Most Dangerous Jobs In America

In 2019, someone died every 99 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 every 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 2019 were released at the end of December 2020. Given the state of the world in 2020, there is a significant chance these numbers will change drastically in next year’s survey. We may see a surprising shift in the most dangerous jobs in the 2020 CFOI.

In 2019, there were 5,333 work-related fatalities recorded in the United States. This number reflects a two percent increase, up from the 5,250 deaths in 2018. Overall, the fatal work injury rate was 3.5 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 2019 by analyzing the 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. Fishers and related fishing workers
   Average Yearly Salary: $60,279

   There were 145 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019 making this the most dangerous job in the United States.

   The average salary for this occupation has not been updated since 2017 but is listed at $28,000 per year. This is an occupation on the decline; the job outlook over the next decade is expected to decline eight percent.

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2. Logging workers
   Average Yearly Salary: $23,732

   There were 68.9 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. The average yearly salary is $41,000. This industry is also in decline, expected to decrease 13 percent over the next decade.

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3. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
   Average Yearly Salary: $74,000

   There were 61.8 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. This occupation is the exception of the group; the average salary for aircraft pilots and flight engineers is $121,000 per year.

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4. Roofers
   Average Yearly Salary: $33,000

   There were 54 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. The average yearly salary for roofers is $42,000.

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5. Helpers, construction trades
   Average Yearly Salary: $37,000

   There were 40 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. The average salary for this occupation is $36,000 per year
   .

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6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
   Average Yearly Salary: $27,000

   There were 35.2 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. The average salary for garbage men is $37,000 per year.

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7. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers
   Average Yearly Salary: $75,000

   Despite the abundance of transportation-related work deaths, there were only 26.8 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. The average salary for this occupation is $32,000 per year.

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8. Structural iron and steelworkers
   Average Yearly Salary: $36,145

   There were 26.3 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. Their average yearly salary is $55,000, higher than most on this list.

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9. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
   Average Yearly Salary: $53,000

   There were 23.2 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. This occupation is the second-best paid on this list with an average yearly salary of $71,000. This is another occupation expected to decline over the next decade with a projected six percent decrease.

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10. Ground maintenance workers
    Average Yearly Salary: $28,000

    There were 19.8 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE workers in 2019. The average yearly salary for this occupation is $30,000.

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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 2019 based on specific criteria other than occupation:

1. By age group. BLS has the fatality statistics broken down by age group for 2019. 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: 17 fatal work injuries.

   • 16-17 years: 17 fatal work injuries.

   • 18-19 years: 50 fatal work injuries.

   • 20-24 years: 325 fatal work injuries.

   • 25-34 years: 866 fatal work injuries.

   • 35-44 years: 967 fatal work injuries.

   • 45-54 years: 1,082 fatal work injuries.

   • 55-64 years: 1,212 fatal work injuries.

   • 65+ years: 793 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 40% of all work-related fatalities in 2019, there were 2,122 transportation incidents. This showed an increase of two percent over 2018.

   • Falls, slips, trips. Fatalities involving falls, slips, or trips increased 11 percent in 2019 to 880 work-related deaths.

   • Contact with objects and equipment. This event accounts for 732 fatal work injuries in 2019. 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. 841 deaths were caused by violence in the workplace in 2019, 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 642 work-related fatalities in 2019, including intentional or accidental overdoses.

   • Fires and explosions. Workers are least likely to die due to a fire or explosion. Only 99 fatal work injuries are attributed to this event in 2019, decreasing 14 percent from 2018.

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 2019 are:

   • Construction. 1,061 fatal work injuries in 2019.

   • Transportation and warehousing. 913 fatal work injuries in 2019. 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 2019; 40 percent of fatal work injuries are attributed to transportation events.

   • Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting. 573 fatal work injuries in 2019.

   • Government. 426 fatal work injuries in 2019.

   • Retail trade. 291 fatal work injuries in 2019. 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 2019. 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.

   • Other services (ex. public admin). 210 fatal work injuries in 2019.

   • Educational and health services. 197 fatal work injuries in 2019.

   • Wholesale trade. 178 fatal work injuries in 2019.

   • Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. 127 fatal work injuries in 2019.

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. Roadway incidents are even with males and females both at 24 percent of 2019’s fatalities.

   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.