For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, December 16, 2021 USDL-21-2145
Technical information: (202) 691-6170 • iifstaff@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/iif
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2020
There were 4,764 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2020, a 10.7-percent decrease from 5,333
in 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury rate
was 3.4 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 3.5 per 100,000 FTE in 2019.
(See chart 2.) These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
(Charts 1 and 2 appear here in the printed release)
Key findings from the 2020 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
- The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.
- A worker died every 111 minutes from a work-related injury in 2020.
- Transportation incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal event with 1,778 fatal injuries,
accounting for 37.3 percent of all work-related fatalities.
- The share of Hispanic or Latino workers fatally injured on the job continued to grow, increasing to 22.5
percent (1,072 fatalities) from 20.4 percent (1,088 fatalities) in 2019.
- Suicides decreased 15.6 percent from 307 in 2019 to 259 in 2020, representing the lowest count for
occupational suicides since 2015.
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| Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries |
| |
| CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such |
| as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report |
| any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available at |
| www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-and-occupational- |
| requirements.htm. |
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Worker characteristics
- Women made up 8.1 percent of all fatalities but represented 16.3 percent of workplace homicides in 2020.
- In 2020, workers between the ages of 45 and 54 suffered 954 workplace fatalities, the lowest count for
this age group since 1992.
- The fatality rate for Hispanic or Latino workers was 4.5 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers in 2020,
up from 4.2 in 2019.
- Black or African American workers had a 14.7-percent decrease in occupational fatalities in 2020,
falling from 634 in 2019 to 541 in 2020.
Fatal event or exposure
- Fatal transportation incidents fell 16.2 percent to 1,778 in 2020 from 2,122 in 2019.
- Fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals decreased from 841 fatalities in 2019
to 705 fatalities in 2020 (-16.2 percent). The largest subcategory, intentional injuries by person,
decreased 14.5 percent to 651 in 2020.
- Exposure to harmful substances or environments led to 672 worker fatalities in 2020, the highest figure
since the series began in 2011. Within this category, unintentional overdose from nonmedical use of
drugs accounted for 57.7 percent of fatalities (388 deaths), up from 48.8 percent in 2019.
(Chart 3 appears here in the printed release)
Occupation
- Workers in transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations
accounted for nearly half of all fatal occupational injuries (47.4 percent), representing 1,282 and 976
workplace deaths, respectively.
- Sales occupations and office and administration support occupations had a 19.0-percent decrease in fatal
occupational injuries between 2019 (332 deaths) and 2020 (269 deaths).
- Fatalities in healthcare support occupations increased 15.8 percent to 44 fatalities, up from 38 in 2019.
- Fatal occupational injuries among law enforcement workers increased 18.6 percent between 2019 and
2020, from 97 to 115.
- The fatal injury rate for aircraft pilots and flight engineers decreased from 61.8 per 100,000 FTEs in
2019 to 34.3 in 2020. (See table 5 and chart 4.)
- Fishing and hunting workers had a fatal injury rate of 132.1 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTEs in
2020. Transportation incidents accounted for 71.4 percent of fishing and
hunting workers’ deaths.
Fatal injury counts by occupation will be available at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm. Fatality rates by
occupation, industry, and worker demographics will be available at
www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_rates_2020hb.xlsx.
(Chart 4 appears here in the printed release)
TECHNICAL NOTES
Background
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and
Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year.
The CFOI uses a variety of state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal
work injuries. This ensures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For the 2020 data, over 21,600 unique
source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for
the CFOI, see the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI
definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Fatal injury rates are subject to sampling error as they are calculated using
employment data from the Current Population Survey, a sample of households, and the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
For more information on sampling error, see www.bls.gov/iif/osh_rse.htm.
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), another component of the OSHS program, presents frequency counts
and incidence rates by industry, detailed case circumstances, and worker characteristics for nonfatal workplace injuries and
illnesses for cases that result in days away from work. For these data, access the BLS website: www.bls.gov/iif.
Identification and verification of work-related fatalities
In 2020, work relationship could not be independently verified by multiple source documents for 18 fatal work injuries.
However, the information on the initiating source document for these cases was sufficient to determine that the incident
was likely to be job-related. Data for these fatalities are included.
Federal/State agency coverage
The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory
coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage
requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI,
see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.
Latency Cases
Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the
death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases. In 2020, there
were 194 cases where this occurred, and 173 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2020.
For more information on latent cases, see www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/latency-in-fatal-occupational-injuries.htm.
CFOI Methodology
Starting with the reference year 2019, CFOI modernized its disclosure methodology further strengthening its protection of
confidential data. Individually identifiable data collected by the CFOI are used exclusively for statistical purposes and are
protected under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA). These data are
collected under a pledge of confidentiality and therefore require BLS to prevent disclosure of identifying information
of decedents. For more information see www.bls.gov/iif/oshfaq1.htm.
Acknowledgements
BLS thanks the participating states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and
Guam for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. Although data for
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam are not included in the national totals, results for these jurisdictions
are available. Participating agencies may be contacted to request more detailed state results.
Contact information is available at www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm.
BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that provided source documents
used to identify fatal work injuries. Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National
Transportation Safety Board; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Office of Workers’ Compensation
Programs (Federal Employees’ Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation divisions); the Federal Railroad Administration;
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments
of health, labor, and industrial relations and workers’ compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.
Information in this release is available to sensory-impaired individuals. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, 2016-20
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
| | | | |
____________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,190 | 5,147 | 5,250 | 5,333 | 4,764
| | | | |
Employee status | | | | |
Wage and salary workers(2) | 4,098 | 4,069 | 4,178 | 4,240 | 3,864
Self-employed(3) | 1,092 | 1,078 | 1,072 | 1,093 | 900
| | | | |
Gender | | | | |
Women | 387 | 386 | 413 | 437 | 387
Men | 4,803 | 4,761 | 4,837 | 4,896 | 4,377
| | | | |
Age | | | | |
Under 16 years | 13 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 14
16 to 17 years | 17 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 12
18 to 19 years | 43 | 62 | 56 | 50 | 66
20 to 24 years | 310 | 293 | 282 | 325 | 260
25 to 34 years | 834 | 872 | 946 | 866 | 833
35 to 44 years | 979 | 907 | 966 | 967 | 898
45 to 54 years | 1,145 | 1,059 | 1,114 | 1,082 | 954
55 to 64 years | 1,160 | 1,155 | 1,104 | 1,212 | 1,051
65 years and over | 688 | 775 | 759 | 793 | 676
| | | | |
Race or ethnic origin(4) | | | | |
White (non-Hispanic) | 3,481 | 3,449 | 3,405 | 3,297 | 2,898
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic) | 587 | 530 | 615 | 634 | 541
Hispanic or Latino | 879 | 903 | 961 | 1,088 | 1,072
American Indian or Alaskan Native (non-Hispanic) | 38 | 38 | 42 | 30 | 32
Asian (non-Hispanic) | 160 | 144 | 153 | 181 | 150
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) | 7 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 8
Multiple races (non-Hispanic) | 15 | 9 | 14 | 22 | 14
Other races or not reported (non-Hispanic) | 23 | 57 | 50 | 67 | 49
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for
the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data
elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed
description of each data element.
2 May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status
is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers.
3 Includes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses and farms, paid and unpaid family
workers, and may include some owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships.
4 Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for
Hispanics and Latinos. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.
Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not
shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means
"not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by
an injury event.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City,
District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries for selected events or exposures, 2016-20
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
| | | | |
__________________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,190 | 5,147 | 5,250 | 5,333 | 4,764
| | | | |
Event or exposure(2) | | | | |
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 866 | 807 | 828 | 841 | 705
Intentional injury by person | 792 | 733 | 757 | 761 | 651
Homicides | 500 | 458 | 453 | 454 | 392
Shooting by other person—intentional | 394 | 351 | 351 | 363 | 304
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing | 38 | 47 | 44 | 42 | 50
Suicides | 291 | 275 | 304 | 307 | 259
Transportation incidents | 2,083 | 2,077 | 2,080 | 2,122 | 1,778
Aircraft incidents | 130 | 126 | 133 | 152 | 80
Rail vehicle incidents | 50 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 32
Pedestrian vehicular incident | 342 | 313 | 325 | 341 | 330
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone | 58 | 56 | 58 | 56 | 57
Water vehicle incident | 48 | 68 | 58 | 63 | 74
Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle | 1,252 | 1,299 | 1,276 | 1,270 | 1,038
Roadway collision with other vehicle | 628 | 663 | 677 | 729 | 537
Roadway collision moving in same direction | 168 | 189 | 183 | 194 | 142
Roadway collision moving in opposite | | | | |
directions, oncoming | 199 | 214 | 243 | 258 | 198
Roadway collision moving perpendicularly | 150 | 149 | 141 | 153 | 106
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle| 342 | 377 | 373 | 325 | 302
Vehicle struck object or animal on side | | | | |
of roadway | 321 | 348 | 345 | 301 | 275
Roadway noncollision incident | 278 | 252 | 222 | 212 | 196
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway | 238 | 197 | 170 | 164 | 155
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle | 245 | 209 | 225 | 236 | 206
Nonroadway noncollision incident | 182 | 166 | 164 | 193 | 167
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway | 120 | 111 | 105 | 128 | 101
Fire or explosion | 88 | 123 | 115 | 99 | 71
Fall, slip, trip | 849 | 887 | 791 | 880 | 805
Fall on same level | 134 | 151 | 154 | 146 | 136
Fall to lower level | 697 | 713 | 615 | 711 | 645
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment | 65 | 48 | 50 | 37 | 36
Fall through surface or existing opening | 87 | 85 | 83 | 95 | 63
Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 518 | 531 | 621 | 642 | 672
Exposure to electricity | 154 | 136 | 160 | 166 | 126
Exposure to temperature extremes | 48 | 38 | 60 | 53 | 62
Exposure to other harmful substances | 268 | 317 | 355 | 379 | 448
Inhalation of harmful substance | 39 | 43 | 42 | 59 | 50
Contact with objects and equipment | 761 | 695 | 786 | 732 | 716
Struck by object or equipment | 553 | 503 | 566 | 518 | 468
Struck by powered vehicle nontransport | 232 | 197 | 215 | 205 | 174
Struck by falling object or equipment | 255 | 237 | 278 | 241 | 217
Struck by discharged or flying object | 15 | 28 | 32 | 26 | 37
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects | 117 | 108 | 137 | 120 | 142
Caught in running equipment or machinery | 103 | 76 | 106 | 93 | 89
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, | | | | |
equipment, or material | 82 | 70 | 73 | 83 | 93
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the
United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements
have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed
description of each data element.
2 Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not
shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means
"not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City,
District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries for selected occupations, 2016-20
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
| | | | |
___________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,190 | 5,147 | 5,250 | 5,333 | 4,764
| | | | |
Occupation (SOC)(2) | | | | |
Management occupations | 377 | 396 | 387 | 380 | 361
Business and financial operations occupations | 27 | 29 | 38 | 29 | 23
Computer and mathematical occupations | 16 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 8
Architecture and engineering occupations | 41 | 23 | 30 | 43 | 31
Life, physical, and social science occupations | 15 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 17
Community and social services occupations | 27 | 37 | 23 | 31 | 26
Legal occupations | 13 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 5
Educational instruction and library occupations | 32 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 13
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and | | | | |
media occupations | 64 | 47 | 71 | 40 | 36
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations| 60 | 57 | 65 | 56 | 51
Healthcare support occupations | 30 | 28 | 32 | 38 | 44
Protective service occupations | 281 | 266 | 270 | 231 | 229
Fire fighting and prevention workers | 35 | 35 | 33 | 24 | -
Law enforcement workers | 127 | 117 | 127 | 97 | 115
Food preparation and serving related occupations | 92 | 89 | 100 | 99 | 82
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance | | | | |
occupations | 329 | 326 | 350 | 333 | 307
Building cleaning and pest control workers | 74 | 68 | 66 | 63 | 61
Grounds maintenance workers | 217 | 191 | 225 | 229 | 202
Personal care and service occupations | 55 | 69 | 63 | 61 | 58
Sales and related occupations | 254 | 232 | 241 | 240 | 200
Supervisors, sales workers | 104 | 98 | 102 | 99 | 73
Retail sales workers | 102 | 89 | 99 | 96 | 95
Office and administrative support occupations | 78 | 101 | 69 | 92 | 69
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 290 | 264 | 262 | 291 | 264
Agricultural workers | 157 | 155 | 158 | 183 | 148
Fishing and hunting workers | 26 | 41 | 31 | 44 | 42
Forest, conservation, and logging workers | 95 | 57 | 57 | 49 | 42
Construction and extraction occupations | 970 | 965 | 1,003 | 1,066 | 976
Supervisors of construction and | | | | |
extraction workers | 134 | 121 | 144 | 136 | 88
Construction trades workers | 736 | 747 | 731 | 809 | 771
Extraction workers | 41 | 41 | 64 | 50 | 59
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 470 | 414 | 420 | 438 | 393
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, | | | | |
installers, and repairers | 154 | 143 | 152 | 155 | 135
Production occupations | 216 | 221 | 225 | 245 | 224
Transportation and material moving occupations | 1,388 | 1,443 | 1,443 | 1,481 | 1,282
Air transportation workers | 75 | 59 | 71 | 85 | 50
Motor vehicle operators | 1,012 | 1,084 | 1,044 | 1,091 | 933
Material moving workers | 228 | 235 | 255 | 238 | 218
Military occupations(3) | 62 | 72 | 82 | 65 | -
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries
for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data
elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed
description of each data element.
2 CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to
define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in these years, see our definitions
page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
3 Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual
occupation listed.
Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories
not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.
N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths
unless precipitated by an injury event.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City,
District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries for selected industries, 2016-20
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
| | | | |
____________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,190 | 5,147 | 5,250 | 5,333 | 4,764
| | | | |
Industry (NAICS)(2) | | | | |
Private industry(3) | 4,693 | 4,674 | 4,779 | 4,907 | 4,349
Goods producing | 1,991 | 1,967 | 2,055 | - | -
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting| 593 | 581 | 574 | 573 | 511
Crop production | 261 | 263 | 250 | 221 | 248
Animal production and aquaculture | 151 | 152 | 161 | 189 | 117
Forestry and logging | 106 | 76 | 84 | 59 | 63
Mining, quarrying, and oil and | | | | |
gas extraction(4) | 89 | 112 | 130 | 127 | 78
Mining (except oil and gas) | 22 | 31 | 34 | 23 | 32
Support activities for mining | 56 | 73 | 83 | 82 | 39
Construction | 991 | 971 | 1,008 | 1,061 | 1,008
Construction of buildings | 182 | 196 | 200 | - | 192
Heavy and civil engineering | | | | |
construction | 159 | 152 | 180 | 156 | 194
Specialty trade contractors | 631 | 610 | 609 | - | 576
Manufacturing | 318 | 303 | 343 | - | 340
Food manufacturing | 40 | 51 | 41 | - | 53
Fabricated metal product | | | | |
manufacturing | 41 | 50 | 56 | - | 53
Service providing | 2,702 | 2,707 | 2,724 | - | -
Wholesale trade | 179 | 174 | 202 | 178 | 155
Retail trade | 282 | 287 | 274 | 291 | 275
Motor vehicle and parts dealers | 42 | 54 | 68 | 58 | 50
Food and beverage stores | 71 | 60 | 42 | 54 | 72
Transportation and warehousing | 825 | 882 | 874 | 913 | 805
Truck transportation | 570 | 599 | 607 | 617 | 556
Utilities | 30 | 28 | 29 | 22 | 19
Information | 46 | 43 | 31 | - | 31
Finance and insurance | 26 | 32 | 30 | 21 | 20
Real estate and rental and leasing | 91 | 69 | 78 | 87 | 73
Professional, scientific, and | | | | |
technical services | 100 | 69 | 87 | 86 | 62
Administrative and support and waste | | | | |
management and remediation services | 439 | 460 | 497 | 498 | 413
Educational services | 42 | 43 | 30 | 45 | 26
Health care and social assistance | 117 | 146 | 138 | 152 | 119
Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 96 | 91 | 78 | 83 | 59
Accommodation and food services | 202 | 171 | 175 | 188 | 160
Other services, except | | | | |
public administration | 223 | 205 | 195 | 210 | 188
| | | | |
Government(5) | 497 | 473 | 471 | 426 | 415
Federal government(3) | 107 | 116 | 124 | 111 | 95
State government(3) | 97 | 91 | 69 | 75 | 67
Local government(3) | 291 | 265 | 276 | 240 | 251
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for
the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements
have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed description of
each data element.
2 CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003
to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in these years, see our definitions
page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.
3 Includes all fatal occupational injuries meeting this ownership criterion across all specified years,
regardless of industry classification system. Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private
industry counts.
4 Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas
extraction (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed
by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction.
5 Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified
as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.
Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not
shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means
"not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless
precipitated by an injury event.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City,
District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Table 5. Fatal work injury rates(1) per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers by selected occupations, 2019-20
________________________________________________________________________
| |
| |
Characteristic | 2019 | 2020
| |
__________________________________________________|__________|__________
| |
All workers(2) | 3.5 | 3.4
| |
Occupation (SOC)(3) | |
Fishing and hunting workers | 145.0 | 132.1
Logging workers | 68.9 | 91.7
Roofers | 54.0 | 47.0
Helpers, construction trades | 40.0 | 43.3
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers | 61.8 | 34.3
Refuse and recyclable material collectors | 35.2 | 33.1
Structural iron and steel workers | 26.3 | 32.5
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 26.8 | 25.8
________________________________________________________________________
1 Fatal injury rates are per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Fatal injury rates exclude workers
under the age of 16 years, volunteers, and resident military. Complete national rates can be found
at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm#rates. Complete state rates can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm.
National and state rates are calculated using different methodology and cannot be directly compared.
See www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/calculation.htm#comparisons-of-national-and-state-rates for more information on
how rates are calculated and caveats for comparison. N/A means a rate was not published for this group.
2 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries
for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data
elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed
description of each data element.
3 CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define
occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in these years, see our definitions page
at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not
shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means
"not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless
precipitated by an injury event.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City,
District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Table 6. Fatal occupational injuries by state of incident, 2016-20
___________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
| | | | |
____________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,190 | 5,147 | 5,250 | 5,333 | 4,764
| | | | |
State of incident | | | | |
Alabama | 100 | 83 | 89 | 89 | 85
Alaska | 35 | 33 | 32 | 51 | 31
Arizona | 77 | 90 | 82 | 94 | 97
Arkansas | 68 | 76 | 76 | 62 | 64
California | 376 | 376 | 422 | 451 | 463
Colorado | 81 | 77 | 72 | 84 | 78
Connecticut | 28 | 35 | 48 | 26 | 29
Delaware | 12 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 7
District of Columbia | 5 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13
Florida | 309 | 299 | 332 | 306 | 275
Georgia | 171 | 194 | 186 | 207 | 193
Hawaii | 29 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 16
Idaho | 30 | 37 | 45 | 36 | 32
Illinois | 171 | 163 | 184 | 158 | 135
Indiana | 137 | 138 | 173 | 146 | 158
Iowa | 76 | 72 | 77 | 76 | 58
Kansas | 74 | 72 | 61 | 83 | 55
Kentucky | 92 | 70 | 83 | 78 | 92
Louisiana | 95 | 117 | 98 | 119 | 103
Maine | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20
Maryland | 92 | 87 | 97 | 78 | 59
Massachusetts | 109 | 108 | 97 | 86 | 69
Michigan | 162 | 153 | 155 | 164 | 131
Minnesota | 92 | 101 | 75 | 80 | 67
Mississippi | 71 | 90 | 78 | 59 | 44
Missouri | 124 | 125 | 145 | 106 | 105
Montana | 38 | 32 | 28 | 38 | 29
Nebraska | 60 | 35 | 44 | 53 | 48
Nevada | 54 | 32 | 39 | 40 | 37
New Hampshire | 22 | 11 | 20 | 11 | 14
New Jersey | 101 | 69 | 83 | 74 | 82
New Mexico | 41 | 44 | 43 | 55 | 37
New York (including N.Y.C.) | 272 | 313 | 271 | 273 | 223
New York City | 56 | 87 | 73 | 91 | 59
North Carolina | 174 | 183 | 178 | 186 | 189
North Dakota | 28 | 38 | 35 | 37 | 26
Ohio | 164 | 174 | 158 | 166 | 117
Oklahoma | 92 | 91 | 91 | 73 | 75
Oregon | 72 | 60 | 62 | 69 | 60
Pennsylvania | 163 | 172 | 177 | 154 | 148
Rhode Island | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 5
South Carolina | 96 | 88 | 98 | 108 | 102
South Dakota | 31 | 30 | 32 | 20 | 32
Tennessee | 122 | 128 | 122 | 124 | 142
Texas | 545 | 534 | 488 | 608 | 469
Utah | 44 | 43 | 49 | 51 | 48
Vermont | 10 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 8
Virginia | 153 | 118 | 157 | 180 | 118
Washington | 78 | 84 | 86 | 84 | 83
West Virginia | 47 | 51 | 57 | 46 | 47
Wisconsin | 105 | 106 | 114 | 113 | 108
Wyoming | 34 | 20 | 31 | 32 | 35
___________________________________________________________________________________________
1 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational
injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and
definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions
page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element.
Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include
subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet
publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude
illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state,
New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
United States Department of Labor
