Workplace safety
US private employers reported 2.5 million injuries and illnesses in 2024
2.5 million. That's how many nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses US private employers reported in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, down 3.1% from 2023.
It's the lowest count in a data series that goes back to 2003, and the rate set a series low too: 2.3 recordable cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers. Manufacturing was one of five sectors whose rate fell, and no sector's rate rose.
This page traces the totals, rates and leading causes to the BLS release, and flags which figures cover one year and which cover two.
Data covers Employer-reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in US private industry in 2024, with case details for 2023 to 2024 (BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, released January 22, 2026). Published 2026-10-16. Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Last updated 2026-10-16. Edited by Mike Ramsey / Reliable Media.
The figures and where they come from
Each figure is rated for how safely you can cite it today. Ratings judge current usability, not whether a number was ever correct.
| Figure | What it is | Source | Citation Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 million (-3.1%) | Nonfatal injuries and illnesses, private industry, 2024 | [A] | High | Employer-reported cases in private industry only. |
| Lowest since the series began in 2003 | Where the count stands | [A] | High | The series starts in 2003, so this is a low within that span. |
| 2.3 per 100 FTE workers | Total recordable case rate, 2024 | [A] | High | Down from 2.4 in 2023 and the lowest rate in the series. FTE means full-time equivalent. |
| Lowest since 2003 | Rate, in context | [A] | High | TRC is the total recordable case rate. |
| 2.2 per 100 FTE workers | Injury rate alone, 2024 | [A] | High | Injuries without illnesses. |
| 148,000 (-26.0%) | Illness cases, 2024 | [A] | High | The BLS says this drop drove the 2024 decrease, led by fewer respiratory illnesses. |
| Five | Industry sectors with lower rates, 2024 | [A] | High | Including information, health care and social assistance, retail trade, manufacturing, and real estate and rental and leasing. |
| Decreased | Manufacturing rate, 2024 | [A] | High | The release names the decrease without giving manufacturing's rate. |
| None | Sectors with a higher rate | [A] | High | Rates fell in five sectors and held in the rest. |
| 8 days | Median days away from work, 2023 to 2024 | [A] | High | A two-year figure, from the biennial case details. |
| 946,290 cases | Overexertion, repetitive motion and bodily conditions, 2023 to 2024 | [A] | High | The leading cause of cases with days away, restricted duty or job transfer, summed over two years. |
Why the numbers disagree
Some figures cover one year and some cover two. The 2.5 million cases and the 2.3 rate are for 2024. The case details, such as the 8-day median and the 946,290 overexertion cases, cover 2023 and 2024 together, so don't divide them into a single year.
This is an employer-reported survey of private industry. It counts the cases employers record, so compare it with other years of the same survey rather than with counts built a different way.
Manufacturing's rate fell in 2024, per the release, but the summary doesn't print the number. A manufacturing rate needs the BLS industry tables, cited separately.
How to cite these figures
Cite it as BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: 2.5 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses reported by US private employers in 2024, a rate of 2.3 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers.
When you call it a record low, give the span: the lowest since the series began in 2003.
Label the two-year figures as 2023 to 2024.
Where people go wrong
Presenting 946,290 overexertion cases as a 2024 figure. It covers 2023 and 2024 combined.
Calling 2.5 million every US workplace injury and illness. It's employer-reported cases in private industry.
Quoting a manufacturing injury rate from this summary. It reports only that manufacturing's rate decreased.
How we checked
All figures come from the BLS news release on employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses for 2023 to 2024, published January 22, 2026. We cite the archived copy so the link stays on this release.
The release mixes annual 2024 estimates with biennial case details, and each figure's label says which period it covers.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJanuary 22, 2026
BLS, "Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023-2024" (news release USDL-26-0101)
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/osh_01222026.htm
Common questions
- How many workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in the US in 2024?
- US private employers reported 2.5 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2024, down 3.1% from 2023 and the lowest since the series began in 2003, per the BLS.
- What was the US workplace injury rate in 2024?
- 2.3 total recordable cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in private industry, down from 2.4 in 2023. Injuries alone ran at 2.2 per 100.
- Did manufacturing get safer in 2024?
- Manufacturing's recordable case rate decreased in 2024, according to the BLS, and no industry sector's rate increased. The summary release doesn't give manufacturing's exact rate.
- What causes the most serious workplace injuries?
- Overexertion, repetitive motion and bodily conditions led cases with days away, restricted duty or job transfer, at 946,290 over 2023 and 2024 combined.
More data, traced to source
- The US workplace injury rate: 2.4 per 100 workers
The BLS private-industry injury rate was 2.4 per 100 full-time workers in its latest release. Separately, OSHA Form 300A submissions from more than 385,000 establishments reported more than 18 million days away from work. Two different scopes, not one continuous claim.
- US work deaths fell 4.0% to 5,070 in 2024: one every 104 minutes
The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries counts 5,070 US work deaths in 2024, down 4.0% from 5,283, at a rate of 3.3 per 100,000 full-time workers. Transportation incidents caused 38.2% of them.
- Caught in machinery: the US severe injury and amputation numbers
Body parts caught in running machinery is the leading cause of severe workplace injury in the US, at 12,930 reports and 18% of the total. Manufacturing accounts for 69% of them. The OSHA figures, assembled.
- A million warehouse robots, and what happened to injury rates
Amazon has deployed its one millionth robot across more than 300 facilities. Over the same period a Senate investigation put its warehouse injury rate above the industry average every year it examined.