Thanksgiving 2023: fatal car accidents and deaths
Over Thanksgiving week 2023, Wednesday to Sunday (November 22 to 26), 550 people died in 500 fatal car accidents on US roads, 7% fewer than the 594 on the same weekdays around it. It was the fifth most of the ten from 2015 to 2024. Thanksgiving Day alone: 121 deaths, against 104 on a normal day. The Wednesday before alone: 117 deaths, against 104 on a normal day.
2022 · 2024 · Every year together, day by day and state by state.
Thanksgiving 2023 road deaths in every state
California had the most, 72 deaths, then Texas with 55. In 48 of 51 states and DC at least one person died; a 0 is a real count of none. One year's counts are too small to rank states by; every year together ranks them per resident.
| State | Deaths | Fatal crashes | Pedestrians |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 72 | 60 | 19 |
| Texas | 55 | 47 | 6 |
| Florida | 42 | 41 | 9 |
| Georgia | 29 | 24 | 5 |
| Alabama | 21 | 18 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 17 | 2 |
| Illinois | 16 | 16 | 3 |
| Michigan | 16 | 16 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 16 | 16 | 1 |
| Arizona | 16 | 15 | 4 |
| Tennessee | 16 | 15 | 5 |
| South Carolina | 13 | 13 | 3 |
| Kentucky | 13 | 12 | 3 |
| Ohio | 13 | 12 | 2 |
| Washington | 13 | 12 | 3 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 12 | 3 |
| Virginia | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| New York | 11 | 9 | 5 |
| Colorado | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| Indiana | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| Maryland | 10 | 10 | 3 |
| Mississippi | 10 | 9 | 2 |
| Missouri | 10 | 9 | 3 |
| Oregon | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| Nevada | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| Connecticut | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Iowa | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Kansas | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Utah | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Idaho | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| North Dakota | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Montana | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Vermont | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Maine | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Alaska | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about Thanksgiving 2023 fatal car accidents
- How many people died in car crashes on Thanksgiving 2023?
- 550 people died in 500 fatal crashes on US roads over Thanksgiving week 2023, Wednesday to Sunday (November 22 to 26), 7% fewer than the 594 on the same weekdays around it. Of them, 105 were pedestrians. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which state had the most road deaths on Thanksgiving 2023?
- California, with 72 deaths. In 48 of 51 states and DC at least one person died on the roads.
- Was Thanksgiving 2023 deadlier than usual?
- 550 road deaths was the fifth most of the ten from 2015 to 2024; the average is 546. The deadliest was 2017 and the least deadly 2019.
Where the Thanksgiving 2023 numbers come from
Every fatal crash NHTSA dated from Wednesday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week in 2023, in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, final file. The normal day is the same weekdays in the weeks before and after, averaged (6 of them this year). How the holiday is counted.