Delivery driving is the riskiest side hustle in America, according to a September 2026 study from Trujillo Gonzalez Law Firm — and it’s not particularly close.
Here on Side Hustle Nation, we spend a lot of time talking about how to make more money. We talk about hourly rates, startup costs, and how fast you can get your first dollar. What we don’t talk about enough is what a side hustle can cost you physically.
So when this new safety report crossed my desk, I wanted to dig in. Because a $26/hour gig looks a lot less attractive if it carries a real chance of landing you in the ER.
The 10 Riskiest Side Hustles at a Glance
| Rank | Side Hustle | Pay/Hour | Deaths per 100K | Injuries per 10K | Deaths per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delivery Driving | $26.13 | 25.7 | 250 | 950 |
| 2 | Tree & Firewood Cutting | $24.72 | 110.4 | 112 | 51 |
| 3 | Junk Removal | $25.39 | 37.4 | 259 | 36 |
| 4 | Moving & Hauling | $20.32 | 5.4 | 290 | 110 |
| 5 | Roofing / Roof Repair | $27.21 | 48.7 | 186 | 104 |
| 6 | HVAC Repair & Installation | $31.14 | 6.7 | 276 | 33 |
| 7 | Handyman / Odd Jobs | $25.02 | 15.8 | 207 | 334 |
| 8 | Home Maintenance & Repair | $25.86 | 10.8 | 242 | 76 |
| 9 | Lawn Care & Landscaping | $20.78 | 20.9 | 190 | 239 |
| 10 | Landscaping Crew Supervisor | $29.31 | 18.5 | 199 | 33 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data via Trujillo Gonzalez Law Firm (September 2026). Ranked by overall Risk Score.
A quick note on reading this: the rank isn’t driven by any one column. Handyman work, for example, has the second-most deaths per year (334) but lands at #7 because its fatality and injury rates are more moderate. That’s mostly a function of how many people do the work.
The Breakdown: What Makes Each Gig Risky
1. Delivery Driving
- Pay: $26.13/hour
- Fatality rate: 25.7 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 250 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 950
- Primary risk: Roadway collisions
Delivery driving tops the list on sheer volume. Roughly 950 people die doing this kind of work every year, the highest death toll of any gig here by a wide margin.
The reason is simple: you’re on the road for hours every shift, often racing the clock to the next drop-off. More miles and more rushing means more chances for a crash. On top of the fatalities, about 1 in 40 delivery workers is injured badly enough to miss work each year.
If you’re driving for DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, or Amazon Flex, this is the one to take seriously. It’s also the easiest side hustle to start, which means a lot of people jump in without thinking about the risk at all.
One important caveat: these numbers describe the full-time workforce in each field, not side hustlers specifically. The 950 annual deaths in “delivery driving,” for example, come from the broader occupation, which includes full-time truck and delivery drivers. It’s not a count of DoorDash drivers alone.
2. Tree & Firewood Cutting
- Pay: $24.72/hour
- Fatality rate: 110.4 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 112 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 51
- Primary risk: Falling trees and chainsaw injuries
Tree cutting has the highest fatality rate on the list by far. About 1 in 900 tree cutters dies on the job each year, more than double the rate for roofing, the next-deadliest gig.
Full-time loggers and arborists train specifically for these conditions. Weekend warriors cutting and selling firewood usually don’t.
At around $25 an hour, it’s hard to argue the pay makes up for the risk, especially without proper training and gear.
3. Junk Removal
- Pay: $25.39/hour
- Fatality rate: 37.4 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 259 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 36
- Primary risk: Vehicle strikes, equipment, and heavy lifting
Junk removal is a side hustle we’ve featured plenty of times on the show, and it can be a great business. But it ranks third here. Roughly 1 in 40 workers gets hurt each year, one of the highest injury rates on the list, and it has the third-highest fatality rate.
The common dangers: getting struck by vehicles, getting caught in equipment, and hauling heavy, awkward loads through tight spaces.
4. Moving & Hauling
- Pay: $20.32/hour
- Fatality rate: 5.4 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 290 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 110
- Primary risk: Heavy lifting and awkward loads
Moving and hauling has the highest injury rate of any side hustle on the list.
About 1 in 35 workers gets hurt each year, mostly from lifting heavy and awkward items.
This kind of strain tends to build quietly until one day you can’t work at all. Add 110 deaths a year, and the lowest pay on the entire list at about $20 an hour, and the math gets tough.
5. Roofing / Roof Repair
- Pay: $27.21/hour
- Fatality rate: 48.7 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 186 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 104
- Primary risk: Falls
Roofing rounds out the top five. Nearly every roofing death is caused by a fall, and the job carries the second-highest fatality rate on the list. About 104 people die doing this work each year, and about 1 in 54 roofers is seriously injured.
The pay is decent at $27 an hour. But the height doesn’t care whether you’re a 20-year pro or doing it on weekends, and part-timers usually have less experience handling it.
6. HVAC Repair & Installation
- Pay: $31.14/hour
- Fatality rate: 6.7 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 276 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 33
- Primary risk: Electrocution, falls, and harmful chemicals
HVAC is the best-paying gig on the list, and the fatality rate is relatively low. The catch is injuries. About 1 in 36 workers gets hurt each year, the second-highest injury rate here.
Few side hustles expose you to as many different hazards at once: live electrical work, ladders and rooftops, and refrigerants and other chemicals.
7. Handyman / Odd Jobs
- Pay: $25.02/hour
- Fatality rate: 15.8 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 207 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 334
Handyman work has the second-highest death toll on the list at 334 per year, largely because so many people do it. The individual rates are more middle-of-the-pack, with about 1 in 48 workers injured each year.
The variety that makes handyman work appealing is also what makes it risky. One day it’s hanging shelves, the next it’s a ladder, a power saw, or some sketchy wiring.
8. Home Maintenance & Repair
- Pay: $25.86/hour
- Fatality rate: 10.8 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 242 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 76
This is a close cousin to handyman work, with a lower fatality rate but a higher injury rate. About 1 in 41 workers is hurt each year, and 76 die.
9. Lawn Care & Landscaping
- Pay: $20.78/hour
- Fatality rate: 20.9 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 190 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 239
Lawn care is one of the most popular hands-on side hustles out there, and it has the third-highest death toll on this list at 239 a year. About 1 in 53 workers is injured annually. Mowers, trimmers, heat, and hauling equipment all play a part.
It’s also the second-lowest-paying gig on the list, just ahead of moving.
10. Landscaping Crew Supervisor
- Pay: $29.31/hour
- Fatality rate: 18.5 per 100K workers
- Injury rate: 199 per 10K workers
- Annual deaths: 33
This one’s less of a starter side hustle and more where a lawn care business goes once you hire help. It pays better than hands-on lawn work, but you’re still on job sites, and about 1 in 50 supervisors gets hurt each year.
How to Stay Safe If You’re Already Doing One of These
None of this means you should quit your lawn care business or delete the DoorDash app. It means you should go in with your eyes open. A few practical moves:
- Price in the risk. If a gig is physically dangerous, your rate should reflect it. A $20/hour moving job that sidelines you for two months isn’t a $20/hour job.
- Get the right insurance. Check whether your personal auto policy covers delivery work (many don’t), and look into general liability and disability coverage for hands-on service businesses.
- Invest in gear and training. Chainsaw chaps, fall protection, lifting straps, a dolly. A basic safety course costs less than one ER visit.
- Don’t rush. Many of these injuries come from hurrying. Build buffer time into delivery shifts and job quotes.
- Know when to hire it out. Once you’re booked solid, the safest move might be to hire help for the riskiest tasks and focus on sales and operations.
- Consider a lower-risk alternative. If you want hands-on work with less danger, gigs like pet sitting, cleaning, or tutoring pay well without the same physical exposure.
How the Study Worked
The researchers matched popular side hustles to the closest full-time occupation tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), then pulled three safety numbers for each one:
- Fatality rate: deaths per 100,000 workers
- Nonfatal injury rate: injuries serious enough to require time off work, per 10,000 workers
- Annual deaths: the total number of workers killed each year
The Bottom Line
The best side hustle isn’t just the one that pays the most per hour. It’s the one that pays well and lets you keep showing up to do it.
If you’re doing one of the gigs on this list, you don’t need to panic. But you should factor the physical risk into your pricing, your insurance, and your long-term plan, just like you would any other business cost.
What do you think?
Does the extra cash justify the risk for any of these?
