Rattlesnake Bite Dashboard — US & Southern California

United States & Southern California — data compiled from CDC, NPDS, Wikipedia, and news sources. Updated April 17, 2026.

US Fatal Snake Bites by Year

Wikipedia-documented fatalities. 2026 projection uses seasonal weighting (Jan-Apr 17 = ~13% of annual bites). 2026 seasonal projection

Rattlesnake vs Other Species (Fatal)

Of documented fatal bites, rattlesnakes account for ~90%.

Venomous Snake Bites Reported to Poison Centers (US)

Only 2017 (4,071) and 2021 (3,775) are from NPDS reports. All other years are interpolated estimates — NOT real data. Diamond markers = real; circles = estimated. mostly estimated

Southern California Rattlesnake Bites

Ventura + Orange County reported bites. 2026 seasonal projection from Mar 14 – Apr 17 data. seasonal projection

California Fatal Rattlesnake Bites

Wikipedia-documented CA fatalities. 2026 has 2 already (both SoCal).

Data Sources & Methodology

Source-backed data (real)

Wikipedia: Fatal snake bites in the US — Charts 1, 2, 5: each fatality is individually documented with date, state, species. 2015–2026 counts are real.
CDC/NIOSH — top stat cards: 7,000–8,000 annual estimate, ~5 deaths/year
Epidemiology of fatal snakebites 1989–2018 — 90.2% rattlesnake share of identified fatalities
AAPCC/NPDS Annual Reports — Chart 3: ONLY 2017 (4,071 pit viper) and 2021 (3,775) are real NPDS data
FOX 11 + Irvine Today — Chart 4: SoCal 2025 (9 bites) and 2026 (6 bites since Mar 14) are real
PMC6887492 (2016, n=11,138) — seasonal weights: Winter 2%, Spring 22%, Summer 50%, Fall 26%

Estimated / interpolated (not real data)

Chart 3, NPDS bites: Only 2017 and 2021 are real. All other years (2015–2016, 2018–2020, 2022–2025) are linearly interpolated between those two points. These are guesses, not measured values.
Chart 3, rattlesnake share (~32%): Rough estimate based on "30–40% of pit viper bites are rattlesnakes" (CDC). Not year-specific.
Chart 4, SoCal 2015–2024: No data exists for these years. Shown as blank.
All 2026 projections: Seasonal weighting applied — Jan 1–Apr 17 covers ~12.8% of annual bites (vs 29.6% linear). Actual/0.128 = projected full year. This assumes 2026 follows the same seasonal pattern as 2016.