The Most Dangerous Job In Iowa Is Not At All What You Would Expect

Who knew that being a postal worker was so precarious?

Apparently delivering the mail is the most dangerous job in Iowa, according to Zippia. The site ranked each state's most dangerous jobs and states to work in by taking OSHA's injury reports and dividing them by the number of people employed in each state. They also factored in the Bureau of Labor Statistic's rate of job fatalities, as well as the insurance Institute for Highway Safety's data on commuting fatalities.

We have a lot of farming in Iowa, so you might assume that the most dangerous job would maybe be something in that field, or possibly construction, but postal workers are the most likely to experience injuries on the job. I would imagine that has to do with the fact that they work mainly outside in the elements and can encounter hazards like speeding cars and overly aggressive pets.

The injury rate rank for Iowa is low on the list- 47 out of 50 states- but the death rate rank is fairly high at 20. Commuting also proves to be pretty dangerous for Iowans, as the state ranked at number 16. That number certainly must make Iowans with a long commute feel nervous.

Our neighbor Illinois' most dangerous job was a little bit more understandable- hospitals are the most hazardous for the Land of Lincoln. I can see anything in the healthcare field being risky, so that makes sense. Illinois is also pretty dangerous for commuters, with a number 9 ranking.

Check out the rest of the states here.