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How many officers die in the line of duty?

Law enforcement officers confront inherent risks in their daily duties. While the profession has unique challenges, it does not rank among the nation’s 10 deadliest jobs. But what does? And what are the biggest risks to officers? Here’s what the data says.

• One-hundred and eighteen law enforcement officers died in 2022, with a nearly equal split between 60 intentional, or felonious, killings and 58 accidental deaths. This is down from 2021 when felonious deaths hit a 25-year high (73).

  
  

• Most intentional officer killings were shootings. Six of 2022’s killings were unprovoked attacks on officers. The rest occurred during regular police activity, such as traffic stops or investigations.

  
  

• One common cause of accidental deaths is officers exiting a vehicle on a roadway, increasing the likelihood of being struck by other vehicles. Thirty-four accidental deaths in 2022 were from motor vehicle crashes.

  
  

• Despite the inherent dangers, the 2020 law enforcement fatality rate was 13.4 deaths per 100,000 officers, lower than such professions as fishing and hunting (132.1 deaths per 100,000 full-time people in the profession) and logging (91.7 per 100,000). Professions with death rates similar to law enforcement included mechanic and repair supervisors (14.4 per 100,000) and first-line supervisors of landscaping and groundskeeping workers (15.3 deaths per 100,000).

  
  

• This FBI data includes on-the-job deaths but doesn’t include work-related exposures that could lead to illness or death. The data excludes COVID-19, 9/11-related illnesses, and suicides.

See more on deaths in the line of duty, including how some agencies have reduced accidental deaths.

The US, China, and soybeans

China and the United States are global economic giants — jointly contributing over 42% to global GDP — and their intricate trade relationship influences international markets. USAFacts has the data on top exports to the nation and how that’s changed during the US-China trade war.  

• The US exported goods worth $2.1 trillion globally in 2022, with $154 billion going to China. The top export to China was $17.9 billion in soybeans.

• Soybeans accounted for 11.6% of all US goods sent to China. Integrated circuits used to manufacture electronic devices constituted 6.1%. Other top exports to China included blood and vaccines for medical and pharmaceutical purposes, cars and vehicles, and corn for food production and livestock feed.

  
  

• The two nations have been in a trade war since 2018, when the Office of the United States Trade Representative imposed tariffs on approximately $370 billion of Chinese imports after investigating China's trade practices. China retaliated with tariffs on $110 billion of US imports, including a 25% tariff on soybeans. Soybean exports to China dropped 75% that year but have since returned to pre-2018 levels.

  
  

• Overall American goods exports to China fell by 21.5% from $155.2 billion in 2017 to $121.9 billion in 2019, but grew to $163.6 billion by 2021.

Are soybeans as popular globally as they are in China? Get the data on the top US exports in 2022.  

Data behind the news

Cancer rates — colon and lung cancers in particular — are reportedly rising among younger adults. USAFacts covered this trend, including survival rates and deaths, in this article.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning about a salmonella outbreak linked to charcuterie meats. Salmonella is one of the most common foodborne illnesses; at least 10 people have been hospitalized for this recent outbreak.  

Last week, Senate and House congressional tax committee leaders announced a deal to expand the child tax credit. There’s no guarantee this deal will pass, however. Here’s how the child tax credit has changed over time.

Can you get a perfect score on the weekly fact quiz?

One last fact

The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers people who pay more than 30% of their income on housing to be housing-burdened. Nearly a third of homeowners in both California and Hawaii were housing-burdened in 2022. California had the largest share: 31.1%. West Virginia had the smallest share: 14.2% of homeowners.