The 23 deadliest jobs in America

Logging is often cited as the most dangerous job in America, and for good reason. It only takes a quick online search of logging accidents to see that the people who harvest trees for wood products, a fundamental raw material for the construction industry, are killed or injured with disturbing regularity. The most common fatal accident among logging workers are accidents involving delimbers, bunchers, forwarders, and other heavy and dangerous equipment used to turn trees into transportable bundles of logs.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fatal work injury rate for fallers -- the frontline workers of the logging industry -- last year was a staggering 530 per 100,000 workers, or 33 workers out of a total workforce of 5,600. Compare that to the national average for all occupations tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor of 3.3 deaths per 100,000 workers.

But fallers are just one part of the hazardous logging, forestry, and tree-trimming businesses in which tens of thousands of workers are doing some of the most dangerous work in America. (On the other hand, here are 10 jobs that make parenting manageable.)

To determine the most dangerous jobs in the U.S., 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2021 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries from the BLS. Occupations are ranked according to the most annual fatal injuries per 100,000 workers. Employment data used to calculate fatalities and injuries per worker came from the BLS Employment Projections program for 2021. We excluded broad-categories of occupations and occupations with fewer than five reported fatalities in 2021.Commercial divers, industrial fishers, and almost any type of blue-collar job in the country’s oil and gas fields are also high-risk occupations. The list also includes lower-pay jobs like taxi driver, tree pruner, and roofer, as well as jobs in other mechanical trades like farm equipment mechanic, power-line installer, and elevator repairers. (Also see, domestic workers hold the most jobs in these 12 states.)

Here are the most dangerous jobs in the U.S.

23. Crane and tower operators

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 20.0 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 9> Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 390 (864.7 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 45,100

22. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 20.1 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 46> Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 4,950 (2,166.3 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 228,500

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21. Structural iron and steel workers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 20.3 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 14> Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 780 (1,130.4 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 69,000

20. Roustabouts, oil and gas

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 21.4 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 8> Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 520 (1,394.1 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 37,300

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19. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 21.6 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 5> Common cause of fatal injury: Falls> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 400 (1,724.1 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 23,200

18. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 21.9 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 8> Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 40 (109.6 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 36,500

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17. Maintenance workers, machinery

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 22.2 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 13> Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 720 (1,230.8 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 58,500

16. Audiovisual equipment installers and repairers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 22.6 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 6> Common cause of fatal injury: N/A> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 340 (1,278.2 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 26,600

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15. Taxi drivers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 23.3 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 30> Common cause of fatal injury: Murder> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 260 (202.3 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 128,500

14. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 23.7 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 30> Common cause of fatal injury: Exposure to harmful substances or environments> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 1,910 (1,508.7 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 126,600

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13. Wellhead pumpers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 27.8 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 5> Common cause of fatal injury: Electrocution, explosion> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 20 (111.1 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 18,000

12. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 28.3 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 14> Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 660 (1,333.3 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 49,500

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11. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 30.0 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 16> Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 460 (863.0 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 53,300

10. Sailors and marine oilers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 36.2 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 10> Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 380 (1,376.8 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 27,600

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9. Athletes and sports competitors

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 38.0 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 6> Common cause of fatal injury: Sudden cardiac death> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 920 (5,822.8 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 15,800

8. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 41.7 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 874> Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 43,500 (2,076.7 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 2,094,700

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7. Earth drillers, except oil and gas

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 42.9 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 7> Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 240 (1,472.4 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 16,300

6. Roofers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 72.4 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 115> Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 1,960 (1,234.3 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 158,800

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5. Helpers--extraction workers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 80.6 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 5> Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 20 (322.6 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 6,200

4. Tree trimmers and pruners

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 122.4 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 78> Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 840 (1,318.7 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 63,700

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3. Commercial pilots

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 123.7 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 59> Common cause of fatal injury: Crashes> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 190 (398.3 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 47,700

2. Commercial divers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 233.3 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 7> Common cause of fatal injury: Equipment failure> Non-fatal injuries (2020): N/A> Total employed (2021): 3,000

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1. Fallers

> Fatal work injury rate (2021): 589.3 per 100,000> Fatal work injuries (2021): 33> Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with machne or object (such as a log)> Non-fatal injuries (2020): 40 (714.3 per 100,000)> Total employed (2021): 5,600