Gun Deaths Compared to Motor Vehicle Deaths

Gun deaths outpaced motor vehicle deaths in 34 states and the District of Columbia in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.

That year, gun deaths (including gun suicide, homicide, and fatal unintentional shootings) outpaced motor vehicle deaths (both occupant and pedestrian) in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

In just over a decade, the number of states plus the District of Columbia where gun deaths exceed motor vehicle deaths has nearly doubled: from just 18 in 2013 to 35 in 2023. Complete state-by-state tables showing firearm deaths and rates and motor vehicle deaths and rates for 2013 and 2023 are contained in the analysis below.