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.

News Release Information

25-117-CHI
Thursday, March 27, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Fatal Work Injuries in Minnesota — 2023

Fatal work injuries totaled 70 in 2023 for Minnesota, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Minnesota was down from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 113 in 1993 to a low of 60 in 2011. 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).


Fatal event or exposure
  • Transportation incidents (25) were the most frequent type of fatal event in Minnesota, accounting for 36 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 37 percent. (See chart 2 and table 1.)

  • Contact incidents (13) accounted for 19 percent of Minnesota workplace fatalities; nationally the share was 15 percent.

 


Private industry
  • The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector had the highest number of fatalities with 16. (See table 2.)

  • Transportation incidents resulted in 7 of the sector’s 16 fatalities.

  • The crop production subsector accounted for 10 of the sector’s fatal workplace injuries.

Occupation
  • The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 19. (See table 3.)

  • Transportation incidents resulted in 16 of the transportation and material moving fatalities.

  • Motor vehicle operators accounted for 15 of the major group’s fatal workplace injuries.

Worker characteristics
  • Wage and salary workers accounted for 74 percent of workplace fatalities in Minnesota; the self-employed comprised the remaining 26 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally, wage and salary workers comprised 83 percent of fatalities.

  • Males accounted for 96 percent of the work-related fatalities in Minnesota, compared to the 91-percent national share.

  • Workers 55 years and older accounted for 51 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2023, compared to 35 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

  • White non-Hispanics accounted for 87 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 Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry 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, Minnesota, 2023
Event or Exposure (1) Number Percent (%)

All events and exposures

70 100

Violent acts

12 17

Homicides (violent acts by other person)

7 10

Shooting by other person

5 7

Hitting, kicking, beating by other person

1 1

Multiple violent acts by other person

1 1

Suicides (intentional self-harm)

5 7

Transportation incidents

25 36

Non-motorized transport incidents

1 1

Animal transportation incidents

1 1

Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle

16 23

Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)

8 11

Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-intersecting, turning

6 9

Nonroadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles

4 6

Explosions and fires

-- --

Falls, slips, trips

12 17

Exposure to harmful substances, environments

-- --

Contact incidents

13 19

Contact with animals

1 1

Collapse, engulfment

1 1

Collapse, engulfment- loose materials or liquids

1 1

Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object

4 6

Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment

6 9

Struck by running powered equipment- during maintenance, cleaning, testing

1 1

Caught or entangled in running powered equipment

1 1

Compressed between running equipment and other object(s)

1 1

Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery

3 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, Minnesota, 2023
Industry Number Percentage (%)

Total

70 100

Private industry (1)

67 96

Natural resources and mining

16 23

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

16 23

Crop production

10 14

Support activities for agriculture and forestry

3 4

Construction

13 19

Construction

13 19

Specialty trade contractors

9 13

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors

4 6

Roofing contractors

4 6

Nonresidential roofing contractors

1 1

Building finishing contractors

3 4

Manufacturing

7 10

Manufacturing

7 10

Food manufacturing

2 3

Animal food manufacturing

1 1

Animal food manufacturing

1 1

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing

1 1

Paper manufacturing

1 1

Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills

1 1

Paper mills

1 1

Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing

1 1

Cement and concrete product manufacturing

1 1

Ready-mix concrete manufacturing

1 1

Furniture and related product manufacturing

1 1

Trade, transportation, and utilities

18 26

Wholesale trade

2 3

Merchant wholesalers, durable goods

2 3

Household appliances and electrical and electronic goods merchant wholesalers

1 1

Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers

1 1

Farm and garden machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers

1 1

Retail trade

6 9

Food and beverage retailers

1 1

Grocery and convenience retailers

1 1

Supermarkets and other grocery retailers (except convenience retailers)

1 1

Transportation and warehousing

10 14

Information

-- --

Financial activities

2 3

Real estate and rental and leasing

2 3

Rental and leasing services

2 3

Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing

2 3

Construction, transportation, mining, and forestry machinery and equipment rental and leasing

1 1

Other commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing

1 1

Professional and business services

3 4

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services

3 4

Educational and health services

-- --

Leisure and hospitality

-- --

Accommodation and food services

3 4

Food services and drinking places

3 4

Restaurants and other eating places

1 1

Restaurants and other eating places

1 1

Full-service restaurants

1 1

Other services (except public administration)

-- --

Government (2)

3 4

Federal government

-- --

State government

1 1

Local government

-- --

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, Minnesota, 2023
Occupation (1) Number Percentage (%)

All occupations

70 100

Management occupations

7 10

Other management occupations

6 9

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

6 9

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

6 9

Business and financial operations occupations

-- --

Computer and mathematical occupations

1 1

Computer occupations

1 1

Computer support specialists

1 1

Architecture and engineering occupations

-- --

Life, physical, and social science occupations

-- --

Community and social service occupations

-- --

Legal occupations

-- --

Educational instruction and library occupations

-- --

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

1 1

Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers

1 1

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

-- --

Healthcare support occupations

-- --

Protective service occupations

-- --

Food preparation and serving related occupations

3 4

Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

1 1

Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers

1 1

Chefs and head cooks

1 1

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

3 4

Personal care and service occupations

-- --

Sales and related occupations

5 7

Retail sales workers

3 4

Retail salespersons

3 4

Retail salespersons

3 4

Office and administrative support occupations

-- --

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

7 10

Construction and extraction occupations

12 17

Construction trades workers

7 10

Carpenters

1 1

Carpenters

1 1

Roofers

3 4

Roofers

3 4

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

-- --

Production occupations

6 9

Transportation and material moving occupations

19 27

Motor vehicle operators

15 21

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, Minnesota, 2023
Demographic Number Percentage (%)

Total

70 100

Employee status

Wage and salary workers (1)

52 74

Self-employed (2)

18 26

Sex

Male

67 96

Female

3 4

Age (3)

Under 16 years

-- --

16 to 17 years

-- --

18 to 19 years

-- --

20 to 24 years

-- --

25 to 34 years

12 17

35 to 44 years

11 16

45 to 54 years

-- --

55 to 64 years

23 33

65 years and over

13 19

Race or ethnic origin (4)

White, non-Hispanic

61 87

Black or African-American, non-Hispanic

-- --

Hispanic or Latino

3 4

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