Young Worker Safety and Health

Young Worker Employment, Injuries and Illnesses Charts

Key points

These charts include currently available young worker (15-24) data, as well as trend data for multiple years. Age groups are presented in varying subgroups determined by the data collection agency.

Abstract visual of graphs and charts

Numbers of employed youth FTEs (Ages 16-24) by year, United States, 2000-2020

This graph shows the numbers of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for employed youth ages 16-24 years in the United States for the time period 2000-2020.1

Distribution of employed youth FTEs (Ages 16-17) by industry sector, United States, 2020

This chart shows the distribution of full time equivalents for employed youth ages 16-17 years by industry sector in 2020.1 The industry sector with the largest numbers of employed youth was the services sector, accounting for 58% of all youth employment, mostly in restaurants and other food services. This was followed by trade sector with 24% of youth employment, then construction sector with 5% of youth employment.

Distribution of employed youth FTEs (Ages 16-17) by occupation, United States, 2020

This chart shows the distribution of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for employed youth ages 16-17 years by occupation in 2020.1 Service jobs were the primary occupation for 43% of all youth employment. This was followed by sales and office occupations with 31% of youth employment.

Numbers of employed youth (Ages 15-17) by year, United States

This graph shows the numbers of employed youth ages 15- 17 years in the United States for the time period 1994 to 2020.1Over this time period youth employment decreased by 35%.

Distribution of employed youth (Ages 15-17) by industry sector, United States, 2020

This chart shows the number of employed youth ages 15-17 years by industry sector in 2020.2 The industry sector with the largest numbers of employed youth was accommodation and food services sector, accounting for 45% of all youth employment, mostly in restaurants and drinking establishments. This was followed by the retail trade sector with 22% of youth employment, then the educational and health care and social assistance sector with 7% of youth employment.

Percentage of teenagers (16-19) who are enrolled in school and working in the United States from 1985 to 2020

see chart at statista.com

Data overview of young worker deaths and injuries, United States

  • Deaths: 19 deaths of youth <18 years in 2022, 6 among youth <16 years.3
  • Nonfatal Injuries: There is not a single source of data for nonfatal injuries and illnesses. The following are data from a variety of systems.
    • Estimated 26,900 emergency department-treated injuries among 15-17 year-olds in 2022.A4
    • Estimated 17,270 injuries and illnesses requiring at least one day away from work among youth 15-17 years of age from 2021-2022.5
    • Estimated 4,036 work-related injuries of youth < 20 years of age on farms in 20146

Distribution of youth (<18 Years) work-related injuries and illnesses involving days away from work reported by private sector employers by industry sector, United States, 2020

This chart shows employer-reported work-related injuries and illnesses among youth that required at least a day away from work by industry sector in 2020.7 The industry sector with the largest numbers of injured youth was the leisure and hospitality sector, accounting for 42% of reported injuries and illnesses among youth, with most of these injuries and illnesses in accommodations and food services. The retail trade sector had the second highest frequency with 31% of reported injuries and illnesses among youth.

Fatality rates/100,000 fulltime equivalents (FTE) for 15-17 year-olds by year, United States

This graph shows work-related injury fatality rates for 15 to 17 year olds in the United States for the time period 1994 to 2020.B13 There is not a clear trend in these numbers, with rises and falls in youth fatality rates over the time period. The highest fatality rate, 3.8 deaths per 100,000 fulltime equivalents, were in the years 1995 and 1999. The lowest fatality rate, 1.3 deaths per 100,000 fulltime equivalents, was in 2017.

Rates of work-related injuries and illnesses treated in hospital emergency departments by year, 15-17 year-olds, United States

This graph shows rates for work-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses treated in emergency departments for 15 to 17 year olds in the United States for the time period 2005 to 2020.4 Rates were generally declining from 2005 to 2009, then variable for the next few years. The highest rate, 4.4 injuries and illnesses per 100 fulltime equivalents, was in 2005. The lowest rate, 1.6 injuries and illnesses per 100 fulltime equivalents, was in 2020.

Rates of work-related injuries and illnesses treated in emergency departments by age group, United States, 2020

This graph shows rates for work-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses treated in emergency departments by age group in the United States for 2020.4 The highest rate is seen for workers 18 to 24 years of age, with a rate of 2.3 injuries per 100 fulltime equivalents. The next highest rate is seen for workers 15 to 17 years of age, with a rate of 1.6 injuries per 100 fulltime equivalents. Rates decline for older age groups from a rate of 1.5 injuries per 100 fulltime equivalents for workers 25 to 34 years of age to a rate of 0.9 for workers 65 years and older.

Rates of work-related injuries reported by farm operators, 15-17 year-olds, United States

This graph shows rates of work-related injuries among 15 to 17 year olds reported by farm operators in the United States for 7 points in time between 1998 and 2014.6 Rates steadily declined from a high of 9.6 injuries per 1,000 youth working on farms in 1998 to 3.7 injuries per 1,000 youth working on farms in 2012, before showing an increase in 2014 to 5.6 injuries per 1,000 youth working on farms.

Fatality rates/100,000 fulltime equivalents (FTE) by age group, United States, 1994-2020

This graph shows work-related injury fatality rates by age groups ranging from 16-17 year-olds to workers 55 to 64 years of age in the United States for the time period 1994 to 2020.C8 The highest fatality rates are seen for workers 55 to 64 years of age, 5.0 deaths per 100,000 fulltime equivalents, followed by the rate for 45-54 year-olds, 3.9 deaths per 100,000 fulltime equivalents.

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Content Source:
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  1. NIOSH estimates that 1/3rd of work-related injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments
  2. additional information at U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
  3. additional information at BLS: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) – Current and BLS: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
  1. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey. NIOSH analyses using public microdata files.
  2. NIOSH analyses of Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey using the Employed Labor Force query system
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) TABLE A-7. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics and event or exposure, all United States, 2022 : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  4. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) – NIOSH Work Supplement – Work-Related Injury Statistics Query System.
  5. BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Biennial Case and Demographic Characteristics for Work-related Injuries and Illnesses Involving Days Away From Work, Restricted Activity, or Job Transfer : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  6. NIOSH Childhood Agricultural Injury Survey.
  7. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Workplace Injuries and Illnesses using Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject.
  8. Fatal injury totals and rates were generated by NIOSH researchers using the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and BLS Current Population Survey data