Data study
The Most Dangerous Jobs in America (2026)
Logging workers have the highest fatal injury rate BLS publishes: 110.4 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2024, 33 times the 3.3 rate for all workers. Below are the 25 deadliest jobs, what each one pays, and whether the risk comes with a pay premium.
- Work deaths, 2024
- 5,070BLS CFOI
- All-worker rate
- 3.3Per 100,000 FTE workers
- Highest rate
- 110.4Logging workers
- Most deaths
- 950Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
Quotable
Key statistics
Each figure is sourced and safe to quote on its own.
- 5,070 people died from work injuries in the United States in 2024, a rate of 3.3 per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers (BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries).
- Logging workers had the highest fatal injury rate of any occupation BLS publishes, 110.4 per 100,000 workers in 2024: 33 times the all-worker rate.
- Driver/sales workers and truck drivers recorded the most deaths of any occupation, 950 in 2024, 19% of all US work deaths, at a rate of 25.7 per 100,000.
- Of the 20 occupations with the highest fatal injury rates, 12 pay a median at or above the $50,980 US median and 7 pay below it (NueCareer analysis of BLS CFOI 2024 and OEWS May 2025).
- The safest occupation groups are computer and mathematical (0.2), legal (0.3), business and financial operations (0.3) per 100,000 workers.
The ranking
The 25 most dangerous jobs, by fatal injury rate
Deaths per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers in 2024, highest first. Pay is BLS OEWS May 2025; where BLS reports the rate for a group of occupations, pay is the employment-weighted average of their medians.
Per 100,000 FTE workers, 2024; all workers 3.3
- Logging workers33x average110.4
- Fishing and hunting workers27x average88.8
- Roofers15x average48.7
- Structural iron and steel workers11x average37.8
- Refuse and recyclable material collectors11x average37.4
- Aircraft pilots and flight engineers11x average36.7
- Helpers, construction trades11x average35.8
- Underground mining machine operators11x average35.6
- Driver/sales workers and truck drivers8x average25.7
- Grounds maintenance workers6x average20.9
- Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers6x average19.4
- Miscellaneous agricultural workers6x average19
- Construction laborers5x average15.8
- Electrical power-line installers and repairers4x average13.8
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers4x average13.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Logging workers | 110.4 |
| Fishing and hunting workers | 88.8 |
| Roofers | 48.7 |
| Structural iron and steel workers | 37.8 |
| Refuse and recyclable material collectors | 37.4 |
| Aircraft pilots and flight engineers | 36.7 |
| Helpers, construction trades | 35.8 |
| Underground mining machine operators | 35.6 |
| Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 25.7 |
| Grounds maintenance workers | 20.9 |
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 19.4 |
| Miscellaneous agricultural workers | 19 |
| Construction laborers | 15.8 |
| Electrical power-line installers and repairers | 13.8 |
| First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers | 13.1 |
Source: BLS CFOI, 2024
Analysis
Do dangerous jobs pay more?
Not reliably. Of the 20 highest-risk occupations, 12 pay at or above the $50,980 US median and 7 pay below it. The middle of the group earns $58,430. Risk is paid for where it comes with a licence or long training (pilots, line workers, ironworkers); it is not where the work is open to anyone (groundskeeping, farm labor, refuse collection).
High risk, paid above the median
- Aircraft pilots and flight engineers$197,830 · 36.7
- Electrical power-line installers and repairers$95,320 · 13.8
- Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers$89,900 · 19.4
- First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers$79,920 · 12.8
- First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers$79,860 · 13.1
- Telecommunications line installers and repairers$74,330 · 11.5
- Underground mining machine operators$66,850 · 35.6
- Structural iron and steel workers$62,780 · 37.8
- Construction equipment operators$59,390 · 11.7
- First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers$58,430 · 12.3
- Roofers$55,440 · 48.7
- Driver/sales workers and truck drivers$52,360 · 25.7
Median pay · deaths per 100,000 workers
High risk, paid below the median
- Logging workers$49,630 · 110.4
- Refuse and recyclable material collectors$49,690 · 37.4
- Helpers, construction trades$43,130 · 35.8
- Grounds maintenance workers$39,970 · 20.9
- Miscellaneous agricultural workers$36,290 · 19
- Construction laborers$47,120 · 15.8
- Maintenance and repair workers, general$49,590 · 10.8
Median pay · deaths per 100,000 workers
In numbers
Where the most people die at work
Rates show the risk to one worker; counts show where the deaths are. Large occupations dominate this list even at moderate rates.
Count, 2024
- Driver/sales workers and truck driversrate 25.7950
- Construction laborersrate 15.8334
- Grounds maintenance workersrate 20.9239
- Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managersrate 19.4175
- Miscellaneous agricultural workersrate 19147
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, handrate 5.4110
- First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workersrate 12.8105
- Roofersrate 48.7104
- Carpentersrate 7.589
- Maintenance and repair workers, generalrate 10.876
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Driver/sales workers and truck drivers | 950 |
| Construction laborers | 334 |
| Grounds maintenance workers | 239 |
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 175 |
| Miscellaneous agricultural workers | 147 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 110 |
| First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | 105 |
| Roofers | 104 |
| Carpenters | 89 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general | 76 |
Source: BLS CFOI table A-5, 2024
By field
Fatal injury rates by occupation group
| Occupation group | Rate per 100k | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations | 25.4 | 248 |
| Construction and extraction occupations | 12.6 | 1,032 |
| Transportation and material moving occupations | 12.5 | 1,391 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 8.9 | 437 |
| Protective service occupations | 8.5 | 281 |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 7.2 | 356 |
| Production occupations | 3.1 | 238 |
| Food preparation and serving related occupations | 1.7 | 103 |
| Personal care and service occupations | 1.7 | 58 |
| Management occupations | 1.5 | 314 |
| Sales and related occupations | 1.5 | 189 |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations | 1.2 | 38 |
| Community and social service occupations | 1.1 | 33 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations | 1 | 19 |
| Architecture and engineering occupations | 0.7 | 26 |
| Healthcare support occupations | 0.6 | 26 |
| Office and administrative support occupations | 0.6 | 91 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | 0.5 | 53 |
| Educational instruction and library occupations | 0.4 | 33 |
| Business and financial operations occupations | 0.3 | 28 |
| Legal occupations | 0.3 | 6 |
| Computer and mathematical occupations | 0.2 | 12 |
Method
How this ranking works
- Rates are BLS hours-based fatal injury rates per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers for 2024, the latest final CFOI year. Counts are from CFOI table A-5.
- BLS publishes a rate only where an occupation had at least 5 deaths and 40 million hours worked. Small occupations with high risk but few workers have no rate and cannot appear in the ranking.
- Some rates are for a group of occupations (for example "driver/sales workers and truck drivers"); the ranking uses the narrowest group BLS publishes.
- Rates exclude workers under 16, volunteers and resident military. Fatal injuries only: long-term occupational illness is not counted.
- Pay is NueCareer’s join of BLS OEWS medians to the CFOI rows; for a group, it is the employment-weighted average of the member occupations’ medians.
Questions
Most dangerous jobs: FAQ
What is the most dangerous job in America?
By fatal injury rate, logging workers: 110.4 deaths per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers in 2024, 33 times the 3.3 rate for all workers (BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries). Fishing and hunting workers (88.8), Roofers (48.7), Structural iron and steel workers (37.8) follow.
Which job has the most deaths?
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers, with 950 fatal work injuries in 2024. Its rate (25.7 per 100,000) is lower than logging or roofing, but the occupation is so large that it accounts for more deaths than any other. Most are transportation incidents.
Do dangerous jobs pay more?
Not reliably. Of the 20 highest-risk occupations, 12 pay at or above the US median of $50,980 and 7 pay less, including logging workers ($49,630), refuse and recyclable material collectors ($49,690), helpers, construction trades ($43,130). The median pay across those 20 is $58,430 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The best-paid of them is aircraft pilots and flight engineers, at $197,830 with a rate of 36.7.
What are the safest jobs?
By occupation group, the lowest fatal injury rates are in computer and mathematical (0.2 per 100,000), legal (0.3 per 100,000), business and financial operations (0.3 per 100,000), educational instruction and library (0.4 per 100,000), healthcare practitioners and technical (0.5 per 100,000). Office-based professional work carries a fraction of the all-worker risk of 3.3.
How does BLS measure job danger?
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries counts every fatal work injury in the US from death certificates, workers' compensation and other records. The rate divides deaths by hours worked and is expressed per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers (200 million hours). BLS publishes a rate only where an occupation had at least 5 deaths and 40 million hours worked, which is why some small, dangerous jobs have counts but no rate.