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US Dog Bite Statistics
US dog bite statistics show that dog-related injuries remain a significant public health and insurance issue. Millions of people are bitten each year, thousands seek emergency care, and insurers pay billions of dollars annually for dog-related injury claims. The figures below summarize the available national data, fatal attacks, breed-reporting limitations, claim costs, and trends relevant to Illinois and Chicago.
Key Figures at a Glance:
- Estimated annual dog bites: About 4.5 million, based on widely cited historical CDC figures.
- Annual emergency department visits: Approximately 337,000, based on older national estimates.
- Dog-related injury insurance claims in 2025: 28,450.
- Total dog-related injury claim costs in 2025: $1.862 billion.
- Average insurance claim cost in 2025: $65,450.
- Dog-related incidents involving USPS employees in Illinois in 2025: 260.
Sources: CDC historical estimates; Insurance Information Institute and State Farm, 2025 claims data; USPS, 2025 incident data published in 2026. These figures measure different outcomes and should not be combined into a single count of dog bites.
How Many Dog Attacks Occur in the US Each Year?
Approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs annually in the United States, according to widely cited historical CDC estimates. However, not every bite is reported or results in medical treatment, so the actual number of incidents is difficult to establish precisely.
Research on dog bite injuries has helped document the medical burden of these incidents. Older estimates place annual emergency department visits at approximately 337,000, with thousands of victims requiring reconstructive surgery. These figures remain useful historical benchmarks, but they should not be presented as newly measured 2025 or 2026 totals.
Many incidents involve dogs familiar to the victim, including a family pet or a neighbor’s dog. Research has also found that a substantial proportion of bites occur in familiar settings, including homes and private property. The circumstances vary, and figures from individual studies should not be treated as universal national percentages.
Children face particular risks because they may struggle to recognize warning signs or respond safely around unfamiliar or distressed dogs. Published research identifies children aged 5 to 9 as a group with high rates of dog bite-related emergency treatment. Facial and scalp injuries are a major concern for younger children.
Adults can also be injured at work or during daily activities. Postal employees, delivery workers, utility workers, and other people who visit homes may encounter unsecured dogs. The U.S. Postal Service reported more than 5,200 dog-related attacks on its employees nationwide in 2025. These figures reflect incidents involving postal employees, not all dog bites in the country.
In short, US dog bite statistics rely on several types of evidence, including medical visits, mortality records, insurance claims, and workplace incident reports. Each source measures a different part of the problem.
Dog Bite Statistics by Breed
No single, reliable national dataset shows what percentage of all dog bites each breed causes. Breed-specific figures require caution because reporting practices, visual identification, and the circumstances of individual incidents can affect the results.
| Data category | What the evidence can establish | Important limitation |
| All reported bites by breed | Local studies may identify breeds involved in reported incidents. | Reporting systems and breed identification methods differ. |
| Fatal attacks by breed | Case reviews may identify breeds or suspected breed types in fatal incidents. | Media reports and visual identification can be inaccurate. |
| Mixed-breed dogs | Some investigations record mixed-breed classifications. | Mixed ancestry can be difficult to determine reliably. |
| Breed-related injury risk | Research can examine associations between dog characteristics and injury severity. | Breed alone does not establish an individual dog’s behavior or predict every incident. |
A study examining 256 dog bite-related fatalities from 2000 through 2009 found that researchers could validly determine breed in only 17.6% of the cases reviewed. The researchers also identified several potentially preventable factors, including inadequate supervision and poor owner management. The study is historical and concerns fatal incidents, not all dog bites.
For that reason, interpret dog bite statistics by breed alongside factors such as supervision, handling, socialization, the dog’s environment, and the circumstances of the incident. A breed list cannot explain why an attack occurred on its own.
For a more detailed discussion of reported breed associations, see which dog breeds bite the most. That article can cover individual breeds while this page focuses on the broader national data.
Dog Bite Fatalities in the United States
Fatal dog attacks are much less common than nonfatal bites, but they can cause devastating injuries and loss of life. Official mortality records and independent fatal-attack compilations use different methods, so you shouldn’t combine their figures without explanation.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics recorded 468 deaths resulting from being bitten or struck by a dog between 2011 and 2021, an average of approximately 43 deaths per year. The annual total reached 81 in 2021, the highest figure in that period.
| Year | Deaths resulting from being bitten or struck by a dog |
| 2017 | 36 |
| 2018 | 35 |
| 2019 | 48 |
| 2020 | 62 |
| 2021 | 81 |
Source: CDC, National Vital Statistics System, 2011–2021. Figures exclude deaths from rabies resulting from a dog bite. The table presents the latest years in this particular CDC series, not a complete count through 2026.
Fatality victims can include young children and older adults, although fatal incidents can affect people of any age. Some investigations describe multiple dogs or inadequate barriers, but details vary by case and official mortality records do not consistently provide them.
A peer-reviewed study of fatal incidents also found substantial disagreement between breed descriptions in media accounts and animal-control records. This reinforces the need to avoid treating breed attribution as definitive when interpreting dog bite deaths per year or comparing fatality statistics across sources.
Who Gets Bitten, and Where on the Body?
Dog bite injury statistics show that age, wound location, and incident circumstances all matter when assessing medical consequences. Children are particularly vulnerable to facial injuries, while adults commonly sustain bites to their hands and arms.
Older national estimates of emergency department visits indicate that injuries often affect the arms and hands, head and neck, and legs. However, percentages vary by study population and year, so these estimates should be treated as historical rather than current national surveillance.
Injury severity can depend on wound depth, the body part affected, tissue damage, infection, and whether nerves, tendons, or bones are involved. A small puncture wound can still require medical evaluation, particularly if it affects the hand or shows signs of infection.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has reported substantial numbers of reconstructive procedures associated with dog bites. These procedures can address scarring and tissue damage, but procedure counts do not reflect the total number of people bitten or all dog bite injuries.
Anyone with a serious wound, uncontrolled bleeding, deep punctures, signs of infection, or a possible rabies exposure should seek prompt medical advice. Treatment depends on the injury and the circumstances of the bite.
What Dog Bite Claims Cost
Dog bite insurance claims illustrate the financial impact of dog-related injuries. In 2025, insurers paid an estimated $1.862 billion for 28,450 dog bite and related injury claims, according to the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm. The average cost was $65,450 per claim.
| Year | Number of claims | Total claim costs | Average cost per claim |
| 2021 | 17,989 | $881.9 million | $49,025 |
| 2022 | 17,597 | $1.136 billion | 64,555 |
| 2023 | 19,062 | $1.116 billion | $58,545 |
| 2024 | 22,658 | $1.570 billion | $69,272 |
| 2025 | 28,450 | $1.862 billion | $65,450 |
Source: Insurance Information Institute, dog bite liability statistics, using data from the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm. Claim totals include certain dog-related injuries beyond bites, such as fractures and other blunt-force trauma.
From 2024 to 2025, claims rose about 25.6%, while total claim costs increased 18.6%. The average cost per claim decreased by 5.5% over the same period. Over the longer term, average claim costs have risen substantially, reflecting factors including medical expenses and claim severity.
An insurance claim average does not predict what an individual victim will receive. The amount available in a particular case depends on the injuries, treatment costs, lost income, other documented losses, applicable insurance coverage, and the facts of the incident.
Victims may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, scarring, and emotional distress when supported by the facts and applicable law. Learn more about how much a dog bite case is worth and medical expenses in dog bite cases.
Dog Bite Statistics in Illinois and Chicago
Illinois and Chicago data offer a local view of dog-related incidents, but you must interpret figures based on what each agency records. USPS workplace incidents, for example, represent attacks involving postal employees, not all bites reported by residents or treated by hospitals.
The USPS reported 260 dog-related incidents involving postal employees in Illinois in 2025, ranking the state sixth nationally. Chicago recorded 43 incidents involving postal employees that year, ranking fifth among the listed U.S. cities.
These figures show that postal workers in Illinois and Chicago continue to face risks while delivering mail. They do not reflect the total number of dog bites in the state or city, and they should not replace local public-health or animal-control records.
For a complete local picture, researchers should consult the Illinois Department of Public Health and Chicago Animal Care and Control for available bite reports, animal-control data, and rabies-related information. A current, comparable statewide or Chicago-wide annual total for all dog bites should be added only after the relevant agency’s published data and reporting period have been verified.
For a city-by-city comparison of incidents involving postal employees, see US cities with the most dog bite attacks.
Nationwide Dog Bite Prevention Efforts
Federal and state agencies and local organizations support efforts to prevent dog bites through education, vaccination, and responsible ownership.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) promotes national safety guidance in its Healthy Pets, Healthy People initiative, offering tips on supervision, safe interactions with dogs, and rabies prevention. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) also promotes dog bite awareness to help protect mail carriers and encourage safer practices around mail delivery.
In Illinois, the Animal Control Act (510 ILCS 5/16) generally holds a dog’s owner liable when the dog attacks, attempts to attack, or injures a person who is acting peaceably in a place where they have a legal right to be, without provoking the dog. Illinois law also provides for a 10-day observation period for dogs involved in bite incidents when required for rabies control. Local authorities help enforce applicable requirements and provide public education designed to prevent dog bites.
Together, federal outreach and state enforcement help reduce dog bite injuries, encourage responsible pet ownership, and promote safer communities for both people and dogs. For additional practical guidance, see our article on dog bite prevention.
FAQs
A widely cited historical estimate is approximately 4.5 million dog bites annually in the United States. This figure is not a current annual count, and many bites go unreported. Emergency department visits, insurance claims, and workplace incident reports capture different subsets of dog-related injuries, so none should be treated as a complete national count.
No reliable national percentage identifies one breed as responsible for the highest share of dog bites. Breed identification and reporting practices vary, and many incidents are not recorded in a standardized national database. Interpret breed-related research alongside supervision, handling, environment, and the circumstances of each incident.
Insurers reported 28,450 dog bite and related injury claims in 2025, according to the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm. These claims included some dog-related injuries beyond bites. The figure measures insured claims, not every bite that occurred nationwide.
Available fatal-attack records do not provide a fully reliable basis for declaring one breed responsible for the most fatal attacks in all circumstances. Breed attribution can be uncertain, and several contributing factors may be involved in fatal incidents. Research has highlighted the importance of supervision, owner practices, and the circumstances surrounding an attack.
The answer depends on which measure is examined. Insurance claims rose from 22,658 in 2024 to 28,450 in 2025, while average claim costs decreased from $69,272 to $65,450. These trends show changes in insured claims, not necessarily the overall number of dog bites. A complete assessment requires comparable data across multiple reporting systems and years.
Free Consultations on Dog-Bite Related Injuries
If you or a loved one has suffered a dog bite injury, Chicago Dog Bite Injury Lawyers can explain your options under Illinois law and help you understand the potential sources of compensation. Our team can review the circumstances, medical expenses, lost income, and other documented losses relevant to your situation.
Contact our office at [PHONE] to arrange a free consultation. The firm handles cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe no attorney fee or case expenses unless we recover compensation for you. Every case depends on its individual facts, available evidence, and applicable law.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice.
Legally Reviewed By
Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld
Content legally reviewed by Jonathan Rosenfeld The information on this page has been legally reviewed by Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld, founder and managing partner of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC. With extensive experience representing dog bite victims across Chicago, Mr. Rosenfeld is dedicated to helping injury victims hold negligent dog owners accountable and pursue the maximum compensation available under the law. His deep legal knowledge and commitment to client advocacy ensure that the information provided is accurate, reliable, and aligned with current legal standards.