What Are the Most Dangerous Jobs in the United States?

What We're Showing

The six occupations in the U.S. with the highest rates of fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, and their number of fatal work injuries in 2022.

Figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and are updated as of December 2023.

Key Takeawys

• Some of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. involve significant physical labor and working in hazardous environments, like loggers, roofers, and fishing and hunting workers.
• Many of these jobs also are usually done in isolated areas, like logging and fishing, where access to emergency medical attention is limited.
• While logging workers saw the highest fatal work injury rate, over 1,000 truck drivers died due to work injuries in 2022. Transportation incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal event accounting for 38% of all occupational fatalities.