Labor Day 2023: fatal car accidents and deaths
Over Labor Day weekend 2023, Saturday to Monday (September 2 to 4), 441 people died in 390 fatal car accidents on US roads, 11% more than the 396 on the same weekdays around it. It was the third most of the ten from 2015 to 2024. Labor Day (the Monday) alone: 141 deaths, against 109 on a normal day.
2022 · 2024 · Every year together, day by day and state by state.
Labor Day 2023 road deaths in every state
California had the most, 37 deaths, then Florida with 37. In 45 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 | 37 | 33 | 7 |
| Florida | 37 | 32 | 10 |
| Texas | 30 | 29 | 4 |
| Ohio | 20 | 19 | 2 |
| Georgia | 20 | 14 | 1 |
| Michigan | 17 | 14 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 14 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 17 | 13 | 3 |
| New York | 16 | 14 | 3 |
| Arizona | 14 | 12 | 2 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 12 | 1 |
| Washington | 13 | 12 | 3 |
| Alabama | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| Missouri | 12 | 10 | 0 |
| Illinois | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| Arkansas | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 10 | 9 | 2 |
| Virginia | 10 | 8 | 0 |
| Indiana | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| Colorado | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Maryland | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| Iowa | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| Kansas | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Oregon | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| North Dakota | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Delaware | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Maine | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Utah | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Alaska | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montana | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vermont | 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 2023 fatal car accidents
- How many people died in car crashes on Labor Day 2023?
- 441 people died in 390 fatal crashes on US roads over Labor Day weekend 2023, Saturday to Monday (September 2 to 4), 11% more than the 396 on the same weekdays around it. Of them, 60 were pedestrians. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Which state had the most road deaths on Labor Day 2023?
- California, with 37 deaths. In 45 of 51 states and DC at least one person died on the roads.
- Was Labor Day 2023 deadlier than usual?
- 441 road deaths was the third most of the ten from 2015 to 2024; the average is 410. The deadliest was 2021 and the least deadly 2017.
Where the Labor Day 2023 numbers come from
Every fatal crash NHTSA dated from Saturday to Monday of Labor Day weekend 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.