Which Professions Show the Highest Suicide Rates

Recent U.S. vital statistics data show that workers in construction and extraction occupations record the highest suicide rates among major occupation groups.

The CDC analysis of 2021 data found male construction and extraction workers at 65.6 suicides per 100,000 and female workers at 25.3 per 100,000, exceeding rates in other broad categories such as farming, fishing, and forestry. These figures reflect both completed suicides and the occupational distribution of deaths rather than attempts alone.

Healthcare occupations and suicide patterns

Within healthcare, suicide risks vary by role. One Swedish registry study reported that assistant nurses carried the highest incidence rates for both suicide and suicide attempts, while psychiatrists among physicians showed the highest suicide risk. Physicians overall remain an at-risk group, with women in the profession facing particularly elevated rates compared with the general population.

A separate review of physician suicides noted that the rate has declined over time, especially in Europe, yet the profession continues to exceed general population benchmarks in many countries. U.S. estimates cited in labor reports indicate roughly one physician suicide per day, more than twice the rate seen in the broader population.

Older occupational rankings

Earlier UK data covering 1979–2001 placed veterinarians at the top of suicide rates, followed by pharmacists, dentists, doctors, and farmers. These rankings drew from death records and highlighted access to lethal means as one contributing factor in those fields.

Construction sector findings

Separate analysis of male suicide trends by occupation confirms construction workers as the group most likely to die by suicide, with the United States losing approximately five times as many construction workers to suicide as to workplace injuries. This pattern aligns with the CDC occupation-group data and points to ongoing exposure to physical demands, job instability, and limited mental-health resources.

Contributing factors across high-risk fields

Common elements in elevated-rate occupations include irregular hours, high physical or emotional demands, social isolation on job sites, and barriers to confidential care. In medicine, surveys show that 78 percent of physicians, residents, and medical students perceive stigma around seeking mental-health treatment, and nearly half know a colleague who considered, attempted, or died by suicide. Similar access and stigma issues appear in construction and farming.

Physician well-being reports also link administrative burden and loss of practice autonomy to burnout, with six in ten physicians reporting frequent burnout symptoms. Parallel pressures exist in other manual-trade and care-delivery roles.

Prevention considerations

Evidence-supported steps include reducing administrative loads, offering confidential counseling lines, revising licensure questions that deter help-seeking, and expanding peer-support programs. These measures have been rated helpful by majorities of surveyed physicians and residents. Broader occupational efforts focus on training supervisors to recognize distress and improving access to care without career penalties.

Sources

• Healthcare Occupations, Suicides, and Suicide Attempts - PMC
• High-risk occupations for suicide - PMC - NIH
• Suicide among physicians and health-care workers - PMC - NIH