There were 148 agricultural workers who died after an injury while working in the U.S. in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
According to the data released on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2021, that was down from 183 deaths in 2019 and was the lowest number of ag deaths in the last five years.
Not all states report a separate number for just ag industry deaths; numbers below are for deaths in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; with the bulk of those being in ag:
Iowa: 11 deaths and 58 overall workplace deaths, down from 76 in 2019.
Minnesota: 11 deaths and 67 overall workplace deaths, down from 80 in 2019.
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Montana: 12 deaths and 29 overall workplace deaths, down from 58 in 2019.
Nebraska: 20 deaths and 48 overall workplace deaths, down from 53 in 2019.
North Dakota: 13 deaths and 26 overall workplace deaths, down from 37 in 2019.
South Dakota: 13 deaths and 32 overall workplace deaths, up from 20 in 2019.
Some other highlights from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- The overall number of 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.
- Workers in transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations accounted for nearly half of all fatal occupational injuries (47.4%), representing 1,282 and 976 workplace deaths, respectively.
- Transportation incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal accident, with 1,778 deaths, accounting for 37.3% of all work-related fatalities.
Note that fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless they were preceded by an injury.
For a list of overall deaths by state, click here.