Fatal Work Injuries in Illinois — 2023

Fatal work injuries totaled 145 in 2023 for Illinois, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Illinois was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 262 in 1996 to a low of 135 in 2020. Nationwide, a total of 5,283 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2023, a 3.7-percent decrease from 5,486 in 2022, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Stacked bar chart of number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, Illinois, 2014 to 2023. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, Illinois, 2014–23
Year	Total	Wage and salary	Self-employed
2014	164	121	43
2015	172	132	40
2016	171	129	42
2017	163	124	39
2018	184	140	44
2019	158	129	29
2020	135	109	26
2021	176	140	36
2022	177	132	45
2023	145	121	24
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal event or exposure

Transportation incidents (55) were the most frequent type of fatal event in Illinois, accounting for 38 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 37 percent. (See chart 2 and table 1.)
Falls, slips, trips (25) and violent acts (24) each accounted for 17 percent of Illinois workplace fatalities; nationally the shares were 17 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Bar chart of percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Illinois, 2023. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

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Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and Illinois, 2023
Event	United States	Illinois
Transportation incidents	37	38
Falls, slips, trips	17	17
Violent acts	14	17
Contact incidents	15	16
All other	18	12
Note: Percents may not add to total due to rounding. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private industry

The transportation and warehousing sector had the highest number of fatalities with 40. (See table 2.)
Transportation incidents resulted in 28 of the 40 transportation and warehousing sector fatalities.
The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 17 of the sector’s fatal workplace injuries.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 55. (See table 3.)
Transportation incidents resulted in 38 of the transportation and material moving fatalities.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 30 of the major group’s fatal workplace injuries.

Worker characteristics

Wage and salary workers accounted for 83 percent of workplace fatalities both in Illinois and nationally; the self-employed comprised the remaining 17 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) The most frequent fatal event for both wage and salary workers and self-employed workers was transportation incidents.
Males accounted for 89 percent of the work-related fatalities in Illinois and 91 percent nationally.
Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 55 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally. Workers 55-64 years old accounted for 26 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2023, compared to 21 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
White non-Hispanics accounted for 66 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 56 percent of work-related deaths.

Revision of Classification Systems

The 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the updated Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) were implemented with the release of 2023 data. As a result of these changes, comparisons between 2023 CFOI data and previous years should be made with caution. Refer to the national release technical note for more information.

Technical Note

Background of the program. 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 fatalities resulting from workplace injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the national CFOI release Technical notes, the BLS Handbook of Methods, and the CFOI definitions.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Illinois Department of Public Health for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries nationally. See the national CFOI release Technical Notes for details on cooperating entities.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Illinois, 2023
Event or Exposure (1)	Number	Percent (%)
All events and exposures	145	100
Violent acts	24	17
Homicides (violent acts by other person)	18	12
Shooting by other person	16	11
Stabbing, cutting, slashing by other person	1	1
Suicides (intentional self-harm)	6	4
Transportation incidents	55	38
Rail vehicle incidents	2	1
Rail vehicle collisions	2	1
Pedestrian incidents involving motorized land vehicles	8	6
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in road work zone	1	1
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in road work zone	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	4	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	4	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle or object propelled by another vehicle in nonroadway area	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	1	1
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	37	26
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)	24	17
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-intersecting, turning	9	6
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in same direction	3	2
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in opposite directions, oncoming	4	3
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving and standing vehicle	6	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	6	4
Roadway noncollision incident	7	5
Roadway noncollision- vehicle overturn	4	3
Nonroadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles	5	3
Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle	1	1
Nonroadway noncollision incident	4	3
Explosions and fires	5	3
Explosions	2	1
Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire	1	1
Fires (without explosions)	3	2
Falls, slips, trips	25	17
Exposure to harmful substances, environments	13	9
Exposure to harmful substances	8	6
Contact incidents	23	16
Collapse, engulfment	3	2
Collapse, engulfment- closed mine or tunnel	1	1
Collapse, engulfment- loose materials or liquids	1	1
Collapse, engulfment- building or structure	1	1
Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object	11	8
Struck by falling object	7	5
Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment	6	4
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 3.02 implemented for 2023 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. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Illinois, 2023
Industry	Number	Percentage (%)
Total	145	100
Private industry (1)	128	88
Natural resources and mining	14	10
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	11	8
Crop production	7	5
Oilseed and grain farming	4	3
Soybean farming	2	1
Corn farming	2	1
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	3	2
Construction	30	21
Construction	30	21
Construction of buildings	5	3
Residential building construction	3	2
Residential building construction	3	2
Nonresidential building construction	2	1
Commercial and institutional building construction	2	1
Heavy and civil engineering construction	6	4
Utility system construction	4	3
Highway, street, and bridge construction	2	1
Highway, street, and bridge construction	2	1
Specialty trade contractors	18	12
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	9	6
Roofing contractors	4	3
Residential roofing contractors	1	1
Building equipment contractors	4	3
Building finishing contractors	3	2
Other specialty trade contractors	2	1
Site preparation contractors	1	1
All other specialty trade contractors	1	1
Manufacturing	9	6
Manufacturing	9	6
Food manufacturing	1	1
Grain and oilseed milling	1	1
Chemical manufacturing	1	1
Pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical manufacturing	1	1
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	2	1
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	1	1
Concrete pipe, brick, and block manufacturing	1	1
Concrete block and brick manufacturing	1	1
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	1	1
All other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	1	1
Cut stone and stone product manufacturing	1	1
Primary metal manufacturing	1	1
Steel product manufacturing from purchased steel	1	1
Iron and steel pipe and tube manufacturing from purchased steel	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	53	37
Wholesale trade	4	3
Retail trade	9	6
Food and beverage retailers	4	3
Grocery and convenience retailers	3	2
Supermarkets and other grocery retailers (except convenience retailers)	2	1
Convenience retailers and vending machine operators	1	1
Convenience retailers	1	1
Specialty food retailers	1	1
Other specialty food retailers	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	40	28
Truck transportation	25	17
General freight trucking	17	12
General freight trucking, long-distance	12	8
Specialized freight trucking	7	5
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	4	3
Transit and ground passenger transportation	5	3
Taxi and limousine service	3	2
Taxi and ridesharing services	3	2
Support activities for transportation	3	2
Support activities for water transportation	1	1
Marine cargo handling	1	1
Support activities for road transportation	2	1
Motor vehicle towing	2	1
Couriers and messengers	4	3
Information	--	--
Financial activities	1	1
Real estate and rental and leasing	1	1
Real estate	1	1
Activities related to real estate	1	1
Real estate property managers	1	1
Nonresidential property managers	1	1
Professional and business services	8	6
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	8	6
Educational and health services	5	3
Health care and social assistance	5	3
Ambulatory health care services	3	2
Other ambulatory health care services	1	1
All other ambulatory health care services	1	1
Blood and organ banks	1	1
Hospitals	1	1
General medical and surgical hospitals	1	1
General medical and surgical hospitals	1	1
Social assistance	1	1
Individual and family services	1	1
Other individual and family services	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	--	--
Accommodation and food services	3	2
Food services and drinking places	3	2
Restaurants and other eating places	3	2
Restaurants and other eating places	3	2
Full-service restaurants	2	1
Other services (except public administration)	--	--
Government (2)	17	12
Federal government	2	1
State government	2	1
Local government	13	9
Footnotes: (1) 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 this year, see our concepts page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#industry. (2) 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. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Illinois, 2023
Occupation (1)	Number	Percentage (%)
All occupations	145	100
Management occupations	6	4
Operations specialties managers	1	1
Administrative services and facilities managers	1	1
Other management occupations	5	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	4	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	4	3
Miscellaneous managers	1	1
Business and financial operations occupations	1	1
Business operations specialists	1	1
Training and development specialists	1	1
Training and development specialists	1	1
Community and social service occupations	1	1
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists	1	1
Miscellaneous community and social service specialists	1	1
Social and human service assistants	1	1
Healthcare support occupations	3	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	8	6
Building cleaning and pest control workers	3	2
Grounds maintenance workers	5	3
Grounds maintenance workers	5	3
Sales and related occupations	5	3
Retail sales workers	3	2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	6	4
Supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers	1	1
Agricultural workers	5	3
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	5	3
Construction and extraction occupations	31	21
Construction trades workers	25	17
Carpenters	5	3
Carpenters	5	3
Construction laborers	5	3
Construction laborers	5	3
Construction equipment operators	5	3
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	5	3
Painters and paperhangers	3	2
Painters, construction and maintenance	3	2
Roofers	3	2
Roofers	3	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	8	6
Production occupations	7	5
Other production occupations	3	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	55	38
Air transportation workers	1	1
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	1	1
Commercial pilots	1	1
Motor vehicle operators	45	31
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	38	26
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	30	21
Passenger vehicle drivers	7	5
Taxi drivers	3	2
Rail transportation workers	2	1
Water transportation workers	2	1
Sailors and marine oilers	2	1
Sailors and marine oilers	2	1
Material moving workers	5	3
Laborers and material movers	5	3
Stockers and order fillers	3	2
Footnotes: (1) Occupational data are based on the 2018 Standard Occupation Classification (SOC). 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.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Illinois, 2023
Demographic	Number	Percentage (%)
Total	145	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	121	83
Self-employed (2)	24	17
Sex
Male	129	89
Female	16	11
Age (3)
Under 16 years	--	--
16 to 17 years	--	--
18 to 19 years	--	--
20 to 24 years	--	--
25 to 34 years	28	19
35 to 44 years	25	17
45 to 54 years	27	19
55 to 64 years	38	26
65 years and over	17	12
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	95	66
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	27	19
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	--	--
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	--
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	--	--
Footnotes: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Information may not be available for all age groups. (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.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025

Midwest Information Office

Fatal Work Injuries in Illinois — 2023