25 Most Dangerous Jobs in America

Construction helpers assist more skilled and experienced construction workers like masons, carpenters, roofers, and others. Though the job is one of the five most dangerous in the country, with 40 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, construction helpers are not well paid. Such workers typically earn less than $33,000 per year, while the median annual wage for all jobs is $39,810.

Roofers, who place and repair roofing tiles or other materials on top of houses, work in one of the most dangerous jobs in America. For every 100,000 full-time equivalent roofers, there were 54 fatal injuries on the job in 2019. Working high off the ground can be perilous, as 93 of the 111 reported fatal injuries among roofers in 2019 were attributed to falls. Roofers also have the third highest rate of nonfatal injuries that cause workers to miss time at work, at 360.6 incidents per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers.

Aircraft pilot ranks as the third most dangerous job in the nation, with 61.8 fatal incidents per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2019. Though the causes of these accidents were not made available, the Aviation Safety Network reported seven fatal plane crashes in the U.S. in 2019, with a total of 16 fatalities. Pilots are not just highest paid workers on this list, but also the best paid among the dozens of different careers considered for this list. Most pilots earn over $120,000 per year.

Logging work ranked as the most dangerous job of 2018, with 97.6 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. In 2019, the fatal injury rate declined significantly, to 68.9 per 100,000, dropping loggers to second place. Logging workers use dangerous machinery like chainsaws, and are at risk of having large trees fall on them. Adding to the peril, these workers are frequently in remote areas, far away from potential medical intervention that could help save their lives in the event of an accident.

Fishing and hunting work ranked as the most dangerous job in America for 2019. This career field had 145 fatal injuries for every 100,000 full-time equivalent workers — more than double any other job. The majority of the 44 fatal injuries sustained by these workers in 2019 were transportation injuries. Fishing workers are sometimes thrown overboard or work on boats that capsize miles offshore.