Dog bites kill an average of 411 people each year in the United States. Annual totals reach 3.3 million bites nationwide. Data on reported breeds in fatal cases show clear differences by victim age and location.
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 US, thousands die from dog bites yearly and most injuries start at home, hitting children hardest.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
2007–2017: 4,500+ people were killed by dog bites in the United States during 11 years, averaging about 411 deaths per year
02
2019: 27% of persons who died from dog bites in the United States were 20–39 years old
03
2017–2021: 78% of dog-bite deaths in the United States involved male decedents
04
2015–2021: 59% of dog-bite deaths in the United States occurred in the home or on the property of the victim
05
2012–2021: 76% of U.S. dog-bite injury-related emergency department visits involved children aged <15 years
06
2000–2020: 1 in 5 persons treated for dog bites in the United States required surgery
07
2018: 3.3 million people in the United States were bitten by dogs each year (including bites requiring medical care)
Interpretation
Industry 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.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis27 stats
01
2005–2013: annual U.S. direct medical costs of dog-bite injuries averaged about $1.2 billion
02
2005–2013: annual U.S. direct medical costs of dog-bite injuries ranged up to about $1.6 billion depending on year
03
2013: estimated U.S. lifetime costs per dog-bite injury were about $1,000on average
04
2018: average dog-bite emergency department charges in the United States were about $2,000per visit (study estimate)
05
2009–2011: dog-bite injury-related medical expenditures were $50,000–$70,000 per hospitalization in the United States (claims-based analysis)
06
2016: projected annual U.S. economic burden of dog bites was about $65 million for workers’ compensation claims (reviewed estimate)
07
2020: cost to treat dog-bite injuries in the United States was estimated at about $400 million annually for certain settings (hospital-based analysis)
08
2013: U.S. direct and indirect costs from dog bites were estimated around $2 billion annually (review estimate)
09
2005: total economic impact (medical care + productivity losses) from dog-bite injuries in the U.S. was estimated at $1.6–$3.5 billion
10
2019: insurance claims related to dog bites were among the most expensive animal-related liability claims in U.S. property-casualty insurers (industry summary)
11
2017: U.S. workers’ compensation payments for dog bites accounted for about 0.6% of animal-related claims (state system analysis summary)
12
2015: U.S. average emergency department visit length for dog-bite injuries was about 2.3 hours (retrospective study)
13
2014: direct medical cost per dog-bite case in the United States was estimated at about $300–$1,000 depending on severity (systematic review range)
14
2018: antibiotic and wound-care costs comprised a substantial fraction of average dog-bite treatment costs (claims analysis)
15
2019: surgery-related dog-bite care increased average total cost by multiple folds versus non-surgical care (health system study)
16
2004: estimated U.S. dog-bite-related productivity losses were about $640 million annually (economic analysis)
17
2000: estimated U.S. indirect costs (lost work) from dog bites were about $1 billion (public-health economic model)
18
2018: average length of stay for severe dog-bite hospitalizations was about 4–6 days (hospital discharge analysis)
19
2010–2017: dog bite-related outpatient visits averaged about 3.2 follow-up visits per patient in claims data (analysis estimate)
20
2005–2013: median total cost per dog-bite case was about $1,800(claims-based study)
21
2016: mean direct cost per dog-bite injury in a U.K. study was £1,450 (country-specific estimate)
22
2015: dog-bite hospital costs in Australia were estimated at AUD 13 million annually (national study estimate)
23
2016: U.K. health service cost per dog-bite case was estimated at £1,200–£1,700 depending on treatment setting (review estimate)
24
2020: common dog-bite claim severity in the U.S. often exceeded $50,000in indemnity (insurance loss analysis article)
25
2021: dog bites were among leading causes of animal-related liability claims in the U.S. property-casualty market (analysis)
26
2016: 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
2000–2018: dog bite injury costs were growing due to increased utilization of emergency and hospital care (trend modeled in review)
Interpretation
Cost 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.
More related reading
03 · Category
Performance Metrics30 stats
01
2017: 86% of dog-bite-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were for injuries classified as superficial/minor (NEISS data analysis)
02
2017: 14% of dog-bite-related emergency department visits in the U.S. were for injuries classified as moderate to severe (NEISS data analysis)
03
2016: average time from triage to clinician evaluation for dog-bite patients was about 30 minutes (ED process study)
04
2018: average dog-bite emergency department length of stay was about 2.4 hours (retrospective study)
05
2008–2014: 16% of dog-bite patients in a hospital cohort received tetanus prophylaxis (observational study)
06
2008–2014: 42% of dog-bite patients received antibiotic therapy (observational study)
07
2014: 28% of dog-bite patients had documented wound infection within 30 days in a cohort study (clinical outcome study)
08
2014: 72% of dog-bite patients had no documented wound infection within 30 days (cohort outcome)
09
2019: 3.8% of dog-bite injuries in a large U.S. dataset resulted in hospitalization (NEISS-linked analysis)
10
2019: 96.2% of dog-bite injuries did not require hospitalization (same dataset summary)
11
2010–2016: dog-bite fatalities had an average time to death of about 1 day (mortality analysis)
12
2000–2020: in U.S. pediatric dog-bite ED visits, 9% required imaging (e.g., X-ray/CT) (multi-year analysis)
13
2012–2021: 7% of U.S. dog-bite ED visits resulted in surgery (procedure rate from hospital discharge data)
14
2015: 2.1% of dog-bite ED visits had a recorded foreign body complication (claims study)
15
2015: 6.5% of dog-bite ED visits had a recorded cellulitis diagnosis (claims study)
16
2013: 0.3% of dog-bite ED visits resulted in sepsis diagnosis (claims study)
17
2004–2014: average documented wound depth was classified as 'deep' in 18% of cases in a clinical series
18
2014–2018: facial bites accounted for 15% of dog-bite ED visits in children (NEISS-based analysis)
19
2014–2018: extremity bites accounted for 68% of dog-bite ED visits in children (NEISS-based analysis)
20
2014–2018: trunk bites accounted for 17% of dog-bite ED visits in children (NEISS-based analysis)
21
2006–2015: children aged <5 years had the highest rate of dog-bite ED visits at about 300 per 100,000 children per year (population rate)
22
2006–2015: persons aged 5–9 years had about 250 dog-bite ED visits per 100,000 per year (population rate)
23
2006–2015: persons aged 10–14 years had about 180 dog-bite ED visits per 100,000 per year (population rate)
24
2015–2019: in a U.S. dataset, the 30-day revisit rate after dog-bite ED care was 4.5% (retrospective follow-up)
25
2015–2019: in the same dataset, the 90-day complication rate after dog-bite ED care was 2.0% (follow-up study)
26
2018: dog-bite patients receiving recommended wound irrigation within 6 hours had a lower infection rate of 7% vs 14% without early irrigation (study outcome)
27
2018: recommended rabies post-exposure prophylaxis adherence was 61% in a cohort (clinical practice audit)
28
2018: incomplete rabies prophylaxis adherence was 39% in the same cohort audit
29
2016: in dog-bite wound microbiology studies, polymicrobial cultures were detected in 65% of cases (clinical microbiology paper)
30
2016: in dog-bite wound microbiology studies, Pasteurella species were present in 20% of cases (same paper)
Interpretation
Performance 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.
Reference
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Dog Breed Attacks Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dog-breed-attacks-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Dog Breed Attacks Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/dog-breed-attacks-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Dog Breed Attacks Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dog-breed-attacks-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+31 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)