The Most Deadly Jobs in the US
There were 5,333 fatal work injuries in the US in 2019, according to the country's Department of Labor. That is equivalent to one death every 99 minutes.
The most common type of fatal work accidents were transportation accidents, with 2,122 cases. The next most common were falls, slips and trips, which resulted in 880 deaths. After that, violence and injuries from other people or animals caused 841 deaths.
Nearly one in five Americans who died in work-related accidents were drivers. So it's no surprise that the transportation sector and jobs that involve moving materials had the highest number of deaths, with 1,481. These jobs include delivery drivers and airline pilots, as well as people who work on boats, in warehouses and on railroads.
The job sector with the second highest number of deaths in 2019 was construction and mining, with 1,066. Jobs in the service industry had the third highest number of deaths at 762. The service industry includes a wide range of jobs, from shop and restaurant staff, to financial and educational roles.
However, the job sector with the highest rate of death was fishing and hunting, which saw 145 deaths per 100,000 workers. The second highest rate was for loggers — people who cut down trees for wood — at 69 deaths per 100,000. Airline pilots were third with 62 deaths per 100,000 workers, followed by roofers with 54 deaths.
However, these jobs had less deaths overall, suggesting that while they are more dangerous, they are not very common. For example, only 44 fishing and hunting workers died in 2019.
