road, 2015 to 2024, for interstates with 20 miles or more in Iowa. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle. Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about the deadliest roads in Iowa
- What is the deadliest road in Iowa?
- I-80 had the most fatal crashes of any numbered road in Iowa from 2015 to 2024: 156, with 179 deaths. US 30 was second with 73 and I-35 third with 64. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which interstate in Iowa is the most dangerous per mile?
- I-80, with 5.3 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024 on 294 miles. That is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
- How many fatal crashes in Iowa happen on numbered roads?
- 1,534 of 3,140 fatal crashes in Iowa from 2015 to 2024 (49%) were filed on an interstate, US or state route; the rest were on county roads, city streets and unnamed roads, which are in the state's total but not ranked here.
Where the Iowa road numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash filed on a numbered interstate, US or state route in Iowa, read from the road name NHTSA filed, with ramps, frontage and service roads left out. A road gets its own page with 15 or more fatal crashes from 2022 to 2024. The full method.