How many people died in car accidents in the United States in 1977?

47,878 people died in 42,211 fatal crashes on US public roads in 1977, 5.2% more than in 1976. That is about 131 deaths a day.

Which state had the most road deaths in 1977?

California, with 4,839 deaths in 4,351 fatal crashes. Texas was second with 3,635 and New York third with 2,336.

Is 1977 the latest year available?

No. The latest year NHTSA has published is 2024; the 1977 figures are final.

Fatal crashes in the United States in 1977

In 1977, 47,878 people died in 42,211 fatal crashes on US roads, 5.2% more than in 1976. That is about 131 deaths a day.

1976 · 1978 · All states today.

US road deaths since 1975, with 1977 marked

Deaths within 30 days of a crash on a public road, as NHTSA counts them.

Road deaths by state in 1977

California, Texas and New York together had 23% of the deaths. Deaths rose in 37 states and fell in 14 on the year before; the largest change was in Utah, 42% up.

	State	Deaths, 1977	Fatal crashes	Change on 1976
1	California	4,839	4,351	10.1%
2	Texas	3,635	3,175	14.6%
3	New York	2,336	2,119	2.0%
4	Illinois	2,126	1,873	4.7%
5	Pennsylvania	2,067	1,856	2.3%
6	Florida	2,021	1,807	3.3%
7	Michigan	1,915	1,713	-0.5%
8	Ohio	1,835	1,636	-3.1%
9	North Carolina	1,428	1,251	-4.9%
10	Georgia	1,372	1,188	8.5%
11	Tennessee	1,223	1,080	6.4%
12	Indiana	1,210	1,061	-3.8%
13	Missouri	1,181	1,011	-0.5%
14	Virginia	1,118	975	11.8%
15	New Jersey	1,082	978	5.2%
16	Alabama	1,081	947	9.4%
17	Louisiana	990	869	5.2%
18	Kentucky	940	796	10.1%
19	Arizona	933	804	26.3%
20	Wisconsin	931	797	-0.4%
21	South Carolina	927	807	15.0%
22	Washington	912	797	13.4%
23	Oklahoma	852	737	2.4%
24	Minnesota	837	730	4.4%
25	Massachusetts	744	686	-5.7%
26	Colorado	694	612	11.9%
27	Mississippi	684	578	17.7%
28	New Mexico	668	567	21.7%
29	Maryland	661	601	0.2%
30	Oregon	657	575	4.3%
31	Iowa	628	549	-19.4%
32	Kansas	552	483	0.5%
33	Arkansas	551	485	3.8%
34	West Virginia	514	450	5.1%
35	Connecticut	441	408	5.8%
36	Utah	355	305	42.0%
37	Nebraska	345	288	-13.1%
38	Idaho	325	275	16.5%
39	Montana	316	258	5.7%
40	Nevada	251	221	15.1%
41	Wyoming	246	208	-2.8%
42	Maine	213	195	-6.6%
43	South Dakota	208	179	-5.0%
44	North Dakota	175	150	-3.8%
45	Hawaii	149	134	2.8%
46	New Hampshire	149	138	-5.1%
47	Alaska	135	127	8.0%
48	Rhode Island	133	117	11.8%
49	Delaware	119	103	2.6%
50	Vermont	116	104	2.7%
51	District of Columbia	58	57	3.6%

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count

Rates per 100,000 residents are given for 2015 onward, the years the site holds population estimates for.

Questions about fatal crashes in the United States in 1977

How many people died in car accidents in the United States in 1977?: 47,878 people died in 42,211 fatal crashes on US public roads in 1977, 5.2% more than in 1976. That is about 131 deaths a day.
Which state had the most road deaths in 1977?: California, with 4,839 deaths in 4,351 fatal crashes. Texas was second with 3,635 and New York third with 2,336.
Is 1977 the latest year available?: No. The latest year NHTSA has published is 2024; the 1977 figures are final.

Where the 1977 numbers come from

Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System file for 1977, the final file. Rates per 100,000 use Census Bureau population estimates. The full method.