File Identity
NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv is the all-data CSV for the Census Bureau's Vintage 2024 state population estimates. It includes resident population estimates and population-change components for the United States, regions, states, D.C., and Puerto Rico over the 2020-2024 estimate period.1,2,3,4
Key Fields for Traffic Safety Work
The file has more fields than Daily Driver Advocate needs for simple state fatality-rate calculations. The fields below are the ones most relevant to joining Census population estimates to NHTSA FARS state-level crash data.3,4
| Field | Common use on this site |
|---|---|
| SUMLEV | Summary level code. Daily Driver Advocate filters state-level records rather than mixing national, regional, and division rows. |
| STATE | State FIPS code used to join Census population rows to FARS state codes. |
| NAME | Geographic name, such as California, Texas, or District of Columbia. |
| POPESTIMATE2024 | Vintage 2024 resident population estimate used as the denominator for 2024 per-capita crash and fatality rates. |
| BIRTHS*, DEATHS*, MIG* | Population-change components. Useful for demographic context, but not required for basic traffic fatality rates. |
How Daily Driver Advocate Uses It
Raw fatal crash counts are useful, but they can overstate risk in large states. Pairing FARS fatal crash counts with Census resident population estimates lets the site publish per-capita rates that compare states on a common scale.2,3
Fatal Car Accidents by State
Uses the 2024 Census population estimate as the denominator for state fatal-crash rates.
Fatal Crash Statistics & Facts
Explains national and state fatal-crash statistics with source-backed population context.
FARS2024NationalCSV.zip Source Card
The companion NHTSA crash-data source paired with this Census denominator file.
Common Research Uses
This file is most useful when a researcher needs a documented state population denominator, especially for rate-based comparisons across states.2,3,4
Create state population denominators for fatal crash rates per 100,000 residents.
Join Census state FIPS codes to NHTSA FARS state-level fatal crash totals.
Compare raw crash counts against population-adjusted rates.
Document the exact population vintage behind a published traffic safety statistic.
Reproduce Daily Driver Advocate 2024 state fatality-rate tables from primary federal data.
Important Limitations
This page documents a Census population file, not a traffic crash file. It should be cited as a denominator source, not as evidence of crash counts or roadway risk by itself.
- Census population estimates are estimates, not a count from a new decennial census.
- The file contains multiple geographic summary levels, so state-rate work should filter records intentionally.
- The Vintage 2024 file is appropriate for reproducing 2024-rate pages, but newer Census vintages may exist for current-population questions.
- The file is not a traffic safety dataset by itself; it becomes useful for this site when paired with FARS crash and fatality counts.
Suggested Citation
For the raw dataset, cite the Census Bureau as the issuing agency and link to the official CSV. For this explanatory card, cite Daily Driver Advocate as the independent research project that documented the source.
U.S. Census Bureau. NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv. Vintage 2024 state population estimates. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2024/state/totals/NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv
Primary Source Directory
- Vintage 2024 national and state population estimates press kitIssuing authority: U.S. Census Bureau
- Annual estimates of resident population for the United States, regions, states, D.C., and Puerto RicoIssuing authority: U.S. Census Bureau
- NST-EST2024-ALLDATA.csv official downloadIssuing authority: U.S. Census Bureau
- NST-EST2024-ALLDATA file layoutIssuing authority: U.S. Census Bureau