These Are the Top 10 Dangerous Jobs in America, Study Finds

Dangerous jobs might be worth it — at the right price.

By Andrew DePietro July 2, 2018 Boost Your Career

Dying in the line of duty is something that police officers, firefighters and soldiers face in their line of work. But they are hardly the only ones. According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), the industry with the most fatal work injuries was construction — 991 deaths in 2016 — compared to 497 for government employees. But with an annual mean wage of $49,930, is construction worth dying for?

A new study by GOBankingRates determined the best and worst dangerous jobs in America. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, specifically Occupational Employment Statistics and CFOI, the best and worst jobs were determined based on each occupation’s number of fatalities, the percentage of total work fatalities for the year and the average annual wage.

Click through to see how much these dangerous jobs will help you grow your net worth — and decide for yourself it’s worth it.

180620_GBR_DangerousJobs_1920x1080 — Andreas G. Karelias / Shutterstock.com

The Top 10 Best Dangerous Jobs

In 2016, the year of the most recent data, there were 5,190 fatal work injuries. The study analyzed total fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure and then factored in each occupation’s annual mean wage.

Because the study looked at jobs on the most drilled-down level, the occupations are very specific. For instance, you’ll see the occupation “heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers,” instead of using the broader, more vague occupation category, “transportation and material moving occupations.” This specificity is meant to provide a clearer picture of which jobs are truly the most dangerous relative to their pay.

Here are the 10 best dangerous jobs based on low fatality rate and high average salary:

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives: $91,590
Athletes and Sports Competitors: $88,300
Commercial Pilots: $89,350
Property, Real Estate and Community Association Managers: $72,370
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: $68,710
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers and Repairers: $68,120
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers: $62,660
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers: $69,200
Farmers, Ranchers and Other Agricultural Managers: $80,320
Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters: $57,070

Top 10 Worst Dangerous Jobs

A big common denominator for the worst dangerous jobs is moving vehicles. Work injuries involving transportation incidents are the most common occupation fatality, accounting for 40 percent, or 2,083 work injuries.

Here are the worst dangerous jobs based on high fatality rates and low pay:

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers: $44,500
Construction Laborers: $38,890
Cashiers: $22,130
Farmworkers and Laborers: Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse: $25,070
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers: $29,700
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand: $29,690
Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs: $27,480
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch and Aquacultural Animals: $27,840
Driver/Sales Workers: $29,090
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners: $27,900

Here is the full list of the dangerous jobs evaluated in the study, including the number of fatal injuries for that occupation; the percentage of total annual fatalities it accounts for; and mean annual wage. It is in order from worst to best, with No. 51 being the worst dangerous job relative to its pay.

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Best and Worst Dangerous Jobs in America
Rank	Occupations	Total Fatal Injuries	Percentage of Total Annual Work Fatalities	Mean Annual Wage
51	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	786	15.1%	$44,500
50	Construction Laborers	254	4.9%	$38,890
49	Cashiers	62	1.2%	$22,130
48	Farmworkers and Laborers: Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	78	1.5%	$25,070
47	Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	125	2.4%	$29,700
46	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	92	1.8%	$29,690
45	Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs	60	1.2%	$27,480
44	Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch and Aquacultural Animals	61	1.2%	$27,840
43	Driver/Sales Workers	71	1.4%	$29,090
42	Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	46	0.9%	$27,900
41	Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment	17	0.3%	$25,770
40	Retail Salespersons	33	0.6%	$27,460
39	Security Guards	54	1.0%	$30,730
38	Crossing Guards	24	0.5%	$30,170
37	Fishers and Related Fishing Workers	24	0.5%	$31,190
36	Light Truck or Delivery Services Drivers	61	1.2%	$35,610
35	Tree Trimmers and Pruners	84	1.6%	$38,580
34	Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	37	0.7%	$35,370
33	Logging Workers	91	1.8%	$40,730
32	Maintenance and Repair Workers	75	1.4%	$40,280
31	Roofers	101	1.9%	$42,780
30	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	17	0.3%	$35,460
29	First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	89	1.7%	$43,580
28	Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors	31	0.6%	$38,920
27	Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	64	1.2%	$42,660
26	Painters, Construction and Maintenance	50	1.0%	$41,840
25	Welders, Cutters, Solderers and Brazers	39	0.8%	$43,410
24	Fallers	70	1.3%	$46,930
23	Carpenters	99	1.9%	$49,630
22	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators	20	0.4%	$46,780
21	Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	29	0.6%	$48,000
20	Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	37	0.7%	$49,530
19	First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service and Groundskeeping Workers	30	0.6%	$50,020
18	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	39	0.8%	$51,890
17	Firefighters	35	0.7%	$51,930
16	Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	27	0.5%	$52,370
15	Electricians	79	1.5%	$57,910
14	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	22	0.4%	$53,110
13	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	21	0.4%	$56,340
12	Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers	108	2.1%	$64,490
11	Food Service Managers	23	0.4%	$57,250
10	Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters	18	0.3%	$57,070
9	Farmers, Ranchers and Other Agricultural Managers	260	5.0%	$80,320
8	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	134	2.6%	$69,200
7	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	31	0.6%	$62,660
6	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers and Repairers	44	0.8%	$68,120
5	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	21	0.4%	$68,710
4	Property, Real Estate and Community Association Managers	23	0.4%	$72,370
3	Commercial Pilots	70	1.3%	$89,350
2	Athletes and Sports Competitors	21	0.4%	$88,300
1	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	18	0.3%	$91,590

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Methodology: GOBankingRates compiled a list of occupations with the highest rate of fatalities, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2016.