U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

2.6 million workplace injuries and illnesses in private industry in 2023, down 8.4 percent from 2022

November 19, 2024

Private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, down 8.4 percent from 2022. This decrease was driven by a 56.6-percent drop in illnesses to 200,100 cases in 2023, the lowest number since 2019. The 2023 incidence rate of total recordable cases in private industry was 2.4 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers, down from 2.7 in 2022 and the lowest rate for this data series going back to 2003.
Injury and illness case counts, private industry, 2014–23
Year Injuries Illnesses Total recordable cases

2014

 2,809,800 143,700 2,953,500

2015

 2,765,300 140,500 2,905,900

2016

 2,719,800 137,500 2,857,400

2017

 2,685,100 126,400 2,811,500

2018

 2,707,800 126,800 2,834,500

2019

 2,686,800 127,200 2,814,000

2020

 2,110,100 544,600 2,654,700

2021

 2,242,700 365,200 2,607,900

2022

 2,343,600 460,700 2,804,200

2023

 2,368,900 200,100 2,569,000

The decrease in illnesses was due to a 72.6-percent decrease in respiratory illness cases, down to 100,200 cases in 2023.
Respiratory illnesses and all illnesses case counts, private industry, 2019–23
Year All illnesses Respiratory illnesses

2019

 127,200 10,800

2020

 544,600 428,700

2021

 365,200 269,600

2022

 460,700 365,000

2023

 200,100 100,200

These data are from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. To learn more about injuries and illnesses in the workplace, see “Employer-reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses —2023.” We also have more charts on nonfatal work injuries and illnesses. For more information about how COVID-19 data are reflected in the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, see our COVID-19 factsheet.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 2.6 million workplace injuries and illnesses in private industry in 2023, down 8.4 percent from 2022 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/2-6-million-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-in-private-industry-in-2023-down-8-4-percent-from-2022.htm (visited January 23, 2025).

OF INTEREST
spotlight
Recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics


triangle