Bradenton ranks among most deadly places in US for pedestrians, study says

The Bradenton area ranks among the deadliest places in the country for pedestrians, according to a new report.

In its latest “Dangerous by Design” report, Smart Growth America crunched the numbers to see how communities across the U.S. are doing at keeping pedestrians safe.

In the Bradenton area, the nonprofit found significant risks for those traveling on foot, noting that 153 pedestrians were killed between 2020 and 2024.

Additionally, the report shows that local danger to pedestrians has increased in recent years, propelling the Bradenton area to a higher spot on the list of top 20 deadliest metros in the U.S.

The local increases reflect concerning national trends, according to Smart Growth America.

“The number of people killed while walking has been one of the clearest measures of whether our transportation system is working for everyone,” the organization said in the report. “The 7,080 people killed while walking in 2024 makes it clear it is not.”

Here’s a closer look at trends for the Bradenton area.

Pedestrian risk grows in Bradenton area, report says

The 2026 report ranks the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota metro area as the 15th deadliest in the country for pedestrians.

It’s the second time in a row that the region moved up on the list, which is typically published every two years.

The metro area ranked No. 17 on the 2024 list and No. 19 on the 2022 list. The 2019 report, which examined a larger data set, ranked the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota metro as the fourth deadliest in the country at that time.

How many pedestrians died in the Bradenton area?

Local pedestrian deaths increased from 119 people between 2015 and 2019 to 153 people between 2020 and 2024, the report says.

The increase pushed the Bradenton area’s fatality rate to 3.4 annual pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people.

Smart Growth America also noted that the area’s long-term fatality rate is trending upward.

How does Bradenton compare to other parts of Florida?

In the 2026 report, three other Florida metros rank ahead of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area:

• Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ranked No. 8 with an average annual fatality rate of 3.74 people per 100,000
• Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville ranked No. 11 with an average annual fatality rate of 3.7 people per 100,000
• Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach ranked No. 14 with an average annual fatality rate of 3.6 people per 100,000

Additionally, two Florida metros ranked below the Bradenton area:

• Jacksonville ranked No. 16 with an average annual fatality rate of 3.41 people per 100,000
• Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach ranked No. 17 with an average annual fatality rate of 3.4 people per 100,000

How does Florida rank in pedestrian safety?

Florida has six metro areas on the 20 most deadly list, the most of any state. It’s followed by California, which has five.

Looking at average deaths, Florida ranked No. 5 in the country, with an average annual fatality rate of 3.32 people per 100,000.

The report notes that in 2024, over half of pedestrian deaths occurred on state-owned roads.

“State departments of transportation not only hold incredible amounts of funding and other resources, but they also set statewide design standards and can block much needed progress on roads that serve both as local main streets and state connectors,” the report says. “If state DOTs acted upon their oft-stated priority of ‘safety first,’ they could save thousands of lives each year.”

In Bradenton, the Florida Department of Transportation recently launched a $4.6 million overhaul of U.S. 41 to improve pedestrian safety, a frequent site of pedestrian-involved crashes.

Report highlights improvement in one Florida metro

On a positive note, Smart Growth America pointed to Orlando as an example of how officials can take action to reverse dangerous trends and save lives.

“One of the areas new to the list of improving metros is Orlando, Florida, a metro area that has consistently ranked in the top 20 most dangerous places. They now sit at #25, with one of the largest reductions in five-year fatality rates,” the report says.

“They still have a long way to go — 65 people were killed while walking in Orlando in 2024 — but the places lowering their long-term rates are the ones being more intentional with their funding, adopting best practices and making hard decisions about changing existing roadways. Their investments continue to pay off with lives saved,” the report says.