The Most Dangerous Cities for Pedestrians
Despite the health benefits of walking, only 2.4% of U.S. workers walk to work.
As the federal government tries to promote walking and walkable cities, one major obstacle they have identified is road safety. Unfortunately, that concern remains valid. Pedestrian deaths peaked at 7,593 in 2022 and the latest annual FARS file still shows 7,080 pedestrian fatalities in 2024.
To see where pedestrians are most at risk, researchers at TruckInfo.net analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and 2023 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 1-year estimates and found the following trends.
#1: Pedestrian fatalities are still 72% higher than they were in 2009
The current pedestrian safety problem is not a short-term blip. NHTSA's latest annual file shows 7,080 pedestrian deaths in 2024, up 72.3% from 4,109 in 2009.
#2: Large cities where more people walk to work tend to have lower pedestrian fatality rates
Among large cities, walk-to-work share and pedestrian fatality rates are negatively correlated. In TruckInfo.net's matched sample of 50 large cities, places where more residents walk to work generally post lower pedestrian fatality rates.
#3: The most dangerous roads are not limited to the biggest counties
Even when looking at total pedestrian fatalities instead of per-capita rates, several of the most dangerous roadways are outside the country's very largest counties. Three of the top 10 are in counties with fewer than 1 million residents.
#4: Memphis, TN is still the most dangerous large city for pedestrians
Among large cities with populations above 350,000, Memphis ranks first with 69.5 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents over the 2015-2024 window.
#5: New Mexico is the most dangerous state for pedestrians
Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, and South Carolina round out the top 5 states based on pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents.
Full Data
Methodology
Fatality counts were sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. This refresh used the 2015-2024 annual files, with the 2024 file representing the latest annual release available from NHTSA as of April 2026. Population and walk-to-work data were sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 ACS 1-year estimates. Large cities were defined as cities with populations over 350,000.
