Drunk driving deaths by state
Vermont has the highest share: 45% of its fatal crashes in 2024. Across the United States, 8,990 fatal crashes with a drinking driver made up 25%.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranked by the share. Click a state for its roads, counties and the rest of its figures.
Drinking driver: every state, 2024
| State | Fatal crashes | Share, 2024 | Share, 2015 to 2024 | All road deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 24 | 45% | 35% | 59 |
| 2 | Montana | 84 | 44% | 44% | 206 |
| 3 | South Dakota | 49 | 37% | 35% | 146 |
| 4 | Kansas | 111 | 35% | 23% | 339 |
| 5 | Idaho | 74 | 34% | 31% | 238 |
| 6 | Nebraska | 75 | 34% | 33% | 251 |
| 7 | Maine | 56 | 34% | 37% | 177 |
| 7 | Utah | 84 | 34% | 23% | 277 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | 16 | 33% | 39% | 52 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 172 | 33% | 33% | 595 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 305 | 32% | 32% | 1,038 |
| 12 | Colorado | 205 | 32% | 34% | 689 |
| 12 | Connecticut | 91 | 32% | 34% | 310 |
| 14 | North Dakota | 26 | 31% | 40% | 90 |
| 15 | West Virginia | 72 | 30% | 27% | 256 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 36 | 30% | 33% | 133 |
| 17 | Hawaii | 29 | 30% | 32% | 102 |
| 18 | Virginia | 256 | 30% | 29% | 917 |
| 19 | Louisiana | 206 | 29% | 31% | 752 |
| 20 | Ohio | 313 | 29% | 32% | 1,157 |
| 21 | Oregon | 142 | 29% | 31% | 538 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 123 | 29% | 30% | 477 |
| 23 | Wyoming | 29 | 28% | 33% | 107 |
| 24 | Maryland | 152 | 28% | 28% | 578 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | 95 | 27% | 30% | 363 |
| 25 | Washington | 183 | 27% | 31% | 730 |
| 27 | Arkansas | 147 | 27% | 27% | 603 |
| 28 | Alabama | 238 | 27% | 25% | 962 |
| 28 | California | 954 | 27% | 28% | 3,876 |
| 30 | Missouri | 234 | 27% | 28% | 955 |
| 31 | Michigan | 265 | 26% | 28% | 1,098 |
| 32 | Kentucky | 171 | 26% | 25% | 707 |
| 33 | Nevada | 97 | 26% | 29% | 417 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 150 | 25% | 27% | 645 |
| 35 | Tennessee | 274 | 25% | 25% | 1,197 |
| 36 | Texas | 938 | 25% | 26% | 4,160 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 256 | 24% | 25% | 1,127 |
| 38 | Illinois | 255 | 24% | 27% | 1,177 |
| 39 | Iowa | 75 | 23% | 25% | 356 |
| 40 | Arizona | 250 | 22% | 22% | 1,229 |
| 41 | Alaska | 14 | 22% | 34% | 70 |
| 42 | Indiana | 171 | 22% | 20% | 832 |
| 43 | North Carolina | 314 | 21% | 25% | 1,619 |
| 44 | Delaware | 25 | 21% | 25% | 126 |
| 45 | New Jersey | 131 | 21% | 22% | 670 |
| 46 | Mississippi | 123 | 18% | 19% | 753 |
| 47 | New Mexico | 65 | 17% | 26% | 409 |
| 48 | Georgia | 215 | 16% | 20% | 1,403 |
| 49 | Florida | 475 | 16% | 21% | 3,138 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | 7 | 15% | 25% | 47 |
| 51 | New York | 138 | 13% | 20% | 1,101 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How NHTSA records fatal crashes with a drinking driver
A fatal crash counts as involving a drinking driver when NHTSA's drinking-driver flag is set for any driver in it (DR_DRINK: police-reported drinking, or any positive alcohol test from .01). It is a share of crashes. It is not NHTSA's "alcohol-impaired driving" figure, which counts deaths in crashes with a driver at .08 or more and fills in missing tests: 11,904 deaths, 30%, in 2024.
A share is only given over 20 crashes (or deaths); otherwise the row says "Not enough data" and has no rank. Shares are of fatal crashes or deaths, never rates per driver or per mile: FARS records crashes, not how much people drive. The full method.