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Respiratory illness cases fell 72.6 percent in 2023
December 05, 2025
In 2023 there were 100,200 total recordable cases of non-fatal respiratory illnesses across all industries in the private sector—a 72.6 percent decrease from 2022. Of those respiratory illness cases, 68.4 percent (68,500 cases) were recorded in the health care and social assistance industry. Among all industry sectors in 2023, health care and social assistance had the highest incidence rate for respiratory illnesses at 44.1 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, over four times the national rate of 9.5 cases per 10,000 FTE workers.
Incidence rates (per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers) of respiratory illnesses by industry, private industry, 2019–2023
Year
All Industry
Health care and social assistance
Retail trade
Transportation and warehousing
Manufacturing
Accommodation and food services
2019
1.1
2.3
0.8
1.7
1.0
0.5
2020
44.0
209.8
19.6
10.7
29.1
13.6
2021
27.8
99.2
37.5
17.8
21.3
13.6
2022
35.8
134.8
67.3
21.9
17.9
15.0
2023
9.5
44.1
9.1
2.9
2.7
3.3
When reviewing state-level data for the private health care and social assistance industry, 35 states had reductions in their incidence rates of respiratory illnesses, and none had an increase. West Virginia experienced a large incidence rate decline, falling over 200 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2023.
United States Department of Labor
