Most Dangerous States for Motorcyclists: Death Rates by State (2024 Data)

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Wyoming had the highest motorcycle death rate in the country in 2024: 24 motorcyclists killed for a population of about 587,000, or 4.09 deaths per 100,000 residents. That’s more than twice the national rate of 1.83. South Dakota (3.56) and Montana (3.34) came next, and Rhode Island had the lowest rate, at 0.72.

We ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., by motorcyclist deaths per 100,000 residents, using NHTSA’s 2024 death counts and the Census Bureau’s 2024 population estimates. We also show deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles, with the caveats that come with state registration data. The full table, method and sources are below, and the data is free to republish with a link back to this page.

Key findings

• Wyoming is No. 1. 4.09 motorcyclist deaths per 100,000 residents, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 1.83.
• The Mountain West and South lead. After Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Arizona, South Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Oklahoma and Tennessee round out the top 10.
• The Northeast is safest per person. Rhode Island (0.72), Massachusetts (0.98), New York (1.04) and Vermont (1.08) have the lowest rates.
• States with universal helmet laws have lower rates. Taken together, the 17 states and D.C. that require every rider to wear a helmet had 1.52 motorcyclist deaths per 100,000 residents, against 2.09 in states with partial or no helmet laws. That’s 37% higher.
• Florida, Texas and California have the most deaths (642, 583 and 522), but rank 7th, 30th and 43rd per resident.

Most dangerous states for motorcyclists (2024)

1. Wyoming: 4.09 per 100,000 residents (24 deaths)
2. South Dakota: 3.56 per 100,000 residents (33 deaths)
3. Montana: 3.34 per 100,000 residents (38 deaths)
4. Arizona: 2.90 per 100,000 residents (219 deaths)
5. South Carolina: 2.80 per 100,000 residents (154 deaths)
6. Colorado: 2.76 per 100,000 residents (165 deaths)
7. Florida: 2.76 per 100,000 residents (642 deaths)
8. Nevada: 2.74 per 100,000 residents (89 deaths)
9. Oklahoma: 2.59 per 100,000 residents (106 deaths)
10. Tennessee: 2.59 per 100,000 residents (188 deaths)

The lowest rates were in Rhode Island (0.72), Massachusetts (0.98), New York (1.04), Vermont (1.08) and Illinois (1.17).

Motorcyclist death rates by state (2024)

Ranked by motorcyclist deaths (riders and passengers) per 100,000 residents. “Helmet law” shows whether the state’s law covers all riders, only some riders (usually younger riders or new riders), or none. * Registration figures for this state look unreliable or changed sharply from the year before, so its per-motorcycle rate should be used with care (see below).

Rank	State	Motorcyclists killed	Population	Deaths per 100,000 residents	Helmet law	Deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles
1	Wyoming	24	586,722	4.09	Partial	8.39
2	South Dakota	33	927,110	3.56	Partial	2.24
3	Montana	38	1,137,557	3.34	Partial	0.85*
4	Arizona	219	7,556,424	2.90	Partial	7.50
5	South Carolina	154	5,490,316	2.80	Partial	12.27
6	Colorado	165	5,988,502	2.76	Partial	9.35
7	Florida	642	23,265,838	2.76	Partial	10.12
8	Nevada	89	3,253,543	2.74	All riders	10.15
9	Oklahoma	106	4,097,758	2.59	Partial	7.60
10	Tennessee	188	7,251,291	2.59	All riders	9.20
11	Kentucky	118	4,584,046	2.57	Partial	10.18*
12	Maine	35	1,408,438	2.49	Partial	7.34
13	New Hampshire	35	1,408,518	2.48	None	4.06
14	Alabama	127	5,163,055	2.46	All riders	9.84
15	Arkansas	76	3,096,080	2.45	Partial	7.56
16	Idaho	47	2,000,872	2.35	Partial	6.27*
17	New Mexico	50	2,126,774	2.35	Partial	8.85
18	Missouri	145	6,243,544	2.32	Partial	10.84
19	West Virginia	38	1,767,402	2.15	All riders	7.97
20	North Dakota	17	793,387	2.14	Partial	3.85
21	Delaware	22	1,050,123	2.09	Partial	8.91
22	Connecticut	75	3,674,449	2.04	Partial	9.15
23	Oregon	85	4,265,324	1.99	All riders	5.94
24	Indiana	137	6,934,754	1.98	Partial	6.72
25	Iowa	63	3,230,454	1.95	None	3.26
26	North Carolina	212	11,052,061	1.92	All riders	11.17
27	Kansas	56	2,965,252	1.89	Partial	5.93
28	Ohio	222	11,860,621	1.87	Partial	5.26
29	Mississippi	55	2,950,172	1.86	All riders	18.08*
30	Texas	583	31,318,578	1.86	Partial	17.87*
31	Michigan	184	10,099,962	1.82	Partial	7.38
32	Hawaii	26	1,434,952	1.81	Partial	10.59
33	Wisconsin	106	5,957,168	1.78	Partial	3.80*
34	Pennsylvania	217	13,045,848	1.66	Partial	6.34
35	Georgia	182	11,204,208	1.62	All riders	8.22
36	Nebraska	32	2,005,591	1.60	Partial	6.31
37	Louisiana	70	4,614,878	1.52	All riders	6.63
38	Maryland	95	6,245,314	1.52	All riders	9.59
39	Utah	53	3,502,983	1.51	Partial	2.06*
40	Washington	113	7,927,958	1.43	All riders	5.64
41	Virginia	122	8,819,642	1.38	All riders	6.40
42	Alaska	10	736,537	1.36	Partial	3.92
43	California	522	39,364,774	1.33	All riders	6.95
44	Minnesota	76	5,797,405	1.31	Partial	3.35
45	District of Columbia	9	691,310	1.30	All riders	24.85*
46	New Jersey	112	9,506,354	1.18	All riders	7.67
47	Illinois	149	12,703,033	1.17	None	5.62
48	Vermont	7	646,521	1.08	All riders	2.23
49	New York	209	20,001,419	1.04	All riders	2.63*
50	Massachusetts	70	7,138,560	0.98	All riders	4.94
51	Rhode Island	8	1,110,415	0.72	Partial	3.15
	United States	6,228	340,003,797	1.83		6.72

Per person or per motorcycle?

A per-resident rate shows how big a toll motorcycle crashes take on each state. A per-motorcycle rate gets closer to the risk for each rider, and by that measure the ranking changes a lot: Mississippi (18.08), Texas (17.87) and South Carolina (12.27) lead among states, against a national rate of 6.72 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles. NHTSA publishes the national figure (67.25 per 100,000 registered motorcycles) but not state rates.

We lead with the per-resident rate because state motorcycle registration counts are uneven. Montana reports about 448,000 registered motorcycles, almost 5% of the U.S. total for a state with 0.3% of the population, which gives it the lowest per-motorcycle rate in the country (0.85). Counts for New York, Utah, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Idaho changed by 14% to 23% in a single year, and Mississippi and Texas report far fewer motorcycles per person than their neighbors, which pushes their per-motorcycle rates up.

Why rates differ

• Where people ride, not just where they live. Deaths are counted where the crash happened. States with big riding destinations, such as South Dakota (home of the Sturgis rally), Wyoming and Montana, include many out-of-state riders, which raises their per-resident rate.
• Riding seasons and miles. Warm states like Florida, Arizona and South Carolina have long riding seasons. Neither rate accounts for how many miles people ride.
• Helmet laws. In our helmet law study, states with universal laws had far fewer unhelmeted deaths. This study shows lower death rates overall in those states too, though many other factors differ between states.
• Alcohol. About one in four riders killed was alcohol-impaired. See drunk riding deaths by state.
• Age. Deaths among riders under 30 are rising fast. See motorcycle deaths by age.

How to lower your risk anywhere

• Wear a helmet every ride, whatever your state’s law says. Check your state’s rules in our helmet laws by state lookup, and pick a well-rated helmet.
• Take a training course and ride a bike with ABS.
• Don’t drink and ride, and be extra visible at night.
• Protect the rest of your body too: start with our beginner gear checklist and consider an airbag vest.

For the national picture, see our motorcycle accident statistics fact sheet.

Methodology and sources

Deaths: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts: Motorcycles, 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 824), Table 7, total motorcyclists killed by state (riders and passengers, preliminary 2024 file). The 51 rows sum to the U.S. total of 6,228. Population: U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates for July 1, 2024 (Vintage 2025, table NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025). Registered motorcycles: Federal Highway Administration Highway Statistics 2024, table MV-1. The national per-motorcycle rate matches the one NHTSA publishes. State rates are our calculations, rounded to two decimals; ranks with tied rounded values follow the unrounded rate. Small states with few deaths, such as Vermont (7), Rhode Island (8), D.C. (9) and Alaska (10), can move a lot from year to year.

Use this data

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FAQ

What is the most dangerous state for motorcyclists?

By deaths per resident, Wyoming: 4.09 motorcyclist deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024, followed by South Dakota (3.56) and Montana (3.34). By deaths per registered motorcycle, Mississippi (18.08 per 10,000) and Texas (17.87) rank highest among states.

What is the safest state for motorcyclists?

Rhode Island had the lowest rate in 2024, 0.72 deaths per 100,000 residents, followed by Massachusetts (0.98) and New York (1.04).

Which state has the most motorcycle deaths?

Florida, with 642 motorcyclists killed in 2024, followed by Texas (583) and California (522).

What is the U.S. motorcycle death rate?

1.83 motorcyclist deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024, and 67.25 per 100,000 registered motorcycles (6.72 per 10,000), according to NHTSA and Census data.

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