More people died at work in Texas in 2024 than in any other state, data shows

June is National Safety Month, and workplace fatalities remain a serious issue despite declining over the years. In preliminary data published last November, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported just 826 workplace fatalities in 2024 — a drop from 928 in 2023. However, this number does not include deaths that did not fall under OSHA's jurisdiction.

Data also shows that some states see more of these tragedies than others, according to Everly Life. Everly Life markets itself as a "modern insurance company that focuses on flexibility and customization to fit individual lifestyles." The company recently created a comprehensive analysis of workplace fatalities by state, using 2024 OSHA records "to expose the dangerous reality facing American workers today."

"The stark truth is that where you work in America could determine whether you make it home alive," Mariah Bliss, a life insurance expert at Everly Life, says. "From oil rig explosions in Texas to construction site falls in California, workplace deaths continue to devastate families across the nation."

Unfortunately, Everly Life's analysis prompts alarming workplace concerns for the Lone Star State. Here's what the data shows.

Texas had most workplace fatalities in 2024: 'Safety can get pushed aside'

Among all 50 states, Texas had the most fatal work injuries last year, with 58 workplace deaths. Everly Life suggests this number can be attributed to the state's "outsized energy, construction and logistics sectors, where high-risk tasks meet rapid economic expansion. A boom in small subcontractors, many operating on thin margins, also means uneven compliance with OSHA rules."

"Texas is dealing with a lot of dangerous work happening fast," Bliss explains. "When you have oil rigs, major construction projects, and small contractors all trying to keep up with demand, safety can get pushed aside."

Following Texas in workplace fatalities is California, with the nation's largest labor force and year-round building activity. Everly Life notes that the state's safeguards, such as stronger OSHA enforcement and heat-illness standards, keep fatal work injuries lower than they may have been otherwise. Florida claimed the third-most workplace fatalities in 2024, marked by "hurricane-driven construction surges, agricultural exposure to extreme heat, and a transient labor pool that is harder to reach with training."

"When you look at Texas, California, and Florida together, that's 152 families who lost someone at work [last] year," Bliss says. "These weren't freak accidents — they were preventable deaths that happened because the right safety measures weren't in place."

LIST: Top 10 states with most workplace fatalities in 2024

The top three states with the most workplace fatalities last year are also the three most populous: However, Texas' fatalities exceeded California's despite having fewer residents. In fact, all of the top 10 states with the most workplace fatalities also had the top 10 highest populations, with the exception of Virginia. New York, the state with the fourth-most residents, did not have has many fatalities as other other populous states; however, it had third-highest reports of workplace illnesses in 2024.

1. Texas: 58
2. California: 54
3. Florida: 40
4. Pennsylvania: 33
5. North Carolina: 30
6. Georgia: 29
7. Illinois: 28
8. Ohio: 28
9. Virginia: 27
10. Michigan: 24

LIST: Top 10 states with least workplace fatalities in 2024

On the other end of the spectrum, many of the states with the fewest workplace fatalities in 2024 also had the least residents. New Mexico, West Virginia and Hawaii are exceptions; and, despite having low populations, Alaska, South Dakota and Maine had more workplace fatalities.

"New Mexico proves that even in dangerous industries, you can get workplace deaths down to zero," Bliss says. "[The state has] shown that when you invest in the right safety programs and actually enforce them, lives get saved."

"The difference between New Mexico with zero deaths and Texas with 58 isn't luck — it's policy," Bliss continues. "These low-fatality states prove that workplace deaths aren't inevitable. When governments and businesses take safety seriously, workers go home alive."

1. New Mexico: 0
2. North Dakota: 1
3. New Hampshire: 1
4. Rhode Island: 1
5. Vermont: 1
6. Montana: 2
7. West Virginia: 2
8. Wyoming: 2
9. Delaware: 3
10. Hawaii: 4

*This analysis used data reported to federal safety authorities and thus excludes fatalities that were not reported to OSHA.