America’s Deadliest Professions: A Look at the Most Dangerous Jobs in the US

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fallers in the logging industry faced an astonishingly high fatal work injury rate of 530 per 100,000 workers in the past year. This rate, derived from 33 worker deaths among approximately 5,600, starkly contrasts with the national average fatality rate of 3.3 deaths per 100,000 workers across all tracked occupations by the U.S. Department of Labor.

However, the peril extends beyond fallers, encompassing a spectrum of hazardous occupations in logging, forestry, and tree-trimming, where tens of thousands of workers undertake some of the riskiest work in the nation. In our analysis of the 2021 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries from the BLS, we unveil the deadliest jobs in the U.S., ranking occupations based on the highest annual fatal injuries per 100,000 workers.

Notably, high-risk professions include commercial divers, industrial fishers, and various blue-collar roles in the country’s oil and gas fields. The list also sheds light on lower-paying occupations like taxi drivers, tree pruners, roofers, as well as jobs in mechanical trades such as farm equipment mechanics, power-line installers, and elevator repairers.

1. Fallers
   Fatal work injury rate: 589.3 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 33
   Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with machinery or objects (e.g., logs)
   Non-fatal injuries: 40 (714.3 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 5,600
2. Commercial Divers
   Fatal work injury rate: 233.3 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 7
   Common cause of fatal injury: Equipment failure
   Non-fatal injuries: Not available
   Total employed: 3,000
3. Commercial Pilots
   Fatal work injury rate: 123.7 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 59
   Common cause of fatal injury: Crashes
   Non-fatal injuries: 190 (398.3 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 47,700
4. Tree Trimmers and Pruners
   Fatal work injury rate: 122.4 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 78
   Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips
   Non-fatal injuries: 840 (1,318.7 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 63,700
5. Extraction Worker Helpers
   Fatal work injury rate: 80.6 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 5
   Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
   Non-fatal injuries: 20 (322.6 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 6,200
6. Roofers
   Fatal work injury rate: 72.4 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 115
   Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips
   Non-fatal injuries: 1,960 (1,234.3 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 158,800
7. Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas
   Fatal work injury rate: 42.9 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 7
   Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment
   Non-fatal injuries: 240 (1,472.4 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 16,300
8. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
   Fatal work injury rate: 41.7 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 874
   Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
   Non-fatal injuries: 43,500 (2,076.7 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 2,094,700
9. Athletes and Sports Competitors
   Fatal work injury rate: 38.0 per 100,000
   Fatal work injuries: 6
   Common cause of fatal injury: Sudden cardiac death
   Non-fatal injuries: 920 (5,822.8 per 100,000)
   Total employed: 15,800
10. Sailors and Marine Oilers
    Fatal work injury rate: 36.2 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 10
    Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
    Non-fatal injuries: 380 (1,376.8 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 27,600
11. First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
    Fatal work injury rate: 30.0 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 16
    Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
    Non-fatal injuries: 460 (863.0 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 53,300
12. Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians
    Fatal work injury rate: 28.3 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 14
    Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment
    Non-fatal injuries: 660 (1,333.3 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 49,500
13. Wellhead Pumpers
    Fatal work injury rate: 27.8 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 5
    Common cause of fatal injury: Electrocution, explosion
    Non-fatal injuries: 20 (111.1 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 18,000
14. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
    Fatal work injury rate: 23.7 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 30
    Common cause of fatal injury: Exposure to harmful substances or environments
    Non-fatal injuries: 1,910 (1,508.7 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 126,600
15. Taxi Drivers
    Fatal work injury rate: 23.3 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 30
    Common cause of fatal injury: Homicide
    Non-fatal injuries: 260 (202.3 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 128,500
16. Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers
    Fatal work injury rate: 22.6 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 6
    Common cause of fatal injury: Not available
    Non-fatal injuries: 340 (1,278.2 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 26,600
17. Maintenance Workers, Machinery
    Fatal work injury rate: 22.2 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 13
    Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips
    Non-fatal injuries: 720 (1,230.8 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 58,500
18. Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
    Fatal work injury rate: 21.9 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 8
    Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment
    Non-fatal injuries: 40 (109.6 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 36,500
19. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
    Fatal work injury rate: 21.6 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 5
    Common cause of fatal injury: Falls
    Non-fatal injuries: 400 (1,724.1 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 23,200
20. Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
    Fatal work injury rate: 21.4 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 8
    Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
    Non-fatal injuries: 520 (1,394.1 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 37,300
21. Structural Iron and Steel Workers
    Fatal work injury rate: 20.3 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 14
    Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips
    Non-fatal injuries: 780 (1,130.4 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 69,000
22. Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
    Fatal work injury rate: 20.1 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 46
    Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
    Non-fatal injuries: 4,950 (2,166.3 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 228,500
23. Crane and Tower Operators
    Fatal work injury rate: 20.0 per 100,000
    Fatal work injuries: 9
    Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment
    Non-fatal injuries: 390 (864.7 per 100,000)
    Total employed: 45,100

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