Labor Day 2021: fatal car accidents and deaths
Over Labor Day weekend 2021, Saturday to Monday (September 4 to 6), 458 people died in 428 fatal car accidents on US roads, 8% more than the 423 on the same weekdays around it. It was the most of the ten from 2015 to 2024. Labor Day (the Monday) alone: 141 deaths, against 120 on a normal day.
2020 · 2022 · Every year together, day by day and state by state.
Labor Day 2021 road deaths in every state
Texas had the most, 47 deaths, then California with 37. In 47 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 47 | 45 | 5 |
| California | 37 | 36 | 11 |
| Florida | 29 | 27 | 5 |
| North Carolina | 21 | 21 | 5 |
| Tennessee | 18 | 16 | 5 |
| Illinois | 18 | 15 | 2 |
| Georgia | 17 | 16 | 3 |
| Mississippi | 13 | 10 | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 12 | 11 | 2 |
| South Carolina | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| Michigan | 11 | 11 | 3 |
| Ohio | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| New York | 11 | 10 | 2 |
| Missouri | 11 | 9 | 1 |
| Arizona | 10 | 10 | 4 |
| Kentucky | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Virginia | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Oregon | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| Idaho | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| New Mexico | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| Indiana | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| Montana | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Nevada | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| Washington | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Iowa | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Maryland | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Alabama | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Utah | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Vermont | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Colorado | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Alaska | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota | 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 Labor Day 2021 fatal car accidents
- How many people died in car crashes on Labor Day 2021?
- 458 people died in 428 fatal crashes on US roads over Labor Day weekend 2021, Saturday to Monday (September 4 to 6), 8% more than the 423 on the same weekdays around it. Of them, 71 were pedestrians. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which state had the most road deaths on Labor Day 2021?
- Texas, with 47 deaths. In 47 of 51 states and DC at least one person died on the roads.
- Was Labor Day 2021 deadlier than usual?
- 458 road deaths was the most of the ten from 2015 to 2024; the average is 410.
Where the Labor Day 2021 numbers come from
Every fatal crash NHTSA dated from Saturday to Monday of Labor Day weekend in 2021, 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.