Total Hazmat Transit Damages by State
The East Palestine train derailment pushes Ohio's five-year damages to nearly $1B
Source: Trace One analysis of U.S. Department of Transportation data
While incident counts provide one measure of risk, total damages offer additional insight into the severity and impact of hazmat transit events. Damages are heavily concentrated in a small number of states, often driven by rare but catastrophic incidents rather than routine events. Ohio leads the nation with an astounding $920.8 million in total hazmat transit damages, far exceeding every other state. The next highest totals—North Dakota ($32.1 million) and Illinois ($17.8 million)—are an order of magnitude smaller, followed by California, New Jersey, and Texas with roughly $16 million in damages each.
Ohio’s outsized total is largely attributable to the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, a high-profile incident involving hazardous chemicals that triggered evacuations, long-term environmental remediation, and extensive federal and state response efforts. The scale of the event—both in terms of financial cost and public disruption—elevated Ohio’s five-year damage total to nearly 30 times that of the next highest state. Beyond Ohio, states like North Dakota and Illinois rank higher than larger states such as California and Texas due to their concentration of rail-based energy and chemical transport corridors. North Dakota’s crude oil shipments and Illinois’ position as a central rail hub increase exposure to higher-cost incidents, particularly those involving bulk materials, which can drive up total damages even when overall incident counts are lower.
For a complete breakdown of hazmat transit incidents for all 50 states, including totals, damages, serious incident counts, and the most common hazmat in transit incidents, see U.S. States Most Exposed by Hazardous Materials Transport Incidents on Trace One.
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