The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released 2023 data on workplace fatalities, revealing that while overall fatal injury rates decreased, some occupations remain significantly more dangerous than others. In 2023, a worker died every 99 minutes due to a work-related injury, a slight improvement from every 96 minutes in 2022.
Three occupations had fatality rates exceeding 50 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. Logging was the most dangerous, with a rate of nearly 100 fatalities per 100,000 workers, drastically higher than the overall rate of 3.5. This overall rate also saw a slight decrease from 3.7 in 2022.
Logging, transportation, and hunting are identified as particularly high-risk industries. The following list highlights the 10 deadliest jobs in the U.S., ranked by fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
Fatal work injury rate: 19.8
Number of fatal work injuries: 9
Fatal work injury rate: 20.2
Number of fatal work injuries: 146
Fatal work injury rate: 20.5
Number of fatal work injuries: 226
Fatal work injury rate: 26.8
Number of fatal work injuries: 984
Fatal work injury rate: 27.4
Number of fatal work injuries: 16
Fatal work injury rate: 31.3
Number of fatal work injuries: 62
Fatal work injury rate: 41.4
Number of fatal work injuries: 41
Fatal work injury rate: 51.8
Number of fatal work injuries: 113
Fatal work injury rate: 86.9
Number of fatal work injuries: 19
Fatal work injury rate: 98.9
Number of fatal work injuries: 52