Wyoming Ranks Most Dangerous State for Workers With a 99.4 Risk Score, Study Finds
- Staff Reports Human Capital Leadership Review
- 55 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A new study from Anidjar & Levine found that Wyoming is the most dangerous state in the country for workers. It scored 99.4 out of 100 on the firm's new Worker Risk Index. Its 2024 fatality rate was 13.9 deaths per 100,000 workers.
The study ranked all 50 states. The gap is striking. Wyoming's fatality rate is more than four times the national rate of 3.3. Its 5-year average of 13.20 is the highest of any state in the top 10. Mississippi came in second at 89.8. Even that score sits nearly 10 points behind Wyoming.
Key Findings
Wyoming ranks first nationally with a Worker Risk Score of 99.4. Its 2024 fatality rate was 13.9 per 100,000 workers, more than four times the national rate of 3.3.
Wyoming recorded 37 workplace deaths in 2024, the highest fatality count among the top states.
Wyoming's 5-year average fatality rate is 13.20, also the highest in the top 10. This shows the risk isn't a one-year spike.
Wyoming's fatality rate climbed 0.74 points above its own 5-year average, a pattern that has held steady over time.
Mississippi ranks a distant second at 89.8, nearly 10 points behind Wyoming, followed by North Dakota at 84.7.
Top 10 Most Dangerous States for Workers:
Rank | State | Risk Score | 2024 Fatalities | 2024 Fatality Rate¹ | 5-Year Avg. Rate¹ | 5-Year Trend² |
1 | Wyoming | 99.4 | 37 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 0.74 |
2 | Mississippi | 89.8 | 94 | 8 | 5.78 | 1.04 |
3 | North Dakota | 84.7 | 28 | 6.8 | 7.98 | -0.33 |
4 | Arkansas | 84.5 | 79 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 0.33 |
5 | Montana | 84.5 | 31 | 5.8 | 6.34 | -0.13 |
6 | Alaska | 80.8 | 24 | 7.1 | 7.3 | -0.6 |
7 | Idaho | 80.6 | 45 | 5 | 4.44 | 0.39 |
8 | West Virginia | 79.6 | 40 | 5.8 | 6.54 | 0.15 |
9 | Iowa | 77.3 | 83 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 0.5 |
10 | South Dakota | 74.7 | 29 | 5.8 | 5.64 | -0.44 |
Why This Matters Now
Wyoming isn't just at the top of this list; it's in a category of its own. Its fatality rate of 13.9 per 100,000 workers is more than four times the national average of 3.3. No other state in the top 10 comes close to that gap.
The kind of work people do in Wyoming helps explain why. The state's economy relies heavily on mining, agriculture, construction, and transportation, exactly the industries that increase risk. Higher-risk jobs make up a much larger share of employment in states like Wyoming than in the safest states nationwide.
The trend line matters too. Wyoming's fatality rate has climbed 0.74 points above its own 5-year average, and its 5-year average of 13.20 is already the highest of any state in the top 10. This isn't a one-year spike. It's a pattern that's held steady and worsened over time.
The national picture is improving. The U.S. fatality rate fell to 3.3 per 100,000 workers in 2024, with 5,070 total workplace deaths. But Wyoming shows that progress isn't reaching every state equally. For workers there, the job is still far more dangerous than almost anywhere else in the country.
The Regional Divide
Zoom out from Wyoming, and a bigger pattern comes into focus. The 10 riskiest states aren't scattered randomly across the map. Four sit in the West, three in the South, and three in the Midwest. The Northeast doesn't have a single state in the group.
That split shows up in the numbers too. The 10 highest-risk states average 6.96 workplace deaths per 100,000 workers. The 10 lowest-risk states average just 2.17. Workers in the riskiest states face roughly three times the danger of workers in the safest ones.
Part of this comes down to what people actually do for work. States with heavier concentrations of construction, mining, agriculture, and transportation jobs tend to land near the top. These are physically demanding industries by nature, and they cluster geographically in ways that line up closely with the rankings.
The Formula: Worker Risk Score = (Current Fatality Rate × 0.40) + (Persistent Fatality Rate × 0.20) + (Occupational Mix × 0.20) + (Recent Trend × 0.10) + (Self-Employment × 0.10)
Each component is scaled to its own 0–100 index before the weights are applied, so no single raw measure, like deaths per 100,000, skews the score on its own. The weighted values are then summed to produce the final 0–100 Worker Risk Score for each state.
About the Study: Anidjar & Levine built the Worker Risk Index by combining current workplace fatality rates, five-year average rates, recent trends, occupational mix, and self-employment exposure across all 50 states. The team also reviewed dangerous occupations, wage data, age groups, and employment patterns to identify where workers face the greatest risk and why.
