25 Most Dangerous Jobs in America

General maintenance and repair workers are jacks of all trades, and their duties may involve tasks like machining, carpentry, repairing electrical or mechanical equipment, installing, aligning, and balancing new equipment, and repair work, to name a few. These workers suffered 78 fatal injuries on the job in 2019, including by violence from people or animals, transportation incidents, falls, and exposure to harmful substances. Overall 13.4 of every 100,000 full-time equivalent maintenance and repair workers suffered a fatal injury working in 2019.

Among the nearly half a million people who worked as supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers in 2019, there were 14.6 fatal injuries on the job per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, making it one of the most dangerous jobs in America. It is one of just two jobs on this list, along with patrol officers, in which violence was the top cause of fatal injuries.

Construction laborers reported the second most total fatal injuries of any job in 2019, with 293, amounting to 15 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. For most of the jobs on this list, there is one particular hazard that claims the lives of the majority of workers who die on the job, but for construction laborers there are several causes. Because construction sites are often dangerous places, these workers suffered fatal injuries caused by transportation incidents, exposure to harmful substances or environments, and contact with objects and equipment in 2019.

Supervisors of construction workers and extraction workers, like coal miners, suffered 18.7 fatal injuries per 100,000 equivalent workers. In total, 136 such workers died on the job in 2019, the sixth most among all career fields. These supervisors tend to be relatively well compensated, with most earning over $66,000 per year.

The job field of miscellaneous agricultural workers includes equipment operators, farm and ranch hands, laborers, animal workers, and more. These workers often use large machinery and vehicles as well as potentially harmful chemicals like pesticides. Most jobs that rank among the most dangerous pay relatively well compared to the U.S. annual median wage of $39,810. Yet most of these agricultural workers earn less than $26,000 per year.