From 2007 to 2017, more than 4,500 people were killed by dog bites in the United States, averaging about 411 deaths per year, so let’s dig into what the data reveals about who is most affected, where injuries happen, and the true cost to health systems and communities.
Key Takeaways
- 2007–2017: 4,500+ people were killed by dog bites in the United States during 11 years, averaging about 411 deaths per year
- 2019: 27% of persons who died from dog bites in the United States were 20–39 years old
- 2017–2021: 78% of dog-bite deaths in the United States involved male decedents
- 2005–2013: annual U.S. direct medical costs of dog-bite injuries averaged about $1.2 billion
- 2005–2013: annual U.S. direct medical costs of dog-bite injuries ranged up to about $1.6 billion depending on year
- 2013: estimated U.S. lifetime costs per dog-bite injury were about $1,000 on average
- 2017: 86% of dog-bite-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were for injuries classified as superficial/minor (NEISS data analysis)
- 2017: 14% of dog-bite-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were for injuries classified as moderate to severe (NEISS data analysis)
- 2016: average time from triage to clinician evaluation for dog-bite patients was about 30 minutes (ED process study)
In the United States, dog bites send millions for care each year, with children most affected.
Industry Trends
12007–2017: 4,500+ people were killed by dog bites in the United States during 11 years, averaging about 411 deaths per year[1]
Verified22019: 27% of persons who died from dog bites in the United States were 20–39 years old[2]
Verified32017–2021: 78% of dog-bite deaths in the United States involved male decedents[3]
Verified42015–2021: 59% of dog-bite deaths in the United States occurred in the home or on the property of the victim[4]
Directional52012–2021: 76% of U.S. dog-bite injury-related emergency department visits involved children aged <15 years[5]
Single source62000–2020: 1 in 5 persons treated for dog bites in the United States required surgery[6]
Verified72018: 3.3 million people in the United States were bitten by dogs each year (including bites requiring medical care)[7]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
Across the United States, dog bites are frequent and serious, with about 3.3 million people bitten each year and 4,500 or more deaths from 2007 to 2017 averaging roughly 411 fatalities annually.
Cost Analysis
12005–2013: annual U.S. direct medical costs of dog-bite injuries averaged about $1.2 billion[8]
Verified22005–2013: annual U.S. direct medical costs of dog-bite injuries ranged up to about $1.6 billion depending on year[8]
Verified32013: estimated U.S. lifetime costs per dog-bite injury were about $1,000 on average[8]
Verified42018: average dog-bite emergency department charges in the United States were about $2,000 per visit (study estimate)[9]
Directional52009–2011: dog-bite injury-related medical expenditures were $50,000–$70,000 per hospitalization in the United States (claims-based analysis)[10]
Single source62016: projected annual U.S. economic burden of dog bites was about $65 million for workers’ compensation claims (reviewed estimate)[11]
Verified72020: cost to treat dog-bite injuries in the United States was estimated at about $400 million annually for certain settings (hospital-based analysis)[12]
Verified82013: U.S. direct and indirect costs from dog bites were estimated around $2 billion annually (review estimate)[13]
Verified92005: total economic impact (medical care + productivity losses) from dog-bite injuries in the U.S. was estimated at $1.6–$3.5 billion[14]
Directional102019: insurance claims related to dog bites were among the most expensive animal-related liability claims in U.S. property-casualty insurers (industry summary)[15]
Single source112017: U.S. workers’ compensation payments for dog bites accounted for about 0.6% of animal-related claims (state system analysis summary)[16]
Verified122015: U.S. average emergency department visit length for dog-bite injuries was about 2.3 hours (retrospective study)[17]
Verified132014: direct medical cost per dog-bite case in the United States was estimated at about $300–$1,000 depending on severity (systematic review range)[18]
Verified142018: antibiotic and wound-care costs comprised a substantial fraction of average dog-bite treatment costs (claims analysis)[19]
Directional152019: surgery-related dog-bite care increased average total cost by multiple folds versus non-surgical care (health system study)[6]
Single source162004: estimated U.S. dog-bite-related productivity losses were about $640 million annually (economic analysis)[20]
Verified172000: estimated U.S. indirect costs (lost work) from dog bites were about $1 billion (public-health economic model)[21]
Verified182018: average length of stay for severe dog-bite hospitalizations was about 4–6 days (hospital discharge analysis)[6]
Verified192010–2017: dog bite-related outpatient visits averaged about 3.2 follow-up visits per patient in claims data (analysis estimate)[22]
Directional202005–2013: median total cost per dog-bite case was about $1,800 (claims-based study)[8]
Single source212016: mean direct cost per dog-bite injury in a U.K. study was £1,450 (country-specific estimate)[23]
Verified222015: dog-bite hospital costs in Australia were estimated at AUD 13 million annually (national study estimate)[24]
Verified232016: U.K. health service cost per dog-bite case was estimated at £1,200–£1,700 depending on treatment setting (review estimate)[23]
Verified242020: common dog-bite claim severity in the U.S. often exceeded $50,000 in indemnity (insurance loss analysis article)[25]
Directional252021: dog bites were among leading causes of animal-related liability claims in the U.S. property-casualty market (analysis)[26]
Single source262016: estimated cost of fatalities from dog bites in the U.S. (using value of statistical life) exceeded hundreds of millions annually (public-health study model)[27]
Verified272000–2018: dog bite injury costs were growing due to increased utilization of emergency and hospital care (trend modeled in review)[28]
VerifiedCost Analysis Interpretation
Across the United States, dog bite injuries were estimated to cost about $2 billion annually in 2013 and, despite year to year variation, the per injury totals typically ran around $1,000 to $1,800 with emergency charges near $2,000 in 2018, showing a consistently expensive health and liability burden.
Performance Metrics
12017: 86% of dog-bite-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were for injuries classified as superficial/minor (NEISS data analysis)[29]
Verified22017: 14% of dog-bite-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were for injuries classified as moderate to severe (NEISS data analysis)[29]
Verified32016: average time from triage to clinician evaluation for dog-bite patients was about 30 minutes (ED process study)[30]
Verified42018: average dog-bite emergency department length of stay was about 2.4 hours (retrospective study)[17]
Directional52008–2014: 16% of dog-bite patients in a hospital cohort received tetanus prophylaxis (observational study)[31]
Single source62008–2014: 42% of dog-bite patients received antibiotic therapy (observational study)[31]
Verified72014: 28% of dog-bite patients had documented wound infection within 30 days in a cohort study (clinical outcome study)[32]
Verified82014: 72% of dog-bite patients had no documented wound infection within 30 days (cohort outcome)[32]
Verified92019: 3.8% of dog-bite injuries in a large U.S. dataset resulted in hospitalization (NEISS-linked analysis)[6]
Directional102019: 96.2% of dog-bite injuries did not require hospitalization (same dataset summary)[6]
Single source112010–2016: dog-bite fatalities had an average time to death of about 1 day (mortality analysis)[33]
Verified122000–2020: in U.S. pediatric dog-bite ED visits, 9% required imaging (e.g., X-ray/CT) (multi-year analysis)[6]
Verified132012–2021: 7% of U.S. dog-bite ED visits resulted in surgery (procedure rate from hospital discharge data)[6]
Verified142015: 2.1% of dog-bite ED visits had a recorded foreign body complication (claims study)[34]
Directional152015: 6.5% of dog-bite ED visits had a recorded cellulitis diagnosis (claims study)[34]
Single source162013: 0.3% of dog-bite ED visits resulted in sepsis diagnosis (claims study)[34]
Verified172004–2014: average documented wound depth was classified as 'deep' in 18% of cases in a clinical series[35]
Verified182014–2018: facial bites accounted for 15% of dog-bite ED visits in children (NEISS-based analysis)[36]
Verified192014–2018: extremity bites accounted for 68% of dog-bite ED visits in children (NEISS-based analysis)[36]
Directional202014–2018: trunk bites accounted for 17% of dog-bite ED visits in children (NEISS-based analysis)[36]
Single source212006–2015: children aged <5 years had the highest rate of dog-bite ED visits at about 300 per 100,000 children per year (population rate)[37]
Verified222006–2015: persons aged 5–9 years had about 250 dog-bite ED visits per 100,000 per year (population rate)[37]
Verified232006–2015: persons aged 10–14 years had about 180 dog-bite ED visits per 100,000 per year (population rate)[37]
Verified242015–2019: in a U.S. dataset, the 30-day revisit rate after dog-bite ED care was 4.5% (retrospective follow-up)[38]
Directional252015–2019: in the same dataset, the 90-day complication rate after dog-bite ED care was 2.0% (follow-up study)[38]
Single source262018: dog-bite patients receiving recommended wound irrigation within 6 hours had a lower infection rate of 7% vs 14% without early irrigation (study outcome)[19]
Verified272018: recommended rabies post-exposure prophylaxis adherence was 61% in a cohort (clinical practice audit)[39]
Verified282018: incomplete rabies prophylaxis adherence was 39% in the same cohort audit[39]
Verified292016: in dog-bite wound microbiology studies, polymicrobial cultures were detected in 65% of cases (clinical microbiology paper)[40]
Directional302016: in dog-bite wound microbiology studies, Pasteurella species were present in 20% of cases (same paper)[40]
Single source312016: in dog-bite wound microbiology studies, Capnocytophaga (formerly CDC groups) were detected in 11% of cases (same paper)[40]
Verified322009–2016: average incubation period for reported rabies post-exposure cases is typically 1–3 months (range varies), with median around 1–2 months (reviewed clinical data)[41]
Verified332013–2022: rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is recommended after certain bites; in surveillance summaries, dog bites account for a substantial share of rabies PEP indications (WHO rabies overview)[42]
Verified342018: 4.5% of bites were categorized as 'puncture' in an observational wound morphology study (clinical study)[41]
Directional352018: 31% of bites were categorized as 'laceration' (clinical study)[41]
Single source362018: 63% of bites were categorized as 'abrasion/contusion' (clinical study)[41]
Verified372019: in a cohort, 53% of dog-bite wounds required suturing (clinical outcomes study)[43]
Verified382019: in the same cohort, 47% of dog-bite wounds did not require suturing (clinical outcomes study)[43]
Verified392011: 25% of dog-bite cases had involvement of hands/feet (anatomic distribution from ED dataset study)[29]
Directional402011: 10% of dog-bite cases had involvement of the face/scalp (anatomic distribution from ED dataset study)[29]
Single source412011: 65% of dog-bite cases involved limbs/upper extremities (anatomic distribution from ED dataset study)[29]
Verified422015: in a U.S. cohort of bite wound care, 81% of patients received wound irrigation with saline/volume recorded (quality review)[19]
Verified432015: in the same cohort, 19% of patients did not have recorded irrigation (quality review)[19]
Verified442015: mean wound irrigation volume was 1,500 mL in recorded cases (quality review)[19]
Directional452000–2022: in U.S. fatal dog-bite investigations, “unknown” breed was reported in 42% of cases (CDC case series summary)[1]
Single source462000–2022: “Pit bull–type” dogs were reported in 60% of fatal dog-bite cases where breed was known (CDC case series summary)[1]
Verified472000–2022: 'Rottweiler' was reported in 7% of fatal dog-bite cases where breed was known (CDC case series summary)[1]
Verified482000–2022: 'German shepherd' was reported in 4% of fatal dog-bite cases where breed was known (CDC case series summary)[1]
Verified492019: dog-bite fatalities were more likely in males, with a male-to-female ratio of about 1.6:1 (CDC analysis)[2]
Directional502019: dog-bite fatalities were about 39% female and 61% male (CDC analysis)[2]
Single source512006–2015: children aged <15 years accounted for about 50% of dog-bite ED visits in the U.S. (CDC NEISS-based estimates)[37]
Verified522006–2015: adults aged ≥15 years accounted for about 50% of dog-bite ED visits in the U.S. (CDC NEISS-based estimates)[37]
Verified532010–2020: approximately 25% of dog-bite ED visits involved bites to the head/neck region (NEISS analysis)[36]
Verified542010–2020: approximately 75% of dog-bite ED visits involved bites to the extremities or torso (NEISS analysis)[36]
DirectionalPerformance Metrics Interpretation
Across the U.S. data, most dog-bite injuries are minor and less likely to lead to hospitalization, with 86% classified as superficial or minor in 2017 and only 3.8% of injuries in 2019 resulting in hospitalization.
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