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A comprehensive, data-driven look at the state of hospital and healthcare security — including workplace violence rates, financial costs, staffing challenges, and what administrators can do to protect their people.
Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing — but for the people who work in them, they've become some of the most dangerous workplaces in America. Violence against healthcare workers has reached crisis levels, with nurses, emergency physicians, and support staff facing assaults, threats, and verbal abuse on a near-daily basis.
This page compiles the most current and authoritative hospital security statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the CDC, and leading healthcare research organizations. Whether you're a hospital administrator, a facility manager, or a security professional, these numbers tell the story of why professional hospital security isn't optional — it's essential.
The numbers paint a stark picture. Healthcare is, by a wide margin, the industry most affected by workplace violence in the United States.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Share of nonfatal workplace violence injuries suffered by healthcare workers | 48% | CDC via CNN, 2024 |
| Healthcare workers as share of total U.S. workforce | 10% | CDC via CNN, 2024 |
| Nurses who experienced workplace violence in past year | 81.6% | National Nurses United, 2024 |
| Emergency physicians who've been victims of violence (or know one who has) | 91% | ACEP, 2024 |
| ER physicians who say violence is "worse than last year" | 71% | ACEP, 2024 |
To put this in perspective: healthcare workers represent just one in ten American workers, yet they endure nearly half of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries. No other industry comes close.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks "DART" cases — injuries serious enough to require days away from work, restricted duty, or job transfer. The healthcare sector's numbers dwarf every other industry:
The healthcare violence rate of 14.2 per 10,000 workers is nearly 5x the all-industry rate of 2.9. This isn't a niche problem — it's an industry-wide crisis.
While violence touches every department in a hospital, certain roles bear a disproportionate share of the burden.
The receptionist figure deserves particular attention. Front-desk staff face a prevalence range topping out higher than physicians', despite having no clinical training and typically no security training either. They are the first person an agitated visitor encounters — which is precisely why reception and front desk security is a higher-leverage intervention than its cost suggests.
Women bear the overwhelming brunt of nonfatal healthcare violence:
While most hospital violence is nonfatal, deadly incidents do occur:
The AHA's landmark report — published June 2025, measuring 2023 costs — quantified the financial burden of violence on U.S. hospitals for the first time at this scale, and the numbers are staggering.
| Cost Category | Annual Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total annual cost of violence to U.S. hospitals | $18.27 billion | AHA (pub. 2025, 2023 costs) |
| Post-event costs (treatment, workers' comp, turnover, litigation) | $14.65 billion | AHA |
| Pre-event prevention costs (security, training, environmental design) | $3.62 billion | AHA |
| Total U.S. hospital security spending | $4.7 billion | PMC/Grossman & Choucair, 2024 |
| Security spending specifically on violence prevention | $847 million | PMC/Grossman & Choucair, 2024 |
| Spending on specific environmental security measures | $185.2 million | AHA Report |
The critical takeaway: hospitals spend $3.62 billion trying to prevent violence, yet the $14.65 billion in post-event costs — four times higher — shows that current prevention measures aren't keeping up with the problem. Every dollar invested in better security has the potential to save four dollars in aftermath costs.
"Hospital administrators often tell us they didn't realize how severe the problem was until they saw the data. When we deploy security teams in healthcare facilities, the number one feedback from nurses and ER staff is simply: 'Thank you — we finally feel safe coming to work.' That reaction tells you everything about how bad it's gotten."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
The violence crisis in hospitals doesn't just harm individuals — it's accelerating the nationwide healthcare staffing shortage. Workers who are assaulted, threatened, or who witness violence develop lasting psychological effects that drive them out of the profession.
When 40% of your workforce is considering walking out the door because they don't feel safe, you don't have a security line item — you have a retention crisis that threatens patient care. At $61,110 per departing nurse, preventing even a handful of violence-driven resignations per year can offset the entire cost of a professional security program.
This is the framing that tends to land with hospital finance teams. Security is usually evaluated against a facilities budget, where it competes with equipment and maintenance. Evaluated against nursing turnover — a line item most hospitals already track closely and already consider a crisis — the math looks very different.
Violence doesn't just hurt staff — it affects patients. Anxiety, burnout, and turnover among clinical staff degrade continuity of care, increase reliance on temporary staffing, and reduce the experience level on any given shift. With 81% of affected healthcare workers reporting burnout (CDC via CENTEGIX), the downstream effect on care quality is a predictable consequence of an unaddressed security problem.
Hospitals are investing more in security than ever before — but the data suggests spending is still heavily skewed toward reaction rather than prevention.
The 18% figure is the one worth sitting with. Hospitals spend $4.7 billion on security, but fewer than one dollar in five is aimed at the problem causing the most harm. The rest goes to access control, theft prevention, and general premises protection — all necessary, none of it targeted at the violence driving $18.27 billion in annual cost.
Modern hospital security is a layered approach that combines people, technology, and process:
Hospital violence exists within a larger national context — and the national picture contains one finding that reframes everything on this page.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total fatal workplace injuries | 5,070 | 5,283 | ↓ 4.0% |
| Fatalities from violent acts | 733 | 740 | ↓ 0.9% |
| Workplace homicides | 470 | 458 | ↑ 2.6% |
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2024
American workplaces got safer in 2024 — except from other people. Total fatalities fell 4% as equipment, transportation, and fall-related deaths declined. Homicides rose 2.6%. Broad workplace safety programs are working. Violence prevention specifically is not keeping pace, and healthcare absorbs more of that failure than any other sector.
Healthcare's dominance in workplace violence statistics becomes even clearer when compared to other industries (BLS, 2021–2022):
For the full national picture, see our workplace violence statistics.
The data makes one thing clear: hospitals that invest in comprehensive, professional security programs see better outcomes for staff, patients, and their bottom line. Here's what the evidence supports:
Having trained, professional security officers on-site — particularly in emergency departments, psychiatric units, and parking areas — is the single most effective deterrent. Officers trained in healthcare-specific de-escalation can resolve situations before they turn violent.
Restricting and monitoring entry points reduces unauthorized access and gives staff early warning of potential threats. Modern access control systems integrate badge readers, visitor management, and real-time alerts.
Security cameras serve a dual purpose: deterring potential aggressors and providing evidence for investigations. CCTV monitoring is especially critical in parking lots, stairwells, and other low-visibility areas.
Hospitals need clear, practiced protocols for code responses — including duress alarms, lockdown procedures, and rapid response teams. Security risk assessments can identify gaps before incidents occur.
Receptionists show a violence prevalence range topping out above physicians', with none of the clinical or security training. They are the first contact point for every agitated visitor who walks in. Staffing and training that position properly is among the lowest-cost, highest-return moves available to a hospital security program.
"What we've seen at BSS is that hospitals need security officers who understand healthcare — not just access control, but patient de-escalation, HIPAA awareness, and the emotional dynamics of an ER at 2 AM. When you put the right trained officers in the right positions, incident rates drop dramatically. It's not about intimidation — it's about creating an environment where both patients and staff feel protected."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
Extremely common. Healthcare workers are 10% of the U.S. workforce but suffer 48% of all nonfatal workplace violence injuries. Healthcare and social assistance accounts for 72.8% of private-industry workplace violence cases at a rate of 14.2 per 10,000 full-time workers — nearly five times the all-industry rate of 2.9.
81.6% of nurses experienced at least one type of workplace violence in the past year, according to National Nurses United. Among emergency physicians, 91% have been a victim of violence or know a colleague who has, and 71% say violence is worse than the year before.
$18.27 billion annually across U.S. hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association. That breaks into $14.65 billion in post-event costs — treatment, workers' compensation, turnover, litigation — against only $3.62 billion in prevention spending, a 4:1 ratio of response to prevention.
Significantly. Nearly 2 in 5 healthcare workers have considered leaving their position because of workplace violence, and those who experience it report 85% anxiety, 60% depression, and 81% burnout. Replacing a single bedside registered nurse averages $61,110, which costs an average hospital between $3.9 million and $5.7 million per year.
U.S. hospitals spend roughly $4.7 billion annually on security, but only $847 million — 18% — is directed specifically at workplace violence prevention. The remainder covers access control, theft prevention, and general premises protection. Environmental security measures such as panic buttons and secure entries account for about $185.2 million per year.
Psychiatric aides face the highest measured rate of any occupation at 543.6 incidents per 10,000 full-time workers. Emergency department staff are also acutely exposed. Notably, receptionists and front-desk staff show a violence prevalence range of 15.1%–68.4% — topping out higher than physicians at 24.4%–59.3% — despite having neither clinical nor security training.
Trained security officers stationed where risk concentrates — emergency departments, psychiatric units, reception areas, and parking structures. Officers trained specifically in healthcare de-escalation can resolve situations before they turn violent, which general-purpose security personnel are not equipped to do. Effective programs layer that presence with access control, CCTV monitoring, duress alarms, and practiced emergency response protocols.
All statistics cited on this page are sourced from publicly available reports by government agencies, industry associations, and peer-reviewed publications. Fatality data is current through 2024; detailed nonfatal, industry, and demographic breakdowns reflect the BLS 2021–2022 workplace violence factsheet, the most recent published at that level of detail. AHA cost figures were published in June 2025 and measure 2023 costs. Data compiled September 2026.
Building Security Services provides trained, healthcare-specialized security officers for hospitals, clinics, and medical campuses across New York and New Jersey.
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