For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, December 19, 2024 USDL-24-2564
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 2023
There were 5,283 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2023, a 3.7-percent decrease from 5,486
in 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury
rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 3.7 in 2022. (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
- A worker died every 99 minutes from a work-related injury in 2023 compared to 96 minutes in 2022.
- Transportation incidents were the most frequent type of fatal event, accounting for 36.8 percent (1,942) of
all occupational fatalities in 2023.
- Fatalities due to violent acts totaled 740 in 2023. Homicides (458) accounted for 61.9 percent of violent acts
and 8.7 percent of all work-related fatalities.
- Opioids were the primary source of 162 fatalities and a contributor in an additional 144 fatalities where multiple
drugs were the source.
- The fatal injury count and rate for Black or African American workers decreased from 2022 to 2023. The count dropped
10.2 percent from 734 in 2022 to 659 in 2023 and the rate dropped from 4.2 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 FTE workers.
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| Revision of Classification Systems |
| |
| The 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the updated Occupational Injury and Illness |
| Classification System (OIICS) were implemented in this release of 2023 data. Refer to the technical note for more |
| information. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worker characteristics
- The fatal injury rate for Hispanic or Latino workers decreased from 2022 to 2023, down from 4.6 to 4.4 cases per
100,000 FTE workers.
- Transportation incidents were the highest cause of fatalities for both Black or African American (261) and Hispanic or
Latino (390) workers in 2023. The private industry sector with the highest number of Black or African American worker
fatalities was transportation and warehousing (200) and for Hispanic or Latino workers it was construction (410).
- Foreign-born Hispanic or Latino workers made up 67.1 percent (839) of all Hispanic or Latino worker fatalities
(1,250). Fatalities in the private construction industry sector accounted for 37.5 percent (315) of the 839 foreign-born
Hispanic or Latino worker deaths in 2023.
- Women accounted for 8.5 percent (447) of all fatalities, but accounted for 18.3 percent (84) of homicides in 2023.
- Women had the highest number of fatalities in the private health care and social assistance industry sector (63)
followed by the retail trade sector (59).
- Workers ages 55 to 64 continued to have the highest number of fatalities in 2023 with 1,089 (20.6 percent of total
fatalities). Transportation incidents were the highest cause of fatalities for this age group (401), followed by falls,
slips, and trips (226).
- Workers ages 25 to 34 had the highest number of fatalities due to violent acts (179), including 121 homicides and 58
suicides.
Private industry
- Construction had the most fatalities (1,075) among all industry sectors in 2023, and was the highest for the sector
going back to 2011. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 39.2 percent (421) of all construction fatalities, with
transportation incidents accounting for another 22.3 percent (240) of fatalities.
- Most fatal falls to a lower level (260 or 64.4 percent) within construction were from a height of between 6 and 30
feet, while 67 fatal falls were from a height of more than 30 feet. Portable ladders and stairs were the primary source
of 109 fatalities in construction.
- The transportation and warehousing sector had the second most fatalities (930), an 11.7-percent decrease from 1,053
fatalities in 2022. The fatal injury rate among workers in this sector also decreased from 14.1 in 2022 to 12.9 cases per
100,000 FTE workers in 2023.
- Transportation incidents accounted for 71.7 percent (667) of fatalities within the transportation and warehousing sector.
Roadway collisions with another vehicle accounted for 249 fatalities and roadway collisions with an object other than a
vehicle accounted for 193 fatalities. Within this sector 314 fatalities occurred on an interstate, freeway, or expressway
and 117 occurred on local roads or streets.
- Approximately 30 percent of fatalities in the retail trade industry sector were homicides (94).
- Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services had 484 fatalities in 2023. Trees, logs, and
limbs were the primary source of 79 of these deaths. The landscaping and groundskeeping occupation had the most fatalities
(102) in this sector, followed by tree trimmers and pruners (80).
(Chart 3 appears here in the printed release)
Occupation
- Workers in transportation and material moving occupations represented the occupational group with the most fatalities
(1,495) in 2023. However, fatalities for this group declined 7.7 percent from 2022, driven by an 11.9-percent decrease
in fatal injuries to heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. The rate for the occupational group also decreased from 14.6
per 100,000 FTE in 2022 to 13.6 in 2023.
- Fatalities among protective service occupations (276) decreased 17.6 percent in 2023, from 335 in 2022. Homicides (93)
accounted for 33.7 percent of these fatalities. The rate for this occupational group decreased from 10.2 fatalities per
100,000 FTE workers in 2022 to 8.2 in 2023.
- Work fatalities among building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers (337) decreased in 2023 from 352 in 2022. The 2023
rate was 7.1 fatalities per 100,000 FTE workers and in 2022 it was 7.4. About one-quarter (25.2 percent) of these fatalities
were from falls, slips, and trips (85) and another quarter (24.9 percent) were from contact incidents (84).
- There were no statistically significant increases in the 2023 fatal injury rate among the selected occupational groups
presented in chart 4.
(Chart 4 appears here in the printed release)
Fatal injury counts and rates by occupation, industry, and worker demographics are available at
www.bls.gov/iif/fatal-injuries-tables.htm.
TECHNICAL NOTES
Background
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Injuries, Illnesses,
and Fatalities (IIF) program, is a count of all fatalities resulting from workplace 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 2023 data, over
26,700 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/definitions/occupational-safety-and-health-definitions.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/additional-resources/reliability-of-estimates.htm.
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), another component of the IIF 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 and days of job transfer or restriction. For these data, go
to www.bls.gov/iif.
NAICS and OIICS Comparisons
The NAICS 2022 update resulted in minor revisions within five industries, as well as major revisions within the retail trade
and information sectors. More information is available at https://www.census.gov/naics.
Comparison of industry data using NAICS 2022 with prior NAICS coding structures should be made with caution. For a
concordance of 2017 NAICS to 2022 NAICS see https://www.census.gov/naics/concordances/2022_to_2017_NAICS.xlsx. Industry
sector level comparisons made in this publication are included where the 2017 NAICS is comparable to 2022 NAICS.
A list of major changes implemented in the comprehensive OIICS revision is available at
https://www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/oiics-version-3-major-changes.htm. This change resulted in a break in series for 2023
case characteristics data.
Identification and verification of work-related fatalities
In 2023, work relationship could not be independently verified by multiple source documents for 30 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/overview/cfoi-scope.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 2023, there were
208 cases where this occurred, and 186 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2023. 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/questions-and-answers.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/state-data.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.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, 2019-23
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023
| | | | |
____________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,333 | 4,764 | 5,190 | 5,486 | 5,283
| | | | |
Employee status | | | | |
Wage and salary workers(2) | 4,240 | 3,864 | 4,284 | 4,601 | 4,366
Self-employed(3) | 1,093 | 900 | 906 | 885 | 917
| | | | |
Gender | | | | |
Women | 437 | 387 | 448 | 445 | 447
Men | 4,896 | 4,377 | 4,741 | 5,041 | 4,832
| | | | |
Age | | | | |
Under 16 years | 17 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 5
16 to 17 years | 17 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 18
18 to 19 years | 50 | 66 | 85 | 77 | 76
20 to 24 years | 325 | 260 | 289 | 323 | 339
25 to 34 years | 866 | 833 | 882 | 962 | 921
35 to 44 years | 967 | 898 | 977 | 1,058 | 1,035
45 to 54 years | 1,082 | 954 | 1,087 | 1,111 | 1,042
55 to 64 years | 1,212 | 1,051 | 1,140 | 1,175 | 1,089
65 years and over | 793 | 676 | 702 | 761 | 757
| | | | |
Race or ethnic origin(4) | | | | |
White (non-Hispanic) | 3,297 | 2,898 | 3,103 | 3,167 | 2,963
Black or African-American (non-Hispanic) | 634 | 541 | 653 | 734 | 659
Hispanic or Latino | 1,088 | 1,072 | 1,130 | 1,248 | 1,250
American Indian or Alaskan Native (non-Hispanic) | 30 | 32 | 41 | 35 | 37
Asian (non-Hispanic) | 181 | 150 | 178 | 169 | 167
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) | 14 | 8 | 18 | 9 | 13
Multiple races (non-Hispanic) | 22 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 25
Other races or not reported (non-Hispanic) | 67 | 49 | 56 | 108 | 169
________________________________________________________________________________________________|__________
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-
occupational-injuries-definitions.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. 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 by industry sectors and selected events or exposures(1), 2023
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | | | Exposure to |
| | | | Explosions | | harmful |
Characteristic | Total | Violent | Transportation | and | Falls, slips, | substances, | Contact
| | acts | incidents | fires | trips | environments | incidents
__________________________________________________________|_________________|_________________|_________________|________________|_________________|_________________|_________________
| | | | | | |
Total(2) | 5,283 | 740 | 1,942 | 104 | 885 | 820 | 779
| | | | | | |
Private Industry (NAICS) (3) | | | | | | |
Natural resources and mining | 561 | - | 241 | - | 45 | 52 | 185
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 448 | 18 | 194 | 9 | 34 | 39 | 153
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 113 | - | 47 | - | 11 | 13 | 32
Construction | 1,075 | 46 | 240 | 17 | 421 | 200 | 148
Manufacturing | 391 | 40 | 80 | - | 57 | 71 | 120
Trade, transportation, and utilities | 1,454 | 232 | 820 | - | 109 | 161 | 114
Utilities | 41 | 2 | 17 | - | 3 | 13 | 6
Wholesale trade | 177 | 16 | 75 | - | 32 | 24 | 26
Retail trade | 306 | 123 | 61 | 5 | 40 | 53 | 22
Transportation and warehousing | 930 | 91 | 667 | 6 | 34 | 71 | 60
Information | 29 | 6 | 11 | - | - | 7 | -
Financial activities | 113 | 38 | - | - | 17 | - | -
Finance and insurance | 22 | 15 | - | - | 3 | - | -
Real estate and rental and leasing | 91 | 23 | 16 | - | 14 | 30 | 8
Professional and business services | 555 | - | - | 3 | - | 110 | -
Professional, scientific, and technical services | 66 | 16 | 27 | - | 8 | 11 | 4
Management of companies and enterprises | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | -
Administrative and support and waste management | 484 | 51 | 148 | 3 | 87 | 99 | 96
and remediation services | | | | | | |
Educational and health services | 178 | 29 | 67 | - | 24 | - | -
Educational services | 45 | 6 | 27 | - | 5 | - | -
Health care and social assistance | 133 | 23 | 40 | - | 19 | 45 | -
Leisure and hospitality | 265 | 100 | 50 | - | - | 64 | -
Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 89 | 16 | 33 | - | - | 13 | 14
Accommodation and food services | 176 | 84 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 51 | -
Other services (except Public administration) | 209 | 47 | 46 | 9 | 26 | 41 | 40
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 3.02 implemented for 2023 data forward.
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm) for a more
detailed description of each data element.
3 Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), 2022.
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. 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, 2019-23
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | | |
| | | | |
Characteristic | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023
| | | | |
___________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________|__________|__________
| | | | |
Total(1) | 5,333 | 4,764 | 5,190 | 5,486 | 5,283
| | | | |
Occupation (SOC)(2) | | | | |
Management occupations | 380 | 361 | 323 | 342 | 310
Business and financial operations occupations | 29 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 25
Computer and mathematical occupations | 15 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 11
Architecture and engineering occupations | 43 | 31 | 29 | 41 | 37
Life, physical, and social science occupations | 15 | 17 | 10 | 20 | 28
Community and social services occupations | 31 | 26 | 40 | 19 | 25
Legal occupations | 11 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 7
Educational instruction and library occupations | 24 | 13 | 16 | 28 | 38
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and | | | | |
media occupations | 40 | 36 | 45 | 49 | 47
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations| 56 | 51 | 57 | 65 | 59
Healthcare support occupations | 38 | 44 | 32 | 38 | 41
Protective service occupations | 231 | 229 | 302 | 335 | 276
Fire fighting and prevention workers | 24 | - | - | - | -
Law enforcement workers | 97 | 115 | - | - | 97
Food preparation and serving related occupations | 99 | 82 | 101 | 123 | 106
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance | | | | |
occupations | 333 | 307 | 356 | 352 | 337
Building cleaning and pest control workers | 63 | 61 | 80 | 74 | 67
Grounds maintenance workers | 229 | 202 | 225 | 222 | 226
Personal care and service occupations | 61 | 58 | 64 | 61 | 61
Sales and related occupations | 240 | 200 | 200 | 212 | 219
Supervisors, sales workers | 99 | 73 | 70 | 67 | 58
Retail sales workers | 96 | 95 | 83 | 112 | 130
Office and administrative support occupations | 92 | 69 | 91 | 82 | 86
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 291 | 264 | 218 | 223 | 235
Agricultural workers | 183 | 148 | 133 | 146 | 147
Fishing and hunting workers | 44 | 42 | 23 | 16 | 19
Forest, conservation, and logging workers | 49 | 42 | 46 | 55 | 55
Construction and extraction occupations | 1,066 | 976 | 951 | 1,056 | 1,055
Supervisors of construction and | | | | |
extraction workers | 136 | 88 | 117 | 113 | 113
Construction trades workers | 809 | 771 | 726 | 811 | 809
Extraction workers | 50 | 59 | 54 | 70 | 63
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 438 | 393 | 475 | 431 | 443
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, | | | | |
installers, and repairers | 155 | 135 | 152 | 140 | 163
Production occupations | 245 | 224 | 242 | 268 | 280
Transportation and material moving occupations | 1,481 | 1,282 | 1,523 | 1,620 | 1,495
Air transportation workers | 85 | 50 | 68 | 74 | 63
Motor vehicle operators | 1,091 | 933 | 1,103 | 1,198 | 1,090
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 834 | 766 | 874 | 934 | 823
Material moving workers | 238 | 218 | 284 | 281 | 268
Military occupations(3) | 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/definitions/census-of-fatal-
occupational-injuries-definitions.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 the CFOI
definitions page. 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.
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 work injury rates(1) per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers by selected occupations, 2021-23
___________________________________________________________________________________
| | |
| | |
Characteristic | 2021 | 2022 | 2023
| | |
__________________________________________________|__________|__________|__________
| | |
All workers(2) | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.5
| | |
Occupation (SOC)(3) | | |
Farming, fishing, and forestry | 20.0 | 23.5 | 24.4
Transportation and material moving | 14.4 | 14.6 | 13.6
Construction and extraction | 12.3 | 13.0 | 12.9
Installation, maintenance, and repair | 9.7 | 8.8 | 9.0
Protective service | 9.4 | 10.2 | 8.2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.1
___________________________________________________________________________________
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/fatal-injuries-tables.htm#rates. Complete state rates can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/
state-data.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.
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-
occupational-injuries-definitions.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 www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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. 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
