Agricultural Safety: 2008 Injuries to 

Youth on Racial Minority-Operated 

ISSN: 2156-3454 Farms

Released August 5, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of 

Agriculture (USDA).

Injuries to Youth on Racial Minority-Operated Farms in the United States, 2000, 2003, 2008

In 2008, there were an estimated 86,834 farms operated by racial minorities in the United States, increasing 64 percent 

since 2000. Agriculture-related injuries to youth under 20 years of age on these farms have decreased from 12.4 injuries 

per 1,000 farms in 2000 to 6.0 injuries per 1,000 farms in 2008. In 2000, there were 654 injuries to youth who lived on, 

worked on, or visited a racial minority-operated farm in the U.S., compared to 627 injuries in 2003, and 516 injuries 

in 2008. These findings are based on a series of telephone surveys of racial minority-operated farms conducted by the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 

Farm operators were asked questions about injuries to youth less than 20 years of age that occurred on their farms in three 

separate surveys covering the years 2000, 2003, and 2008. An injury was defined as any condition occurring on the farm 

operation resulting in at least 4 hours of restricted activity or requiring professional medical attention.

Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years Old Living On Minority-Operated 

Farms - United States: 2000, 2003, and 2008

[Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups]

Year

Working and non-working youth

In-business 

farms1 Total youth2 Total youth per farm Total injuries3 Injuries per 1000 youth

Injuries per 

1000 farms

2000 52,907 533,682 10.1 654 1.2 12.4

2003 56,967 736,436 12.9 627 0.9 11.0

2008 86,834 819,877 9.4 516 0.6 6.0

Year

Working youth

In-business 

farms1 Working youth4 Working youth per farm Work injuries Injuries per 1000 youth

Injuries per 

1000 farms

2000 52,907 43,357 0.8 245 5.7 4.6

2003 56,967 45,739 0.8 228 5.0 4.0

2008 86,834 67,556 0.8 194 2.9 2.2

1 Estimated number of farms still in business based on the minority farm operator youth farm injury study.

2 Total youth population on minority-operated farms, including hired youth, visitors and relatives, whether working or non-working.

3 Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries.

4 Total working youth on minority-operated farms, including relatives.
For 2008, injuries most often occurred on farms operated by Native-Americans (9.4 injuries per 1,000 farms) and 

operators of Multiple Races (9.1 injuries per 1,000 farms). As shown in the following table, injuries per 1,000 farms for 

Native American and Multiple Race-operated farms were lower than seen in 2003. Injuries per 1,000 farms also decreased 

for Asian- and Black- operated farms. Comparisons of the 2003 and 2008 results to those found in 2000 for 

Multiple/Other Races cannot be made due to changes in the definition of these race categories.

Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years Old On Minority-Operated Farms by 

Race of the Farm Operator - United States: 2000, 2003, and 2008 

[Operators of Hispanic Descent could also have potentially been reported under any of the listed racial groups]

Working and non-working youth

Minority group Year Total youth2Total injuries3 Injuries per 1000 

youth

Injuries per 1000 

farms

Asian

2000 50,818 55 1.1 6.7

2003 70,154 35 0.5 3.7

2008 81,812 23 0.3 1.9

Black

2000 212,521 143 0.7 6.4

2003 322,676 89 0.3 3.1

2008 230,023 75 0.3 2.6

Native American

2000 154,373 321 2.1 27.8

2003 230,964 395 1.7 25.5

2008 372,666 314 0.8 9.4

Other/Multiple1

2000 115,970 133 1.1 12.3

2003 112,642 107 0.9 14.0

2008 135,376 110 0.8 9.1

Working youth

Minority group Year Working youth4 Work injuries Injuries per 1000 

Youth

Injuries per 1000 

farms

Asian

2000 5,970 14 2.3 1.7

2003 5,865 29 4.9 3.3

2008 3,453 5

Black

2000 12,526 58 4.6 2.6

2003 16,130 30 1.9 1.1

2008 13,856 36 2.6 1.2

Native American

2000 14,892 117 7.9 10.1

2003 17,094 126 7.4 8.7

2008 42,662 124 2.9 3.7

Other/Multiple1

2000 9,970 56 5.6 5.2

2003 6,649 44 6.6 6.1

2008 7,586 5

1 Data from 2000 not comparable to 2003 and 2008 because of changes in definition of "Other " and "Multiple" Races

2 Total youth population on minority-operated farms, including hired youth, visitors and relatives, whether working or non-working.

3 Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries.

4 Total working youth on minority-operated farms, including relatives.

5 Estimate is not reportable or is suppressed because of a non-reportable cell.
Youth living on the farm operation accounted for 421 injuries in 2000, 412 injuries in 2003, and 291 injuries in 2008. In 

each year hired youth experienced less than 10 percent of all injuries. In 2008 and 2003 males accounted for 60 percent 

and 62 percent of all injuries, and 72 percent of all injuries in 2000. Youth less than 10 years of age were the injured 

youth in 31 percent of events in 2000, 30 percent in 2003, and 28 percent in 2008. Youth 10-15 years of age accounted 

for most of the injuries in all three years. In 2000 youth 10 to 15 years of age incurred 284 injuries, decreasing to 

247 injuries in 2003 and 218 injuries in 2008. Youth aged 16 to 19 years incurred 159 injuries in 2000, 150 injuries 

in 2003, and 137 in 2008.

In each year, less than 40 percent of the childhood injuries occurring on these farm operations were classified as 

non-work-related. In 2000, 245 injuries (37 percent) were work-related while 228 injuries (36 percent) were work- related 

in 2003 and 194 injuries (37 percent) were reported to be work-related in 2008. In 2003 and 2008, approximately 

70 percent of all work-related injuries occurred to male youth, compared to 87 percent in 2000. Most work injuries were 

to youth 16 to 19 years of age; forty-three percent in 2000, 37 percent in 2003, and 48 percent in 2008.

Among youth living on the farm (household youth), males accounted for 70 percent of all injuries in 2000, 58 percent 

in 2003, and 61 percent in 2008. Most injured household youth were 10 to 15 years of age. Youth in this age range 

incurred 195 injuries (46 percent) in 2000, 160 injuries (39 percent) in 2003, and 126 injuries (43 percent) in 2008. 

Approximately 40 percent of injuries to youth living on the farm were work-related in each of these years: 245 workrelated injuries in 2000, 227 in 2003, and 192 in 2008.

NIOSH sponsored this survey to better understand the magnitude and scope of working agricultural-related injuries to 

youth on racial-minority operated farms. The survey was conducted as part of the NIOSH Childhood Agricultural Injury 

Prevention Initiative. For further information, contact John Myers, NIOSH, at (304) 285-6005 or Mark Gutierrez, 

USDA/NASS at (202) 690-2389.
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