2021 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries — 2022-12-16

NATIONAL CENSUS OF FATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES IN 2021 There were 5,190 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2021, an 8.9-percent increase from 4,764 in 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury rate was 3.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, up from 3.4 per 100,000 FTE in 2020 and up from the 2019 pre-pandemic rate of 3.5. (See chart 2.) These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). - The 3.6 fatal occupational injury rate in 2021 represents the highest annual rate since 2016. - A worker died every 101 minutes from a work-related injury in 2021. - The share of Black or African American workers fatally injured on the job reached an all time high in 2021, increasing from 11.4 percent of total fatalities in 2020 to 12.6 percent of total fatalities in 2021.