Methods: Using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) fatal occupational injury data from 2018 to 2023, we determined the states with the lowest and highest average fatal injury counts. We calculated and examined correlations between fatal injury rates and the percentage of foreign-born workers in the labor force, worker education levels, and worker English proficiency. We also assessed whether fatalities correlated with state-level wage policies and worker protections, using Oxfam’s Best and Worst States to Work Index. For analysis, we used t-tests and Pearson correlation.

Results: States with the lowest fatality rates had notably higher percentages of foreign-born workers in their labor force (p < 0.002) than states with the highest fatality rates. They also had higher percentages of both lower-educated (p < 0.02) and higher-educated (p < 0.0001) foreign-born workers, but there were no significant differences regarding English proficiency among foreign-born workers. While not statistically significant, the states with lowest fatality rates had better wage policies and worker protections.

Conclusions: Expected general trends were observed when comparing fatalities with wage policies and worker protections. However, there was an unexpected correlation between fewer fatalities and higher percentages of foreign-born workers. It is difficult to speculate why, as BLS does not provide state-level foreign-born fatality data. Regulatory agencies must ensure workers of all states are protected, and more detailed data from BLS would allow improved understanding of how to decrease fatalities.