Introduction

The number of deaths in the home increased 13% in 2021. The rate of preventable injury-related deaths occurring in or around the home has increased 320% since 1999. This rapid increase has erased the progress made over the last century. Between 1912 and 2019, the death rate has increased 38%, from 28 per 100,000 population in 1912 to 38.6 in 2021 (after adjusting for the 1948 classification change). In 1912, when there were 21 million households, an estimated 26,000 to 28,000 people were killed by preventable home-related injuries. In 2021, with 130 million households and triple the population, home-related deaths numbered 128,200. This increase in deaths is largely driven by increases in unintentional poisonings and falls.

Preventable Injuries and Injury-Related Deaths
in the Home, 2021

0

Deaths

0

Death rate per 100,000 population

  • Chart
  • Data Table

The injury total of 35,900,000 means that one person in nine in the United States experienced a medically consulted injury. The number of medically consulted injuries occurring in the home is greater than the total number of medically consulted injuries that occur in public places, the workplace, and motor-vehicle crashes combined.

Over half of the deaths occurring in the home are poisonings, totaling 82,600 deaths in 2021. The second leading cause was falls, resulting in 29,100 deaths, or nearly a quarter of all home deaths. No other cause accounted for more than 3% of the home deaths.

  • Chart
  • Data Table

Source: National Safety Council (NSC) estimates based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and state vital statistics departments.

See data details