Where Are You Most Likely to Be Killed by An Animal?
1,844 Americans have been killed by animals since 2018 – and over 12% of those deaths occurred in Texas. In fact, Texas experienced the same amount of animal-related deaths as the 15 bottom-ranking states combined. Other States with disproportionately high numbers of people killed by animals include California (6.9 % of the US total) and Florida (6%).
States with the Most Animal Deaths
State | Animal Deaths Since 2018 |
| Texas | 225 |
| California | 128 |
| Florida | 112 |
| Tennessee | 72 |
| North Carolina | 71 |
Strikingly, Texas has an unremarkable all-cause mortality death rate. The state currently experiences roughly 761.9 deaths per 100,000 – only very slightly higher than the average across states (748.3). Compare this to Mississippi, which has a death rate of 985.6 per 100,000 – yet has more than 7x fewer animal-related deaths.
There are many states where you are extremely unlikely to be killed by an animal. Nebraska, New Hampshire and South Dakota each boast slightly more than 0.5% of the US total, and there are 13 States that each account for less than 1% of all animal-related deaths.
States with the Fewest Animal Deaths
State | Animal Deaths Since 2018 |
| Nebraska | 10 |
| New Hampshire | 10 |
| South Dakota | 10 |
| Alaska | 11 |
| Massachusetts | 12 |
While many people fear sharks, snakes and spiders, the data suggest these are not actually the biggest threats to human life. You are more than twice as likely to die from contact with a nonvenomous insect or arthropod than from snake venom; dogs kill more than 8x more people than spiders; and you are over 14x more likely to be killed by a hornet, wasp or bee than snake venom.
Most Common Causes of Animal-Related Death
Cause of Death | Animal Deaths Since 2018 |
| Venom of arthropods [excluding spiders] | 614 |
| Bitten or struck by mammals [excluding dogs or rats] | 519 |
| Contact with hornets, wasps and bees | 501 |
| Bitten or struck by dog | 438 |
| Bitten or stung by nonvenomous insect and other nonvenomous arthropods | 81 |
Taken together, these findings have interesting implications for insurers. Few people would guess that Texas has such a disproportionately high volume of animal-related deaths – or that dogs kill so many more people than snakes. But these are matters of statistical fact, and may be considered when calculating the costs of insurance.
“We believe these findings shed light on often underestimated risks and offer valuable insights for both individuals and insurers alike. Understanding these nuances is crucial for ensuring accurate risk assessment and providing adequate coverage.” – Max Coupland, CEO at Insuranceopedia
Our Methodology
These findings are based on data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) covering 2018 until the present day. We analyzed the raw data to determine the states with the highest instances of humans being killed by animals, as well as ranking the most common causes of death.
While the data is highly reliable, it is important to note that some causes of death have been excluded from the findings as they do not meet the CDCP’s confidentiality standard. These include deaths related to certain reptiles and marine life.
Disclaimer: we extracted only causes that detailed animals specifically, any causes that didn’t directly cite the animal of cause were not included. Equally, all statistics representing one through nine (1-9) persons are suppressed, in the provisional mortality online database for years 2018 and later.
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