I-35 in Minnesota: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 69 fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota killed 73 people, the 4th most of 128 numbered roads in Minnesota. In 2024 there were 4 fatal crashes and 4 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 11 counties of Minnesota. All fatal crashes in Minnesota. I-35 in every state.
Deaths on I-35 in Minnesota by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 |
| 2023 | 7 | 8 |
| 2022 | 10 | 10 |
| 2021 | 4 | 5 |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2019 | 6 | 6 |
| 2018 | 12 | 14 |
| 2017 | 6 | 6 |
| 2016 | 9 | 9 |
| 2015 | 6 | 6 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-35 in Minnesota: the counties with the most fatal crashes
Chisago County had the most fatal crashes on I-35 from 2015 to 2024: 13, with 13 deaths. Chisago, Pine and Rice counties together held 48% of fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota from 2015 to 2024; the 8 listed held 90%. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chisago County | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| 2 | Pine County | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| 3 | Rice County | 0 | 8 | 9 |
| 4 | Carlton County | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| 5 | Steele County | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| 6 | Dakota County | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | Freeborn County | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| 8 | Washington County | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-35 in Minnesota
69 fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota from 2015 to 2024 have a known time, too few for any one weekday and time of day to stand out. The worst hour is 11 am to noon; the worst month is July.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5.8 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.9 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.9 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Mon | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 4.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Tue | 2.9 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 5.8 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 2.9 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 2.9 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Fri | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash | 8.7 percent, 6 fatal crashes | 2.9 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash |
| Sat | 7.2 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 0.0 percent, 0 fatal crashes | 4.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 7.2 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 4.3 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 1 fatal crash |
By hour
By month
- Jan5.8%
- Feb11.6%
- Mar5.8%
- Apr7.2%
- May13.0%
- Jun2.9%
- Jul14.5%
- Aug13.0%
- Sep5.8%
- Oct7.2%
- Nov7.2%
- Dec5.8%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-35 in Minnesota
2.3 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 301 miles of I-35 in Minnesota, against 2.4 for all interstates in Minnesota. That ranks 2 of 3 interstates in Minnesota and 167 of 172 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota first hit
The first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in 33%; a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 33%, a rollover in 26%, a pedestrian in 4.3%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with another vehicle | 23 | 33% |
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 23 | 33% |
| Rollover | 18 | 26% |
| Pedestrian | 3 | 4.3% |
| Other | 2 | 2.9% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Parked vehicle | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota compare with the state
The largest difference from Minnesota: from 2015 to 2024, 0.0% of fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota were at or near an intersection, against 33% across Minnesota. Also above the Minnesota share: speeding. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of Minnesota. A share is only given over 20 crashes; above or below means more than chance would give on 69 crashes.
| I-35 | Minnesota | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 54% | 58% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| At or near an intersection | 0.0% | 33% | below the Minnesota share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 26% | 21% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| A drinking driver | 26% | 30% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| Speeding | 38% | 27% | above the Minnesota share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 7.2% | 8.0% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 37% | 38% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| Hit-and-run | 4.3% | 3.3% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| A motorcycle involved | 13% | 16% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 5.5% | 11% | about the same as the Minnesota share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes on I-35 in Minnesota
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-35 in Minnesota?
- 69 fatal crashes killed 73 people on I-35 in Minnesota from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 4 fatal crashes and 4 deaths. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Where on I-35 in Minnesota do the most fatal crashes happen?
- Chisago County had the most fatal crashes on I-35 from 2015 to 2024: 13, with 13 deaths. Pine County was second with 12.
- How dangerous is I-35 in Minnesota per mile?
- 2.3 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 301 miles of road, against 2.4 for all interstates in Minnesota. That ranks 2 of 3 interstates in Minnesota and 167 of 172 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in Minnesota with a page
All fatal crashes in Minnesota, with every road ranked.
Where the I-35 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-35 in Minnesota. Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. Where I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W, a crash filed under the plain number is counted on the branch it happened on, by its county and coordinates. Where two routes share a road, NHTSA files each crash under one of them, so a shared stretch counts on one route only. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. Totals in state and news reports for a road usually differ: they include ramps and frontage roads, or count from preliminary reports. The full method.