Updated: July 29, 2026
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U.S. homes account for over half of all preventable injury-related deaths. In 2023, 125,700 people died from preventable home accidents, according to the National Safety Council. Poisoning is the leading cause, followed by falls, choking, mechanical suffocation and extreme temperatures.
Adults 75 and older have the highest death rate of any age group, at 124 per 100,000. West Virginia's rate of 123 per 100,000 is nearly triple Nebraska's and Utah's rate of 45.
*Per 100,000 population
Deaths fell slightly from 2022's all-time high of 128,800 to 125,700 in 2023, with a rate of 37.5 per 100,000.
Home fatalities account for over half of all preventable injury-related deaths each year. That share rose from 56% in 2000 to 73% in 2020.
Home deaths surged in 2001 (14%), 2005 (11%) and 2016 (14%). The 21% increase in 2020 was the largest single-year jump on record.
Preventable injuries and fatalities are deaths or injuries caused by unintentional, avoidable incidents. Falls, poisonings and drownings from everyday hazards qualify. Deaths from natural causes, illnesses or intentional actions like suicide don't.
Poisoning was the leading cause of preventable home fatalities in 2023, with 77,000 deaths. Falls resulted in 32,000 deaths.
Fires, flames and smoke caused 3,100 deaths, while choking caused 3,000 deaths. Mechanical suffocation caused 1,600 fatalities, and drowning accounted for 1,400 deaths. Natural heat and cold claimed 1,200 lives, and firearms caused 400 deaths.
Poisoning and falls combined accounted for 86.8% of all home accident fatalities. The remaining causes each contributed less than 3%: fires, flames and smoke (2.5%), choking (2.4%), mechanical suffocation (1.3%) and drowning (1.1%). Natural heat and cold (1%) and firearms (0.3%) were the least common causes.
Poisoning caused 77,000 home deaths in 2023, the leading cause across three age groups: 95% of deaths among adults aged 25 to 44, 92% for those aged 15 to 24 and 83% for those aged 45 to 64. Poisoning incidents include drug overdoses, alcohol poisoning and carbon monoxide exposure.
Cleaning supplies like bleach, detergents and other chemicals are fatal if ingested. Paint and pesticides carry the same risk. Store these products in locked cabinets away from children.
Falls were the leading cause of home deaths for adults aged 65 to 74, at 36% of fatalities, and for those 75 and older, where they accounted for 78%.
Toys, walkers and poorly placed rugs cause most trips, with bathrooms and stairs the most common locations. Grab bars in bathrooms and nonslip mats on stairs reduce falls at the two most common locations for older adults.
Choking accounted for 5% of home fatalities among adults 65 and older and 4% for children under 14.
Small objects and large pieces of food are the main hazards for young children. Supervising children at meals and encouraging older adults to eat slowly cut choking rates in both groups. The Heimlich maneuver is the primary first-aid response for a blocked airway.
Cooking accidents, unattended stoves and electrical faults caused 3,100 home deaths in 2023. Tipped candles and improperly extinguished cigarettes are also common ignition sources.
Smoke inhalation kills before visible flames become a threat; toxic fumes can incapacitate within minutes. Smoke detectors and a kitchen fire extinguisher cut fire-related deaths at home.
Mechanical suffocation caused 1,600 home fatalities in 2023 and is the leading cause of death for children under four, at 52% of fatalities in that age group.
Common hazards include window blind cords, plastic bags, refrigerator entrapment and confined spaces. Remove window blind cords and plastic bags from play areas. Childproof refrigerators and any confined spaces children can access.
Drowning led to 1,400 home deaths in 2023; children under four had the highest share at 17% of fatalities in that age group. Most incidents occurred in homes with unfenced pools.
Bathtubs and hot tubs are also dangerous when children are unsupervised. Pool fencing and adult supervision during any water activity prevent most drowning deaths at home.
Extreme temperatures caused 1,200 preventable home deaths in 2023, with older adults at the highest risk. Heat deaths are linked to dehydration and prolonged sun exposure; cold deaths cluster in poorly heated homes, where hypothermia develops gradually.
Both risks are highest for older adults in homes without air conditioning or dependable heat. Ventilation cuts heat deaths; consistent heating in winter prevents cold ones.
Firearms caused 400 preventable home deaths in 2023. Adults aged 25 to 44 had the highest count at 100 deaths, followed by the 15-to-24 and 45-to-64 groups at 70 deaths each. Most incidents involved unsecured firearms accessed by children or other household members.
Storing firearms unloaded in locked cabinets, with ammunition kept separately, reduces accidental deaths. Households with children have a higher rate of accidental firearm deaths.
The remaining causes each accounted for less than 3% of total home fatalities in 2023. Firearm-related deaths were the lowest tracked cause at 400.
In 2023, adults aged 25 to 44 (36,000 deaths), 45 to 64 (38,100 deaths) and 75 and older (30,400 deaths) accounted for 84% of all preventable home deaths.
Adults 75 and older represented a smaller share of total deaths than the 25-to-64 cohort, yet their death rate of 124 per 100,000 was higher than that of any other age group.
For newborns and children up to age 14, mechanical suffocation is the leading cause, with 1,190 fatalities in 2023. Drowning follows with 730 deaths.
Poisoning, including drug overdoses, was the leading cause of death in the 15-to-64 age group at 91,970 deaths, about 90% of all fatalities in that range. Falls (4,820 deaths) and drowning (2,280 deaths) rank second and third.
Falls were the leading cause of death among adults 65 and older, with 41,230 fatalities in 2023, or over three-quarters of all deaths in that group.
The average fall for an older adult costs more than $62,000 in medical expenses. Fires caused $14.7 billion in property damage in 2023.
A $20 smoke detector protects against fire; a $50 grab bar prevents falls. Personal liability coverage applies when a guest is injured in your home.
In 2023, West Virginia reported the highest preventable injury-related death rate at 123 per 100,000 population, followed by Tennessee (97) and New Mexico (96). Falls and poisonings were the top causes in those states. Nebraska (45), Utah (45) and Texas (50) reported the lowest rates.
State | Preventable Death Rate |
|---|---|
Alabama | 70.8 |
Alaska | 93.1 |
Arizona | 82.2 |
Arkansas | 63.3 |
California | 54.4 |
Colorado | 71.2 |
Connecticut | 62.4 |
Delaware | 84.0 |
Florida | 74.4 |
Georgia | 57.5 |
Hawaii | 56.4 |
Idaho | 63.1 |
Illinois | 57.8 |
Indiana | 66.5 |
Iowa | 57.8 |
Kansas | 62.7 |
Kentucky | 89.4 |
Louisiana | 88.3 |
Maine | 93.4 |
Maryland | 59.2 |
Massachusetts | 63.8 |
Michigan | 61.1 |
Minnesota | 65.0 |
Mississippi | 80.9 |
Missouri | 74.5 |
Montana | 67.2 |
Nebraska | 45.0 |
Nevada | 78.4 |
New Hampshire | 72.8 |
New Jersey | 50.7 |
New Mexico | 96.2 |
New York | 54.5 |
North Carolina | 74.6 |
North Dakota | 54.9 |
Ohio | 79.7 |
Oklahoma | 85.4 |
Oregon | 86.0 |
Pennsylvania | 73.0 |
Rhode Island | 75.4 |
South Carolina | 87.9 |
South Dakota | 58.4 |
Tennessee | 96.7 |
Texas | 49.9 |
Utah | 45.2 |
Vermont | 87.3 |
Virginia | 59.1 |
Washington | 79.8 |
West Virginia | 122.9 |
Wisconsin | 81.9 |
Wyoming | 64.4 |
*Preventable death rate per 100,000 population
Source: National Safety Council
The preventable injury-related home death rate fell slightly in 2023 to 66.5 per 100,000, down from 68.1 in 2022.
Poisoning was the leading cause in most states. West Virginia had the highest poisoning rate at 78 per 100,000, followed by Alaska and Tennessee at 50 each. Drug misuse and chemical exposure drove those states' high rates.
Wisconsin had the highest fall-related death rate at 33 per 100,000; Alabama had the lowest at six. The choking death rate was three per 100,000 in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Alaska and Mississippi. Maine and Wyoming reported no choking deaths in 2023.
A home accident is any unintentional injury or death that occurs within or around a home. Common examples include falls, poisonings, drownings and mechanical suffocation.
In 2023, an estimated 175,300 preventable deaths occurred within home premises or communities, 79% of all preventable injury-related deaths. Home and community deaths rose 78% over the past decade; the death rate per 100,000 people climbed 69% over the same period.
Poisoning incidents involving cleaning materials or medications cluster in kitchens, bathrooms and garages. Falls are most common on stairs and in bathrooms. Most drowning deaths occur in pools and bathtubs. Choking happens most in dining and living rooms.
Nonslip mats and stair strips reduce fall risk. Carbon monoxide alarms cut gas exposure deaths. Store detergents and chemicals out of children's reach; poisoning accounted for 77,000 home deaths in 2023.
Poisoning is the leading cause of home deaths among adults aged 25 to 44, mainly from drug overdoses or improper handling of household chemicals. It accounts for about 61% of all preventable home deaths.
Falls are the leading cause for adults 75 and older. Mechanical suffocation is the top cause for children under five.
All 125,700 home deaths tracked by the National Safety Council in 2023 were unintentional. They accounted for about 57% of all preventable injury-related deaths that year. When deaths in nearby communities are included, the share rose to 79%.
The 45-to-64 age group accounts for the largest proportion of home fatalities at 30% of preventable injury-related deaths. Adults aged 75 and older have the highest death rate at 124 deaths per 100,000 population, largely due to falls.
Slips and falls, poisoning, burns and cuts are the most common household injuries. Falls are most common among older adults; poisoning usually involves medications or household chemicals. Burns and cuts are most common in kitchen accidents.
Homeowners insurance covers repair costs and liability expenses from household accidents.
Nathan Paulus is the Senior Director of Content and SEO at MoneyGeek, where he leads content strategy and produces original data research across insurance, consumer costs, transportation safety, housing, public policy and personal finance. He also reviews published studies for methodology, source quality and factual accuracy before they reach readers.
Research and Analysis
In more than six years at MoneyGeek, Nathan has published more than 100 original studies and explanatory guides. His insurance research includes 50-state comparisons of health care outcomes, costs and access, plus an analysis of how uninsured rates track with state Medicaid expansion decisions and electoral patterns. He has analyzed full coverage auto rates across major insurers in all 50 states and tracked how premium trends relate to industry underwriting losses. The analysis draws on combined ratio data from Fitch Ratings and AM Best, plus Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI figures. Beyond insurance, his work spans vehicle pricing trends across the U.S. new car market, summer traffic fatality rates by state, homeowner underinsurance ratios using mortgage and policy data, and housing affordability across all 50 states.
His research has been cited by Bloomberg, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Fast Company, the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today and NBC Los Angeles. Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Yale have referenced his work.
Career
Nathan traces his interest in personal finance back to his grandmother, who ran her household on a simple rule: spend less than you make and save the difference before anything else. That rule shows up in his work today. His writing skips jargon and complex strategy in favor of the basics that help someone living paycheck to paycheck.
He joined MoneyGeek in July 2020 as Director of Content Marketing, where he led the content team and oversaw data journalism production across insurance and personal finance verticals. A promotion to Head of Marketing and Communications followed in December 2023. The new role added digital PR and communications strategy to his scope. He has held his current position, Head of Content and SEO, since January 2025.
Before MoneyGeek, Nathan served as Director of Content Marketing and SEO at Ventrix Advertising, where he helped build two content sites from scratch, contributed to link-building programs that generated more than 1,500 unique referring domains within a year and co-managed a marketing team of more than 20 people. Two and a half years at ABUV Media preceded that role. He advanced from Marketing Research Analyst to Senior Marketing Tactics Analyst, where he developed skills in audience research, content strategy and SEO.
