Houghton, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Houghton: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Houghton and Lee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 204 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Lee County compares with Iowa
Lee County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lee County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 55.0 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 19% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 9.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.41 | 0.41 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 53% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.8% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 21% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 13% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.8% | 15.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.9% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 16.8% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 27% below the state |
Lee County sits below Iowa on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes.
The headline for Lee County: 9.2 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Iowa: 3.5).
Overview
Since 2015, 204 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lee County. They injured 85 people and killed 18.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 20 days.
Only 2 truck crashes were reported in Houghton since 2015; patterns below come from Lee County as a whole.
59% of truck crash reports in Lee County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
February has the most truck crashes, 12.3% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (5.4%).
November through March accounts for 46.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 11.3% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 14.8% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Iowa: 18.7%).
Where crashes happen
US-218 leads within 10 miles of Houghton with 7 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by CR-J38/LOCUST St (1) and SR-16 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for Houghton fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to US-218 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Lee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-218 | 7 |
| CR-J38/LOCUST St | 1 |
| SR-16 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lee County) |
|---|---|
| US-218 | 14 |
| US-61 | 11 |
| State 16/Iowa 16 | 6 |
| State 27/Iowa 27 | 4 |
| Us 218 S And Ia 16 | 3 |
| Carbide Ln And Us 61 | 3 |
| 255Th St And Ia 27 | 3 |
| 10Th St Us 218/Main St | 2 |
Houghton at a glance
| Population | 129 |
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Density | 430 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 52631) | $107,083 |
| Median home value (ZIP 52631) | $249,023 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lee County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 20 | +84% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 17 | -14% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 20 | +16% | 2.0 |
In the 1990s about 11 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 20. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Houghton
How many truck accidents are there in Houghton?
Lee County has had 204 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 85 people and killing 18.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Houghton?
Since 2015, US-218 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Houghton: 7.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Houghton?
February has the most truck crashes in Lee County, 12.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Houghton?
Garbage trucks were involved in 2 reported crashes in Lee County since 2015 (1.0% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Houghton compared with Iowa?
Lee County records 55.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Houghton?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.