The Most Dangerous Jobs In America

In 2021, someone died every 101 minutes from a work-related injury. That is one death every hour and a half, give or take.

Have you ever wondered how dangerous your job is? The truth is, there is danger in every industry, some less than others. We know just how dangerous each occupation is thanks to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

They collect data — pulled from over 25,000 unique source documents — on workplace fatalities through their Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). First conducted in 1992, this data is now released each year through the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unfortunately, the data being released is a year behind; the numbers for 2021 were released at the end of December 2022. In 2021, there were 5,190 work-related fatalities recorded in the United States. This number reflects an 8.9% increase from the 4,764 deaths in 2020. Overall, the fatal work injury rate was 3.6 deaths per 100,000 full-time (FTE) employees — the standard measurement for the CFOI.

Each work-related injury is attributed to one of six categories or events:

1. Transportation incidents

2. Falls, slips, trips

3. Violence and other injuries by a person or animal including homicides and suicides

4. Contact with objects and equipment

5. Exposure to harmful substances or environments including substance overdoses

6. Fires and explosions

Top 10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America

Certain occupations carry with them more risk than others. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries has determined the most dangerous jobs of 2021 by analyzing work-related deaths.

Unsurprisingly, the list includes mostly blue-collar jobs. Blue-collar jobs are manual labor jobs labeled due to their typical “uniform” of blue jeans or blue coveralls.

Unfortunately, salary does not often reflect how dangerous a job is. The majority of the top ten most dangerous occupations have relatively low average yearly salaries.

1. Motor vehicle operators
   Average Yearly Salary: $51,500

   There were 1,103 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021 making this the most dangerous job in the United States.

   The average salary for this occupation is just over $50k, and despite the danger, it has a projected job growth of 12% between 2021-2031.

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2. Construction trades workers
   Average Yearly Salary: $31,800

   There were 726 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. The average yearly salary is $31,800. This industry also has a steady growth rate, expected to increase by 4% over the next decade.

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3. Management occupations
   Average Yearly Salary: $58,600

   There were 323 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. This occupation is broad and overreaching, meaning that some management positions are likely far more dangerous than others.

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4. Material moving workers
   Average Yearly Salary: $32,500

   There were 284 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. The average yearly salary for material moving workers is $32,500.

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5. Production occupations
   Average Yearly Salary: $30,800

   There were 242 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. The average salary for this occupation is $30,800 per year.

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6. Grounds maintenance workers
   Average Yearly Salary: $28,500

   There were 225 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. The average yearly salary for this occupation is $28,500.

   Find Ground maintenance worker jobs near me

7. Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers
   Average Yearly Salary: $42,600

   As it turns out, you don’t even need to be driving a vehicle to be put in a dangerous position, there were only 152 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. The average salary for this occupation is $42,600 per year.

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8. Agricultural workers
   Average Yearly Salary: $27,200

   There were 133 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. Their average yearly salary is around $27,200.

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9. Supervisors of construction and extraction workers
   Average Yearly Salary:$62,800

   There were 117 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. This occupation is the best-paid on this list with an average yearly salary of over $60k.

   Find Supervisors of construction and extraction jobs near me

10. Food preparation and serving related occupations
    Average Yearly Salary: $25,000

    There were 101 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2021. The average yearly salary for this occupation is only $25,000.

    Find Food preparation jobs near me

What Makes a Job Dangerous?

Fatalities. There are certainly some jobs and industries that seem inherently dangerous. Some jobs are naturally hazardous and come with an increased risk of permanent injury. If you work with animals, or fires, or unpredictable terrain, you understand that there is a risk involved.

When the Bureau of Labor Statistics says dangerous, they mean something different. They mean deadly. In terms of this article, dangerous occupations are considered dangerous when they produce high fatality rates due to work-related injuries.

It is not just the injuries, but the deaths related to these injuries that make a job dangerous.

Fatal Work Injury Statistics

There is a breakdown of the most dangerous occupations below, but there are other statistics to consider:

1. Are there age groups at higher risk of injury?

2. Which incidents cause the most fatalities?

3. What industries are the most dangerous overall?

Below is a breakdown of fatal work injuries in 2021 based on specific criteria other than occupation:

1. By age group. BLS has the fatality statistics broken down by age group for 2021. Surprisingly, the youngest age groups have few fatal work injuries. Though, their contact with the more dangerous occupations is limited.

   The age groups with the highest number of work-related fatalities were 45-54 years of age and 55-64 years of age. The breakdown by age groups is:

   • Under 16 years: 7 fatal work injuries.

   • 16-17 years: 17 fatal work injuries.

   • 18-19 years: 85 fatal work injuries.

   • 20-24 years: 289 fatal work injuries.

   • 25-34 years: 882 fatal work injuries.

   • 35-44 years: 977 fatal work injuries.

   • 45-54 years: 1,087 fatal work injuries.

   • 55-64 years: 1,140 fatal work injuries.

   • 65+ years: 702 fatal work injuries.

2. By event. BLS refers to each incident category as an event. The breakdown for fatal work injuries by event are:

   • Transportation incidents. Work-related fatalities involving transportation incidents continue to take the largest share of work deaths.

     Accounting for 38.2% of all work-related fatalities in 2021, there were 1,982 transportation incidents. This showed an increase of 11.5% percent over 2020.

   • Falls, slips, trips. Fatalities involving falls, slips, or trips increased 5.6% in 2021 to 850 work-related deaths.

   • Contact with objects and equipment. This event accounts for 705 fatal work injuries in 2021. Men are much more at risk for fatalities caused by this event. This may be due to the typically male-dominated roles in the deadliest occupations.

   • Violence and other injuries by persons or animals. 761 deaths were caused by violence in the workplace in 2021, including suicides. Women are at a significantly higher risk of work-related fatalities due to this event.

   • Exposure to harmful substances or environments. This event accounts for 798 work-related fatalities in 2021, including intentional or accidental overdoses.

   • Fires and explosions. Workers are least likely to die due to a fire or explosion. Only 76 fatal work injuries are attributed to this event in 2021.

3. By industry. While some occupations hold more danger than others, some industries account for more fatal work injuries than others. Since there are several occupations under each industry’s umbrella, these numbers don’t necessarily match up with the most dangerous occupations listed below.

   The most dangerous industries for 2021 are:

   • Construction. 951 fatal work injuries in 2021.

   • Transportation and warehousing. 1,523 fatal work injuries in 2021. According to the CFOI, one out of every five injured workers was employed as a driver/sales worker or truck driver.

     Transportation-related injuries account for nearly half of the work-related fatalities in 2021; 40 percent of fatal work injuries are attributed to transportation events.

   • Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting. 218 fatal work injuries in 2021.

   • Retail trade. 200 fatal work injuries in 2021. While this may seem surprising, remember that falls, slips, trips, violence, and fire-related injuries are included in these statistics.

   • Leisure and hospitality. 271 fatal work injuries in 2021. Again, this may seem surprising. But when you account for the probability of falls, slips, trips, or contact with potentially dangerous equipment it makes more sense.

4. By gender. The Bureau of Labor Statistics splits these statistics by male and female deaths. Generally speaking, men and women are equally at risk for most fatal injury events, however, men are far more likely to work high-risk jobs. For this reason, men made up 4,741 fatal workplace injuries in 2021, while women only accounted for 448.

   Men are at a significantly higher risk for deaths related to contact with objects and equipment: 14 percent of fatalities for men, and only four percent for women. Women, on the other hand, are at a significantly higher risk of deaths related to homicide: seven percent of fatalities for men, but 20 percent for women.

Author

Samantha Goddiess

Samantha is a lifelong writer who has been writing professionally for the last six years. After graduating with honors from Greensboro College with a degree in English & Communications, she went on to find work as an in-house copywriter for several companies including Costume Supercenter, and Blueprint Education.