X
A comprehensive look at workplace violence in the United States — covering fatal and nonfatal incidents, high-risk industries, demographic patterns, healthcare violence, and how professional security can reduce risk.
Workplace violence is one of the most serious — and often underappreciated — safety challenges facing American businesses. From fatal shootings in retail stores to assaults on healthcare workers to threats against office employees, workplace violence affects every industry and every type of facility.
For property managers, HR directors, and business owners, understanding the scope of this problem is the first step toward building an effective prevention strategy. The statistics below, drawn from OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American Hospital Association, and other authoritative sources, provide a data-driven foundation for that effort.
Workplace fatalities due to violence remain a persistent problem, even as overall workplace safety has improved in many other categories.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total fatal workplace injuries (2023) | 5,283 (3.5 per 100,000 FTE) | BLS CFOI via OSHA |
| Fatalities due to violent acts (2023) | 740 | BLS CFOI via OSHA |
| Workplace homicides (2023) | 458 (61.9% of violent acts; 8.7% of all fatalities) | BLS CFOI via OSHA |
| Workplace homicides (2022) | 524 (+8.9% from 481 in 2021) — series high since 2011 | BLS |
| Homicides from gunshot wounds (2022) | 435 (83%) of all workplace homicides | BLS |
| Homicides while tending retail | 24.6% occurred in retail establishments | BLS |
The 2022 figure of 524 workplace homicides represented the highest annual total since the BLS began tracking the current series in 2011. While the number declined to 458 in 2023, the scale remains alarming: that's roughly one workplace homicide every 19 hours.
Firearms dominate these incidents, accounting for 83% of workplace homicides. This has direct implications for security planning — particularly around visitor screening, access control systems, and the training of security personnel in threat detection and de-escalation.
Nearly 1 in 4 workplace homicides (24.6%) occurred while the victim was tending a retail establishment (BLS). This makes retail security not just a loss-prevention measure but a life-safety necessity.
For every fatal workplace violence incident, there are hundreds of nonfatal assaults, threats, and intimidation events:
The DART metric is particularly important because it captures incidents serious enough to require time off or job modifications. At 57,610 cases over a two-year period, workplace violence is causing real, measurable harm to workers and real, measurable cost to employers.
Women bear a disproportionate burden of nonfatal workplace violence:
This disparity is largely driven by the high concentration of women in healthcare and social assistance — the industry with the highest workplace violence rate by far.
Workplace violence is not evenly distributed across industries. Some sectors face dramatically higher risk:
| Industry/Occupation | DART Cases (2021–2022) | Rate per 10,000 FTE |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare & social assistance | 41,960 (72.8% of all cases) | 14.2 |
| Educational services | 3,300 | 8.4 |
| Service occupations (total) | 25,320 | 7.4 |
| Psychiatric aides (highest single occupation) | — | 543.6 |
Source: BLS — Workplace Violence 2021–2022 Factsheet
The numbers are stark: healthcare and social assistance accounts for nearly three-quarters of all private-industry workplace violence. The rate of 14.2 per 10,000 FTE is nearly 5 times the overall private industry rate. Psychiatric aides face the single highest rate at an extraordinary 543.6 per 10,000 FTE.
Educational services rank second at 8.4 per 10,000 FTE, reflecting the violence that teachers, administrators, and support staff face in school environments.
Protective service occupations — including security guards — had the highest number of workplace homicides of any occupational group: 121 homicides in 2022 (BLS). This underscores the critical importance of proper training, equipment, supervision, and staffing levels for security officers.
Violence against healthcare workers has reached crisis levels, with data from multiple sources painting a deeply concerning picture:
Violence doesn't just injure workers — it drives them out of the profession entirely:
For hospitals and healthcare facilities, professional hospital security is no longer optional — it's a workforce retention strategy.
"We've seen the demand for hospital security increase dramatically over the past few years. Emergency departments, behavioral health units, and even reception areas are seeing more aggressive incidents. Our officers are trained specifically for healthcare environments — de-escalation, patient rights, HIPAA awareness — because hospital security isn't the same as building security. The stakes are different."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
Workplace violence does not affect all workers equally. Understanding demographic patterns helps employers target prevention efforts where they're needed most.
The racial disparity in fatal workplace violence is particularly concerning. Black workers are victims of workplace homicide at a rate nearly 3x their representation in the overall workforce. This data point should inform diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations around workplace safety — and underscores the importance of providing equitable security coverage across all workplaces and communities.
Workplace violence carries staggering financial costs, particularly in the healthcare sector:
| Cost Category | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total annual cost to U.S. hospitals | $18.27 billion | AHA (2025) |
| Post-event costs (response, recovery) | $14.65 billion | AHA |
| Pre-event prevention spending | $3.62 billion | AHA |
| Hospital security spending (total) | $4.7 billion | Grossman & Choucair (PMC) |
| Spent directly on violence prevention | $847 million (18%) | Grossman & Choucair (PMC) |
| Security measures (environmental mods) | $185.2 million/year | AHA Report |
The cost imbalance is striking: hospitals spend $3.62 billion on prevention but face $14.65 billion in post-event costs. That's a 4:1 ratio of response to prevention, suggesting that significantly increasing investment in proactive security measures — including professional hospital security officers — could yield substantial returns.
The data points to a clear conclusion: workplace violence is widespread, costly, and disproportionately impacts certain industries and demographics. But it is also preventable — or at least reducible — with the right combination of security measures, training, and organizational culture.
Effective workplace violence prevention requires a multi-layered approach:
"Workplace violence prevention isn't just about having a guard at the door — though that matters. It's about creating layers of security: access control, visitor management, trained officers who can de-escalate, surveillance that provides situational awareness, and communication systems that connect everyone in an emergency. That's the approach we build for every client, whether it's a hospital, a corporate office, or a retail store."
— Amanda DeAlmeida, Executive Vice President, Building Security Services
Building Security Services provides trained security officers for hospitals, offices, retail locations, and commercial buildings. Our officers are trained in de-escalation, access control, and emergency response.
Get a Free Security Assessment →All statistics are sourced from official government data (OSHA, BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses), the American Hospital Association, and peer-reviewed research. DART (Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred) cases represent the most serious nonfatal incidents. All figures are the most recent available as of February 2026.
Data-driven insights across every area of the security industry.