Introduction: Trauma and transfusion of blood products have been associated with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the risks associated with whole blood use for trauma are not well described. We sought to determine the association of whole blood and other components with the development of ARDS. Methods: We analyzed data from patients ≥15 years of age in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database between 2020-2021 who received at least one blood product. We compared characteristics and blood product administration between patients who developed ARDS versus those who did not. We repeated these comparisons utilizing a multivariate regression model to control for potential confounders. Results: There were 134,863 that met inclusion for this analysis. Within the included population, 1% (1927) were diagnosed with ARDS. The no ARDS group had a lower portion of serious injuries to the head/neck (31% versus 46%), thorax (51% versus 78%), abdomen (34% versus 48%), and extremities (37% versus 47%). The median composite injury severity score was 21 (11–30) in the no ARDS group versus 30 (22–41) in the ARDS group. Unadjusted survival of discharge was 74% in the no ARDS group versus 61% in the ARDS group. In our multivariable model, we found that whole blood (uOR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.07), male sex (OR 1.44, 1.28-1.63), arrival shock index (uOR 1.03, 1.01-1.06), and composite injury severity score (uOR 1.03, 1.03-1.04) were associated with the development of ARDS. These persisted on sensitivity testing. Conclusions: We found an association between whole blood and the development of ARDS among trauma patients who received blood transfusions. Contrary to previous studies, we found no association between ARDS and fresh frozen plasma administration. The literature would benefit from further investigation via prospective study designs.