Where you work matters. Some states stack risk with long highway miles, heavy industry, and harsh weather, and the numbers bear it out. We’ve examined the latest complete datasets to find the states that are the most dangerous for workers
We’ve ranked states by their most recent (2023) fatal work-injury rate using BLS hours-based state fatality rates. We also show each state’s private-industry injury and illness incidence (cases per 100 workers).
25. Georgia
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.0
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): N/A
Georgia’s risk is driven by motion. Metro Atlanta sits on two major interstates that carry dense truck traffic, and Savannah’s port keeps drayage moving between yards, warehouses, and distribution hubs. That level of freight activity increases exposure to rear-end collisions, side-swipes, and loading-dock incidents during tight turnarounds. Long, humid summers add another stressor: prolonged heat raises the odds of heat illness in outdoor trades, which can show up in incident records as fatigue-linked mistakes late in the day.
Outside Atlanta, agriculture and road building create seasonal surges. Harvest slows tractors and combines on two-lane highways just as commuters and freight are trying to pass. Paving seasons pack more lane closures and heavy equipment into fewer daylight hours. Add steady population growth and suburban construction near busy arterials, and you get more contact points between work and traffic. Georgia’s 2023 rate reflects that broad mix of freight, highways, and heat rather than one isolated hazard.
24. Nevada
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.0
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 3.3
Nevada’s numbers come from building and miles, not casinos. Multi-year construction in Las Vegas and Reno means cranes, lifts, and deliveries moving through crowded corridors on compressed timelines. Extended summer heat degrades focus and increases work-zone risk, especially when crews shift to night hours to dodge traffic and visibility drops at temporary tapers.
Between cities, exposure is distance. Long rural highways, high speeds, and sparse services turn a single mistake into a severe event. Tourism peaks add more vehicles to urban arterials and freeways, which raises encounter rates near job zones and loading points. With construction booming, logistics humming, and long desert drives connecting it all, Nevada’s risk profile reflects sustained activity across multiple sectors rather than a single flashpoint.
23. Missouri
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.1
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.6
Missouri sits where river, rail, and interstate meet. Freight moving along I-70 and I-44 boosts vehicle-miles for truckers and service fleets. Farm country adds tractor rollovers, PTO entanglements, and grain-handling hazards that long-running studies have tied to the adoption (or absence) of rollover protection. In Kansas City and St. Louis, commercial rehab and bridge work increase exposure to falls and struck-by incidents, especially on older structures where hidden edges and weak surfaces are common.
Weather volatility matters here. Thunderstorms and fast freeze-thaw cycles change footing and visibility within a single shift, which pushes everyday driving and staging closer to the edge. Add seasonal overlaps, like harvest on rural roads, highway construction in warm months, and warehousing surges ahead of holidays, and the state’s incident picture reflects sustained, layered exposure rather than a single industry outlier.
22. Texas
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.1
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 1.8
Texas combines long distances with heavy industry. Oil and gas, refining, and petrochemicals concentrate high-energy tasks, such as pressure systems, hot work, and confined spaces, where the stakes are highest if something goes wrong. Those are exactly the kinds of hazards targeted by rigorous lockout and isolation practices. At the same time, crews drive many highway miles between far-flung sites, so crash exposure remains elevated even when job sites operate smoothly.
Heat amplifies everything. Long hot seasons strain workers in PPE and push shifts into early mornings and nights, when visibility and fatigue trade places. Construction growth around major metros adds cranes and deliveries to already busy arterials. The result is a risk profile shaped by energy work, highway time, and climate; lots of big systems moving at once across a very large map.
21. Utah
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.1
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.5
Utah’s geography sets the tone. Mountain projects and mining support place crews at altitude with wind, ice, and long travel times. Those conditions increase the severity of falls and vehicle incidents on narrow corridors. Prolonged cold also raises the odds of cold-stress problems that reduce dexterity and judgment during winter operations, especially when work sites sit far from quick medical care.
Along the Wasatch Front, rapid growth keeps construction close to live traffic, while quarries and energy support move heavy equipment onto rural roads. Tourism shifts traffic patterns quickly around ski seasons and national parks, which raises encounter rates between work zones and the public. Utah’s overall picture reflects elevation, weather, and distance layered over a sustained building cycle.
20. Maine
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.2
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 4.2
Maine’s severe outcomes cluster where wood, weather, and water meet. Logging and forest products dominate in rural counties, and tasks like felling, yarding, and hauling carry a higher baseline risk. Narrow, winding roads increase rollover severity for loaded trucks. Along the coast, shipyards and marine trades add heavy lifts on wet decks through long winters, pushing slip-and-struck-by incidents higher when daylight is short.
Small, remote crews raise the stakes when storms slow response. Many logging operations have shifted toward mechanized harvesters, but terrain and access still leave pockets of hand work that carry more line-of-fire exposure, an issue highlighted in recent NIOSH logging research. With long cold seasons and long drives between towns, Maine’s risk picture is about a rural, outdoor economy running through harsh weather rather than one single hazard.
19. Oklahoma
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.3
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.4
Oklahoma’s pattern comes from energy, farms, and long two-lane drives. Drilling and servicing pack suspended loads, pressure, and ignition sources into tight sites, while support crews shuttle between pads on rural roads. Farm work adds tractor rollovers, PTO entanglements, and grain handling hazards that spike during planting and harvest. When weather swings fast on the Plains, visibility and footing change within a shift, and minor errors become high-severity events.
The map matters too. Many jobs sit far from trauma centers, so distance raises consequences. Service fleets cover big territories to reach rigs, compressors, and pump stations, which means more hours at highway speed. That overlap of energy work and road exposure explains why severe incidents in oil and gas continue to focus on controlling energy and ignition, the same targets highlighted in OSHA’s oil and gas extraction guidance.
18. South Dakota
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.3
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): N/A
South Dakota’s risk reflects a farm and ranch economy spread across wide spaces. Grain bins, augers, and PTOs appear often in severe case summaries. Meat processing and packing bring line speed and knife exposure that raise laceration rates, while winter weather lengthens response times on rural roads. Utility and delivery crews also log many miles between small towns, so black ice and drifting snow turn routine trips into serious crashes.
Seasons drive the peaks. Harvest compresses long days in fields and on county roads, and that mix raises encounter rates between slow equipment and faster traffic. In towns tied to animal processing, the pace stays high year round. When the first cold fronts hit, visibility and braking distances change in a hurry. Those conditions match the cold-weather risks NHTSA flags for drivers in winter, from longer stopping distances to hidden ice on untreated roads (winter driving tips).
17. New Mexico
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.5
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): N/A
New Mexico combines oil and gas, mining support, construction, and long high-desert corridors. Heat and altitude sap energy faster, and that shows up as fatigue, missteps at height, and mistakes around heavy equipment. Work zones on rural highways have narrow shoulders and long approach speeds, so vehicle strikes can be severe. Night shifts are common to avoid traffic and heat, but darkness and dust cut sight lines at temporary tapers.
Distance is the multiplier. Many jobs sit far from hospitals, especially in the southeast and northwest basins. A single crash on a lonely stretch can soak up the nearest responders and delay care. During long hot spells, error rates climb late in the day, which is why heat illness prevention sits at the center of NIOSH’s heat stress guidance for outdoor and industrial work.
16. Kentucky
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.6
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.8
Kentucky mixes interstate logistics, auto manufacturing, metals, and steady road and bridge work. The most severe events often happen during changeovers and maintenance, when guards are off and panels are open. Civil projects add trenching, paving tie-ins, and night work near live traffic, which raises the chance of vehicle strikes at dawn and dusk. Rural sites also mean longer EMS times, so the first mistake carries more weight.
Inside plants, the fix is usually technical, not cultural: equipment only runs safely when energy is isolated, something OSHA’s machine guarding and control-of-hazard guidance targets. On the road side, Kentucky’s central location keeps freight moving across I-64, I-65, and I-75, so technicians and drivers stack more miles. When construction, maintenance, and freight surge at the same time, exposure overlaps across sectors.
15. Nebraska
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 4.8
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.5
Nebraska’s severe cases cluster where agriculture, meat processing, and winter roads meet. Tractor rollovers, PTO entanglements, and grain bin hazards rise during planting and harvest. In towns built around packing plants, line speed and repetitive knife work raise cut and strain risks. Long drives on open two-lane highways add crash severity when visibility drops in snow and freezing fog.
Grain handling is a standout. Engulfment and auger contact drive a disproportionate share of severe outcomes during busy seasons. That is why OSHA’s grain handling standard zeroes in on entry, energy control, and housekeeping to reduce dust and flow hazards. With crews spread across big counties, time to definitive care is another factor that turns “bad” into “worst.”
14. South Carolina
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.0
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 1.9
South Carolina’s risk reflects ports, auto manufacturing, warehousing, and rapid growth. The Port of Charleston pulls steady drayage through dense interchanges, which raises exposure for truck fleets and yard operations. Auto and supplier plants keep shifts running around the clock, and maintenance windows can compress into nights and weekends. Along the coast, storm seasons reorder schedules and push work into short, hectic gaps.
Construction expands alongside population growth, often near busy arterials. That adds cranes, lifts, and deliveries to live traffic, where a single misread can lead to severe outcomes. Tropical weather is the wild card; even near-miss landfalls bring high winds and debris that alter site conditions in hours. NOAA's hurricane preparedness info for hurricane seasons includes schedule compression and shifting traffic patterns to reduce injury trends.
13. Vermont
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.0
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 4.0
Vermont’s exposure comes from small crews working in hard terrain. Forestry and tree work put people around saws, winches, and unstable timber on slopes. Winter adds ice and short daylight, which shows up in slip, vehicle, and fall severity. Older buildings and barns also bring surprises during renovation, with hidden edges and weak structures turning simple jobs into high-risk tasks.
Timber practices have shifted toward machines where the land allows, but patchy access keeps pockets of hand cutting alive. That split explains why mechanization is a major theme in recent NIOSH research on logging safety, with evidence that more cab-based cutting reduces direct line-of-fire exposure when used in the right terrain.
12. Indiana
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.1
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.5
Indiana blends auto plants, metals, logistics, and steady construction. The biggest spikes tend to land during maintenance and setup: guards off, panels open, someone reaching in to clear a jam. Warehousing adds dock strikes and trailer walk-offs, while interstates and beltways raise crash exposure for technicians and drivers hustling between sites.
In manufacturing, the pattern aligns with national data: amputations and shocks concentrate when equipment is serviced without full isolation. That is exactly the risk OSHA targets with machine guarding and related lockout rules, which focus on points of operation and stored energy in complex lines. Combine that with high freight volume across I-65, I-70, and I-74, and severe events split between floor and highway.
11. Idaho
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.4
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): N/A
Idaho’s profile mixes timber, agriculture, mining support, and mountain construction. Remote sites stretch rescue times, and winter turns basic access into a risk factor. Logging on steep slopes raises struck-by and rollover severity, while highway work in canyons brings fast traffic close to narrow shoulders. Even routine service calls get tougher when ice, elevation, and distance line up.
When winter settles in, cold and visibility drive many of the worst outcomes. Equipment behaves differently in sub-freezing temps, and drivers face quick changes between dry pavement and ice. Those conditions mirror the cold stress and cold-weather risks highlighted by NIOSH, from reduced dexterity to slower reaction times during prolonged exposure.
10. Tennessee
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.4
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.2
Tennessee sits on major north–south and east–west freight corridors, so there are many miles under load. That exposure shows up in rear-end impacts, sideswipes, and fatigue crashes. Around work sites, risk shifts to crane picks, tie-ins, and night paving where sight lines vanish even as crews rush to reopen lanes. Auto manufacturing adds maintenance windows where guards are off and troubleshooting happens under time pressure.
Highway time is the constant. I-40, I-65, and I-75 channel regional freight, and support crews follow the loads. Work near live traffic is common, which is why NIOSH’s highway work-zone research keeps pointing to speed, conspicuity, and clearer staging as the levers that change outcomes in real corridors .
9. Louisiana
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.6
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 1.4
Louisiana’s risk reflects refineries, petrochemical plants, ports, and storm rebuilds. The most severe incidents cluster around hot work, confined spaces, and line openings during turnarounds. Barge traffic and hurricane seasons compress schedules and pile permits into short windows, which raises the chance of something going wrong when a flange is opened or a spark meets trapped vapors.
That pattern matches national case reviews after catastrophic fires and explosions. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has repeatedly pushed operators to test atmospheres and control ignition sources before any torch work near tanks, sumps, or coated steel, core points in its hot-work safety materials. Add busy ports and river movements, and exposure stretches from plant to dock.
8. Iowa
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 5.9
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 3.1
Iowa’s severe events follow farms, packing plants, and many rural miles. Harvest raises tractor rollovers and PTO entanglements. Grain handling adds engulfment and auger contact, while packing floors combine line speed with sharp tools and repetitive motion. Winter storms lengthen response times and make two-lane roads more dangerous for service and delivery crews.
Grain facilities stand out in the data, which is why the federal grain handling rule focuses on entry, energy control, and dust housekeeping. Those steps target the same failure points that show up in fatal engulfment cases and combustible dust events noted in OSHA’s grain handling standard. Layer in long distances between small towns, and survivability drops when the weather turns.
7. Mississippi
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 6.3
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): N/A
Mississippi mixes timber, shipyards, and long rural drives. Logging puts saws and heavy equipment on soft soils and steep ground. Shipyard work adds hot work in confined spaces, with tanks and coatings that trap vapors. Storm recovery pulls crews into damaged neighborhoods and night operations, where downed utilities and debris change the plan hour by hour.
Along the Gulf, commercial fishing adds its own set of hazards, from rough water to winches and lines that load fast. That is why the Coast Guard pushes basic stability, PFD use on deck, and emergency drills in its commercial fishing-vessel safety program, themes that track with the worst days offshore and at the dock.
6. North Dakota
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 6.9
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): N/A
North Dakota’s pattern is oil and gas in winter. Drilling and servicing stack high-energy tasks on remote pads. Water and sand hauling keep trucks moving on narrow county routes not built for that traffic. When the temperature drops, rig roads glaze over, materials get brittle, and whiteouts erase the horizon, so a single error becomes severe fast.
Across the sector, the most serious incidents focus on energy control, line-of-fire, and winter hazards. That is the same trio that NIOSH points to in its oil and gas safety resources, which emphasize isolating pressure, keeping people clear of moving gear, and treating winter as a separate hazard set with its own rules.
5. Montana
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 7.1
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 3.4
Montana blends ranching, timber, mining support, and long stretches of two-lane highway. Logging drives many of the worst cases, with felling and loading on steep ground where a small mistake becomes a struck-by or rollover. Ranch work adds animal handling and tractor hazards. Winter multiplies the consequences when response times stretch and roads narrow to ruts and ice.
The logging side has shifted toward machines, and recent field research shows mechanization reduces direct exposure when terrain and access allow. Forestry research also notes the limits: hand cutting remains in areas where machines cannot go, and that is where line-of-fire risks stay high.
4. Alaska
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 7.4
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 3.1
Alaska concentrates risk in commercial fishing, bush aviation, oil support, and remote construction. Cold water, long distances, and sudden weather shifts turn ordinary tasks into life-threatening events. Small runways and icing raise stakes for pilots. Deck crews manage heavy gear on wet, moving platforms through dark seasons, and rescue can be hours away even in good weather.
3. Arkansas
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 7.5
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 1.9
Arkansas blends poultry processing, timber, farming, trucking, and steady construction. Highway exposure ties farms to mills and plants, raising crash severity on rural connectors. Timber work on soft soils adds overturns and struck-by cases. Inside processing plants, blades and line speed drive cuts, while maintenance around moving machinery raises amputation risk when pressure builds to keep lines running.
Hot-work and energy control show up in many severe investigations across industry, which is why national chemical safety guidance keeps steering operators toward atmosphere testing, ignition control, and slower, verified restarts near tanks and piping. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s hot-work focus speaks directly to mixed industrial regions like Arkansas where repair and production weave together.
2. West Virginia
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 8.3
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.6
West Virginia’s pattern is mining and mountains. Underground work mixes roof control, ventilation, and heavy mobile equipment in confined spaces. Surface mines add haul roads with soft shoulders and big blind spots. Construction at elevation brings falls and struck-by hazards during bridge and roadway jobs. Winding highways through hollows and ridgelines raise crash severity for service and delivery fleets.
Mine safety basics drive the difference between a close call and a disaster: supported roofs, proximity detection on mobile gear, and right-of-way rules underground and at the face. Those are the same tools MSHA trains and audits against in its programs, which target the exact conditions present across the state’s coal and aggregates sites.
1. Wyoming
- Fatalities per 100,000 workers (2023): 16.0
- Nonfatal injuries per 100 workers (TRC, 2023): 2.7
Wyoming sits at the crossroads of energy, winter, and distance. Drilling and servicing put suspended loads, pressure, and ignition sources on remote pads, while mining and construction add big equipment and soft shoulders. Long stretches between towns mean more highway time for crews and slower access to trauma care when something goes wrong. Wind can shut down cranes in minutes, and whiteouts turn straight roads into guesswork.
That overlap explains why severe incidents tend to cluster where energy and space combine. Winter storms change everything from footing to the physics of a truck stopping with a loaded trailer. The practical risks highlighted in NOAA’s winter safety materials, like visibility drops, ice, and extreme wind chill, mirror the conditions Wyoming crews face on highways and job sites across wide, open basins.
Methodology
We ranked states by their 2023 fatal work injury rate (deaths per 100,000 workers), using the BLS hours-based rates published in the state fatality rate table. To add everyday context, we show each state’s private-industry injury and illness incidence (total recordable cases per 100 workers) from the BLS state TRC chart. If a state does not publish a 2023 TRC in that table, it’s marked N/A.
Fatality rates are calculated with hours worked rather than headcounts; if you want the denominator details, see how BLS computes fatal injury rates. For broader context on 2023 national results we also reviewed the BLS CFOI news release and the historical state fatality rates. We did not weight state TRC into the rank to avoid mixing per-100 workers and per-100,000 worker metrics; TRC is shown as informative context only.
