Fatal Work Injuries in North Carolina — 2024

Fatal work injuries totaled 196 in 2024 for North Carolina, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in North Carolina was up 10.7 percent from 177 in 2023. (See chart 1.) The fatal work injury rate was 4.1 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, an increase from a rate of 3.7 in 2023. Nationwide, a total of 5,070 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2024, a 4.0-percent decrease from 5,283 in 2023. These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Chart 1. Stacked column chart displaying number of fatal occupational injuries by employee status, North Carolina, 2015–24. 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, North Carolina, 2015–24
Year	Total	Wage and salary	Self-employed
2015	150	112	38
2016	174	151	23
2017	183	145	38
2018	178	153	25
2019	186	156	30
2020	189	168	21
2021	179	151	28
2022	217	194	23
2023	177	159	18
2024	196	174	22
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal event or exposure

Transportation incidents (77) were the most frequent type of fatal event in North Carolina, accounting for 39 percent of all fatal work injuries in the state. Nationally the share was 38 percent. Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 62 over the year. (See chart 2 and table 1.)
Violent acts (35) accounted for 18 percent of North Carolina worker fatalities; nationally the share was 14 percent.

Chart 2. Stacked bar chart of percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and North Carolina, 2024. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Percent distribution of total fatal occupational injuries by event, United States and North Carolina, 2024
Event	United States	North Carolina
Transportation incidents	38	39
Violent acts	14	18
Falls, slips, trips	17	16
Contact incidents	15	16
All other	16	11
Note: Percents may not add to total due to rounding. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Private industry

The construction sector had the highest number of fatalities with 36, down from 43 the previous year. (See table 2.)
Fatal falls, slips, and trips resulted in 14 of the 36 construction sector fatalities.
The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 22 of the sector’s fatal workplace injuries.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving workers experienced the largest increase (+20) in fatal work injuries over the year among the major occupational groups. (See table 3.)
The transportation and material moving occupational group also had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 65. Transportation incidents resulted in 43 fatalities among these workers. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 37 of the major group’s 65 fatal workplace injuries.

Worker characteristics

Wage and salary workers accounted for 89 percent of fatal workplace injuries in North Carolina; the self-employed comprised the remaining 11 percent. (See chart 1 and table 4.) Nationally, wage and salary workers comprised 82 percent of fatalities.
Males accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in North Carolina and 92 percent nationally.
Fatal injuries among White, non-Hispanic workers increased from 93 to 121 over the year.
Workers 35-44 years old had a decrease in worker fatalities from 43 in 2023 to 33 in 2024.

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 North Carolina Department of Labor 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.

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Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, North Carolina, 2023–24
Event or Exposure (1)	2023	2024
Event or Exposure (1)	Number	Number	Percent (%)
All events and exposures	177	196	100
Violent acts	17	35	18
Homicides (violent acts by other person)	12	28	14
Shooting by other person	10	27	14
Hitting, kicking, beating by other person	--	1	1
Hitting, kicking, beating by other person while providing medical or custodial care	--	1	1
Suicides (intentional self-harm)	5	7	4
Transportation incidents	62	77	39
Aircraft incidents	--	6	3
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing	--	2	1
Aircraft crash during takeoff or landing due to mechanical failure	--	2	1
In-flight crash, collision	--	3	2
Pedestrian incidents involving motorized land vehicles	17	14	7
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in road work zone	4	4	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in road work zone	3	4	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	7	3	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	--	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	6	7	4
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area	--	4	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	40	48	24
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)	18	20	10
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-intersecting, turning	--	4	2
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in same direction	4	5	3
Roadway collision with other vehicle(s)-moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	8	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	15	25	13
Collision with object or animal on side of roadway	15	25	13
Roadway noncollision incident	7	3	2
Nonroadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles	5	5	3
Nonroadway noncollision incident	5	5	3
Explosions and fires	9	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	38	32	16
Fall to lower level	33	26	13
Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment	--	5	3
Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment- 6 to 30 feet	--	3	2
Other fall to lower level	23	20	10
Other fall to lower level- 6 to 30 feet	18	12	6
Other fall to lower level- more than 30 feet	3	6	3
Slip, trip, stumble or fall on same level	--	6	3
Fall on same level	--	6	3
Exposure to harmful substances, environments	28	20	10
Exposure to electricity	3	5	3
Exposure to temperature extremes	--	1	1
Exposure to environmental heat	--	1	1
Exposure to environmental heat- outdoor	--	1	1
Exposure to harmful substances	23	14	7
Contact incidents	22	31	16
Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object	7	13	7
Gun discharge- accidental or intent unknown	--	1	1
Struck by falling object	6	12	6
Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment	12	11	6
Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery	--	7	4
Overexertion, repetitive motion, and bodily condition	--	--	--
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) version 3 implemented for 2023 data forward.
Note: 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. 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, North Carolina, 2023–24
Industry	2023	2024
Industry	Number	Number	Percent (%)
Total	177	196	100
Private industry (1)	166	177	90
Natural resources and mining	7	8	4
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	7	8	4
Forestry and logging	--	3	2
Logging	--	3	2
Logging	--	3	2
Fishing, hunting and trapping	--	1	1
Fishing	--	1	1
Fishing	--	1	1
Shellfish fishing	--	1	1
Support activities for agriculture and forestry	--	1	1
Support activities for crop production	--	1	1
Support activities for crop production	--	1	1
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders	--	1	1
Construction	43	36	18
Construction	43	36	18
Construction of buildings	7	5	3
Heavy and civil engineering construction	4	8	4
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	4	2
Highway, street, and bridge construction	--	4	2
Specialty trade contractors	32	22	11
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	13	7	4
Roofing contractors	5	3	2
Building equipment contractors	4	3	2
Building finishing contractors	8	1	1
Drywall and insulation contractors	--	1	1
Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors	--	1	1
Other specialty trade contractors	7	11	6
Site preparation contractors	4	11	6
Manufacturing	19	16	8
Manufacturing	19	16	8
Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing	--	1	1
Beverage manufacturing	--	1	1
Breweries	--	1	1
Wood product manufacturing	4	4	2
Chemical manufacturing	--	1	1
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing	--	1	1
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing	--	1	1
Medicinal and botanical manufacturing	--	1	1
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	3	1	1
Cement and concrete product manufacturing	3	1	1
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing	3	1	1
Machinery manufacturing	--	3	2
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing	--	1	1
Material handling equipment manufacturing	--	1	1
Overhead traveling crane, hoist, and monorail system manufacturing	--	1	1
Furniture and related product manufacturing	--	1	1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	46	56	29
Utilities	4	3	2
Utilities	4	3	2
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution	3	3	2
Electric power transmission, control, and distribution	--	3	2
Wholesale trade	7	7	4
Retail trade	12	11	6
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	1	3	2
General merchandise retailers	--	3	2
Gasoline stations and fuel dealers	4	2	1
Gasoline stations	4	2	1
Transportation and warehousing	23	35	18
Air transportation	--	2	1
Scheduled air transportation	--	1	1
Scheduled air transportation	--	1	1
Nonscheduled air transportation	--	1	1
Nonscheduled air transportation	--	1	1
Rail transportation	1	1	1
Rail transportation	1	1	1
Rail transportation	1	1	1
Line-haul railroads	1	1	1
Truck transportation	17	22	11
General freight trucking	10	11	6
General freight trucking, local	--	6	3
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	5	3
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	--	5	3
Specialized freight trucking	7	11	6
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, local	3	9	5
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	--	2	1
Transit and ground passenger transportation	--	3	2
Support activities for transportation	3	4	2
Support activities for road transportation	--	2	1
Motor vehicle towing	--	2	1
Information	--	--	--
Financial activities	4	4	2
Real estate and rental and leasing	4	4	2
Real estate	3	3	2
Lessors of real estate	--	1	1
Lessors of nonresidential buildings (except miniwarehouses)	--	1	1
Offices of real estate agents and brokers	--	2	1
Offices of real estate agents and brokers	--	2	1
Rental and leasing services	1	1	1
Automotive equipment rental and leasing	--	1	1
Truck, utility trailer, and rv (recreational vehicle) rental and leasing	--	1	1
Professional and business services	28	--	--
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	22	27	14
Administrative and support services	18	21	11
Investigation and security services	1	5	3
Investigation, guard, and armored car services	--	4	2
Security guards and patrol services	--	3	2
Armored car services	--	1	1
Security systems services	1	1	1
Services to buildings and dwellings	14	9	5
Janitorial services	--	1	1
Landscaping services	10	6	3
Other services to buildings and dwellings	--	2	1
Other support services	--	3	2
Waste management and remediation services	4	6	3
Waste collection	--	3	2
Waste collection	--	3	2
Solid waste collection	--	3	2
Educational and health services	4	11	6
Educational services	--	6	3
Educational services	--	6	3
Elementary and secondary schools	--	1	1
Elementary and secondary schools	--	1	1
Technical and trade schools	--	2	1
Technical and trade schools	--	2	1
Flight training	--	2	1
Other schools and instruction	--	3	2
Sports and recreation instruction	--	2	1
All other schools and instruction	--	1	1
Health care and social assistance	4	5	3
Nursing and residential care facilities	--	1	1
Other residential care facilities	--	1	1
Other residential care facilities	--	1	1
Social assistance	--	4	2
Leisure and hospitality	--	--	--
Accommodation and food services	9	6	3
Other services (except public administration)	3	9	5
Other services (except public administration)	3	9	5
Repair and maintenance	--	6	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	--	5	3
Personal and household goods repair and maintenance	--	1	1
Home and garden equipment and appliance repair and maintenance	--	1	1
Personal and laundry services	--	3	2
Government (2)	11	19	10
Federal government	3	5	3
State government	2	4	2
Local government	6	10	5
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 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: 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. 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, North Carolina, 2023–24
Occupation (1)	2023	2024
Occupation (1)	Number	Number	Percent (%)
All occupations	177	196	100
Management occupations	6	3	2
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--	--
Community and social service occupations	--	1	1
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists	--	1	1
Counselors	--	1	1
Legal occupations	--	--	--
Educational instruction and library occupations	--	7	4
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	1	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	--	--
Healthcare support occupations	--	--	--
Protective service occupations	8	18	9
Other protective service workers	5	10	5
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers	3	6	3
Security guards	3	6	3
Miscellaneous protective service workers	2	4	2
Crossing guards and flaggers	2	4	2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	4	4	2
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	--	1	1
Supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	--	1	1
Cooks and food preparation workers	--	2	1
Food and beverage serving workers	1	1	1
Waiters and waitresses	--	1	1
Waiters and waitresses	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	17	11	6
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	3	2
Building cleaning workers	--	3	2
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	2	1
Maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	11	8	4
Grounds maintenance workers	11	8	4
Personal care and service occupations	3	--	--
Sales and related occupations	10	10	5
Supervisors of sales workers	--	4	2
First-line supervisors of sales workers	--	4	2
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	--	4	2
Retail sales workers	7	3	2
Sales representatives, services	--	1	1
Other sales and related workers	--	2	1
Real estate brokers and sales agents	--	2	1
Real estate sales agents	--	2	1
Office and administrative support occupations	--	5	3
Financial clerks	--	2	1
Bill and account collectors	--	1	1
Bill and account collectors	--	1	1
Gambling cage workers	--	1	1
Gambling cage workers	--	1	1
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	5	7	4
Fishing and hunting workers	--	1	1
Fishing and hunting workers	--	1	1
Fishing and hunting workers	--	1	1
Forest, conservation, and logging workers	--	3	2
Logging workers	--	3	2
Fallers	--	2	1
Log graders and scalers	--	1	1
Construction and extraction occupations	36	31	16
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	4	3	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	3	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	3	2
Construction trades workers	29	21	11
Carpenters	8	3	2
Carpenters	8	3	2
Construction laborers	5	7	4
Construction laborers	5	7	4
Construction equipment operators	--	5	3
Electricians	1	1	1
Electricians	1	1	1
Insulation workers	--	1	1
Extraction workers	1	3	2
Surface mining machine operators and earth drillers	1	3	2
Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining	1	3	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	23	16	8
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	6	7	4
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians	--	1	1
Aircraft mechanics and service technicians	--	1	1
Small engine mechanics	--	1	1
Outdoor power equipment and other small engine mechanics	--	1	1
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	6	3
Line installers and repairers	--	3	2
Electrical power-line installers and repairers	--	2	1
Telecommunications line installers and repairers	--	1	1
Production occupations	8	10	5
Assemblers and fabricators	--	1	1
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	--	1	1
Team assemblers	--	1	1
Metal workers and plastic workers	--	2	1
Machinists	--	1	1
Machinists	--	1	1
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	--	1	1
Transportation and material moving occupations	45	65	33
Air transportation workers	--	3	2
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	--	3	2
Commercial pilots	--	3	2
Motor vehicle operators	31	50	26
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	30	46	23
Driver/sales workers	--	2	1
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	25	37	19
Light truck drivers	--	7	4
Passenger vehicle drivers	--	4	2
Material moving workers	--	12	6
Laborers and material movers	--	7	4
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	--	5	3
Footnotes: (1) 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 (www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm). Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
Note: 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. 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, North Carolina, 2023–24
Demographic	2023	2024
Demographic	Number	Number	Percent (%)
Total	177	196	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	159	174	89
Self-employed (2)	18	22	11
Sex
Male	164	183	93
Female	13	13	7
Age (3)
Under 16 years	--	--	--
16 to 17 years	--	1	1
18 to 19 years	7	5	3
20 to 24 years	8	12	6
25 to 34 years	25	34	17
35 to 44 years	43	33	17
45 to 54 years	33	41	21
55 to 64 years	36	43	22
65 years and over	25	27	14
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	93	121	62
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	36	40	20
Hispanic or Latino	41	30	15
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic	3	--	--
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Person of multiple races, non-Hispanic	--	--	--
Other or not reported, 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: 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. 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: Tuesday, March 10, 2026

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Fatal Work Injuries in North Carolina — 2024