Workers' Comp Insurance by Industry
Workers' comp rates vary significantly by industry. Find your industry below to see relevant class codes, average rates, and state-by-state comparisons.
Office & Professional
Workers' compensation for office-based businesses including law firms, accounting practices, tech companies, and professional services. These roles carry minimal physical risk, resulting in some of the lowest WC rates in the industry. How low still depends on the state and the exact class code.
Restaurants & Food Service
Workers' compensation for restaurants, bars, cafes, catering companies, and fast-food establishments. Kitchen staff face burns, cuts, and slips while servers risk falls and repetitive strain injuries. Rates sit well above office codes, making food service a moderately high-risk industry for WC.
Construction
Workers' compensation for construction trades including carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, roofing, masonry, and general contracting. Construction consistently carries some of the highest WC rates due to severe injury risks from falls, power tools, and heavy equipment. Rates vary widely by trade and by state.
Healthcare
Workers' compensation for medical offices, clinics, hospitals, home health agencies, nursing homes, and mental health programs. Healthcare workers face risks from patient handling, needlestick injuries, and exposure to infectious disease. Rates run from low for physician offices to several times higher for nursing home and hospital staff.
Automotive
Workers' compensation for auto repair shops, body shops, dealerships, auto recycling yards, and auto parts stores. Mechanics and technicians face injury risks from heavy equipment, hydraulic lifts, chemicals, and repetitive motions. Rates vary with the specific operation and the state.
Real Estate & Property
Workers' compensation for property management companies, building owners, and real estate operations. Employees performing building maintenance, janitorial duties, and minor repairs face moderate risks from ladders, cleaning chemicals, and equipment. Rates generally sit between office codes and the construction trades.
Transportation & Trucking
Workers' compensation for trucking companies, towing and roadside assistance businesses, delivery services, bus operators, bus garages, taxicab companies, and air carriers. Drivers and garage employees face high risks from vehicle accidents, loading and unloading cargo, and vehicle maintenance work. Rates are among the highest across all industries.
Retail
Workers' compensation for retail stores, grocery stores, hardware stores, furniture stores, and wholesale operations. Retail employees face moderate risks from lifting, stocking shelves, operating equipment, and slips and falls. Rates generally sit in the moderate range, above office codes but well below construction.
Services
Workers' compensation for service-oriented businesses including janitorial, landscaping, building maintenance, and fitness centers. Risk levels vary significantly within this group, from moderate chemical exposure in cleaning to physical strain in landscaping. Rates vary just as widely, by class code and by state.
Manufacturing
Workers' compensation for manufacturing operations including machine shops, tool manufacturing, and welding. Workers face significant risks from heavy machinery, metal fabrication equipment, and repetitive motions. Manufacturing is among the higher-rated categories for WC.
Agriculture
Workers' compensation for farms, nurseries, florists, and tree-care operations. Agricultural workers face risks from heavy equipment, chemical pesticides, repetitive manual labor, and outdoor weather exposure. Rates vary widely by operation type, with tree pruning and farm labor rated well above nursery employees.
Technology
Workers' compensation for technology companies including software development and IT services. Tech employees primarily work at desks or in office environments, resulting in very low injury rates. WC rates for technology businesses are among the lowest available.
Education
Workers' compensation for schools, colleges, universities, and educational institutions. Professional educators face relatively low physical risk, though some exposure exists from classroom activities, laboratory work, and campus duties. Rates are generally low and vary by institution type.
Hospitality
Workers' compensation for hotels, motels, resorts, and lodging establishments. Hospitality workers face risks from housekeeping duties, maintenance tasks, laundry operations, and guest services. Rates typically reflect the moderate physical demands across front-desk and back-of-house roles.