Lawn mower injuries remain a measurable U.S. emergency-department and hospital burden, but the size of that burden depends on the database, years, age definition and injury setting. Available studies range from historical 1977 estimates to national ED analyses through 2015 and narrower senior-product categories using 2019–2021 data.
Key Lawn Mower Injury Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In the United States during 2005–2015, an estimated 934,394 lawn mower injuries were treated in emergency departments among all ages.
- In the United States during 2005–2015, the estimated annual average was 84,944 ED-treated lawn mower injuries.
- In the United States during 2006–2013, a Nationwide Emergency Department Sample study estimated 51,151 lawn-mower injuries among all ages.
- During 2006–2013, the lawn-mower injury rate remained constant in that U.S. hospital-database study.
- In the United States, the 1977 CPSC baseline estimated about 150,000 injuries each year from all types of power lawn mowers.
- In the United States during 2005–2015, the mean age of an injured person was 46.5 years in the national ED study.
- During 2005–2015, men were more than three times as likely as women to be injured in the study’s ED-treated cases.
- Among U.S. people aged 20 years and younger during 1990–2004, an estimated 140,700 lawn-mower injuries were treated in EDs.
- Among U.S. people aged 20 years and younger during 1990–2004, boys represented 78% of pediatric lawn-mower injuries.
- Among U.S. people aged 20 years and younger during 2004–2013, an estimated 93,508 lawnmower injuries occurred.
- In the United States during 2005–2015, hands and fingers represented 22.3% of injuries.
- In the United States during 2005–2015, lacerations represented 23.1% of ED-treated injuries.
- In the United States during 2006–2013, wrist or hand injuries accounted for 65.4% of estimated injuries in the hospital study.
- In the United States during 2006–2013, mean emergency-department charges were $2,482 per patient.
- In the United States during 2006–2013, mean inpatient charges were $36,987 per patient.
- In the United States during 2005–2015, 90.5% of ED patients were discharged home after treatment.
- In the United States during 2005–2015, 8.5% of ED patients were admitted to hospital.
- In national pediatric studies reviewed through 2018, hospitalization rates ranged from 5% to 8%.
- In the CPSC’s 1977 baseline, more than 10% of people injured by walk-behind power mowers were hospitalized.
Contents
- National lawn mower injury scale and trends
- Age, sex and pediatric lawn mower injury statistics
- Body-part and injury-type data
- Hospitalization, treatment and cost statistics
- Mechanism, mower type and prevention estimates
- Senior lawn mower and outdoor-tool injury measures
National Lawn Mower Injury Statistics: Scale and Trends
The strongest recent national estimates come from two different U.S. sources. The 2005–2015 study used the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), while the 2006–2013 study used the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, so their totals should not be combined or treated as one time series.
| Measure | Period and population | Result |
|---|---|---|
| ED-treated injuries | U.S., all ages, 2005–2015 | 934,394 estimated injuries |
| Annual average | U.S., all ages, 2005–2015 | 84,944 injuries per year |
| Hospital-database estimate | U.S., all ages, 2006–2013 | 51,151 weighted ED visits/injuries |
| Trend | U.S., all ages, 2006–2013 | Constant injury rate |
Source: Lawn mower injuries presenting to the emergency department: 2005 to 2015 and Incidence, Distribution, and Cost of Lawn-Mower Injuries in the United States, 2006-2013.
The 2005–2015 NEISS analysis estimated an average of 84,944 injuries per year. The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample analysis reported a constant injury rate across its eight-year period, but that conclusion does not establish a current rate after 2013.
Historical CPSC figures provide context rather than a modern trend line. Its 1977 baseline estimated about 150,000 injuries annually from all types of power lawn mowers and about 60,000 power-mower injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms each year.
For walk-behind mowers, the same baseline estimated approximately 47,000 annual emergency-room injuries and about 77,000 annual blade-contact injuries when injuries not treated in emergency rooms were included. The report estimated that about 50% of all lawn mower injuries involved blade contact with walk-behind mowers.
Source: Safety Standard for Walk-Behind Power Lawn Mowers: Final Regulatory Analysis.
Lawn Mower Injury Statistics by Age, Sex and Pediatric Risk
The national all-age ED study reported a mean injured-person age of 46.5 years and found that men were more than three times as likely as women to be injured. The exact male-to-female ratio was not reported in the abstract.
Pediatric studies use an age definition extending through age 20, which is broader than the everyday meaning of “children.” During 1990–2004, the CPSC NEISS study estimated 140,700 injuries, or 9,400 per year, equal to 11.1 injuries per 100,000 U.S. children aged 20 years and younger.
| Pediatric measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated injuries | 1990–2004 | 140,700 |
| Annual estimate | 1990–2004 | 9,400 |
| Population rate | 1990–2004 | 11.1 per 100,000 children per year |
| Boys’ share | 1990–2004 | 78% |
| Mean age | 1990–2004 | 10.7 years, SD 6.0 |
| Estimated injuries | 2004–2013 | 93,508 |
| Annual estimate | 2004–2013 | 9,351 |
Sources: Epidemiology of lawn-mower-related injuries to children in the United States, 1990-2004 and Epidemiology of lawnmower-related injuries in children: A 10-year review.
The 1990–2004 pediatric study found that boys represented 78% of cases, with a mean age of 10.7 years. A later 2004–2013 study estimated 93,508 injuries, or 9,351 per year, overlapping the final year of the earlier study.
A systematic review of pediatric studies through 2018 found peak injury frequencies at ages 3 and 16, indicating a bimodal age pattern. Because the review synthesized heterogeneous studies, those peak ages are not a single national rate.
Source: Pediatric Lawnmower Injuries and Strategies for Prevention: A Systematic Review.
Lawn Mower Injury Data by Body Part and Injury Type
The 2005–2015 ED study identified hands and fingers as the most commonly injured body region, at 22.3% of cases. Lower-extremity injuries represented 16.2%, while lacerations were the leading injury type at 23.1% and sprains or strains accounted for 18.8%.
The 2006–2013 hospital study used different coding categories, producing a different distribution. Its largest body-region category was wrist or hand, while lacerations, fractures and amputations were reported as injury categories.
| Category | Period and population | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Hands and fingers | U.S. all ages, 2005–2015 | 22.3% |
| Lower extremity | U.S. all ages, 2005–2015 | 16.2% |
| Lacerations | U.S. all ages, 2005–2015 | 23.1% |
| Sprains and strains | U.S. all ages, 2005–2015 | 18.8% |
| Wrist or hand | U.S. all ages, 2006–2013 | 33,477; 65.4% |
| Foot or toe | U.S. all ages, 2006–2013 | 10,122; 19.8% |
| Lacerations | U.S. all ages, 2006–2013 | 23,907; 46.7% |
| Fractures | U.S. all ages, 2006–2013 | 11,433; 22.4% |
| Amputations | U.S. all ages, 2006–2013 | 11,013; 21.5% |
Source: Lawn mower injuries presenting to the emergency department: 2005 to 2015 and Incidence, Distribution, and Cost of Lawn-Mower Injuries in the United States, 2006-2013.
Among U.S. children aged 20 years and younger during 1990–2004, lacerations represented 41.2% of injuries, soft-tissue injuries 21.4%, burns 15.5% and fractures 10.3%. These pediatric categories are not interchangeable with the all-age categories above because the studies use different definitions.
Lawn Mower Injury Statistics for Hospitalization, Treatment and Cost
Disposition data show that most ED-presenting injuries in the 2005–2015 study ended in discharge home, while a smaller but substantial share resulted in hospital admission. In that study, 90.5% of patients were discharged and 8.5% were admitted; the supplied results do not describe the remaining dispositions.
The 2006–2013 hospital analysis reported mean charges rather than payments or out-of-pocket costs. Mean ED charges were $2,482 per patient, compared with mean inpatient charges of $36,987 per patient.
| Treatment or cost measure | Period and population | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Discharged home | U.S. all ages, ED cases, 2005–2015 | 90.5% |
| Admitted to hospital | U.S. all ages, ED cases, 2005–2015 | 8.5% |
| Mean ED charge | U.S. injury ED visits, 2006–2013 | $2,482 per patient |
| Mean inpatient charge | U.S. hospitalized patients, 2006–2013 | $36,987 per patient |
| Wound irrigation or debridement | U.S. hospital encounters, 2006–2013 | 1,436; 29.9% of listed procedures |
| Amputation procedure | U.S. hospital encounters, 2006–2013 | 1,230; 25.6% of listed procedures |
Source: Lawn mower injuries presenting to the emergency department: 2005 to 2015 and Incidence, Distribution, and Cost of Lawn-Mower Injuries in the United States, 2006-2013.
The procedure percentages use the study’s listed-procedure denominator, not all injuries. Among admitted or transferred pediatric cases in 1990–2004, amputations represented 31.9%, lacerations 28.8% and fractures 26.0%.
A systematic review found hospitalization rates of 5% to 8% in national pediatric studies. That range synthesizes studies with different periods and definitions, so it should not be applied as a universal current rate.
Source: Epidemiology of lawn-mower-related injuries to children in the United States, 1990-2004 and Pediatric Lawnmower Injuries and Strategies for Prevention: A Systematic Review.
Lawn Mower Injury Mechanisms, Mower Types and Prevention Estimates
Pediatric injury patterns show how mechanism and body region can interact. In the 1990–2004 pediatric study, burns made up 34.5% of hand or finger injuries, compared with 5.5% of injuries to other body regions.
Among the same pediatric cases, 97% of amputations affected the foot or toe or hand or finger regions. The study allocated 49.5% to foot or toe and 47.5% to hand or finger.
Age patterns also differed by injury type. Burns accounted for 41.8% of injuries among children aged 5 years or younger, compared with 6.5% among children older than 5, while foreign-body injuries were 4.8% among children aged 12 years or older versus 1.6% among children younger than 12.
Source: Epidemiology of lawn-mower-related injuries to children in the United States, 1990-2004.
The CPSC’s walk-behind analysis is a historical baseline and regulatory-impact estimate, not a measured modern outcome. In its 1977 baseline, approximately 13% of walk-behind blade-contact injuries involved amputation, 15% involved fracture, crushing or dislocation, and 70% involved laceration or avulsion.
The CPSC estimated that a walk-behind blade-contact standard could eliminate or reduce the severity of more than 38% of all power-mower injuries and 77% of walk-behind blade-contact injuries. It also estimated that more than 10% of people injured by walk-behind power mowers were hospitalized, compared with under 4% for all NEISS products.
Source: Safety Standard for Walk-Behind Power Lawn Mowers: Final Regulatory Analysis.
Senior Lawn Mower Injury Measures in Outdoor-Work Data
The CPSC’s 2024 senior report provides narrower measures in an Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools category, using an annual-average context from 2019–2021. These figures are not total lawn-mower injury prevalence because the category includes other yard tools and distinguishes known riding mowers from unspecified lawn-mower product codes.
Among seniors, lawn mowers not otherwise specified represented 13.5%, or 4,400 injuries per year, of an estimated 32,900 annual-average ED-treated Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools fall injuries. The same unspecified lawn-mower category represented 26.6%, or 5,300 injuries per year, of an estimated 19,700 annual-average ED-treated overexertion injuries.
These senior figures are best read as narrow subcategory measures within fall and overexertion groupings. They should not be added to the all-age NEISS or Nationwide Emergency Department Sample totals.
Source: Senior Injuries and Deaths Associated with Consumer Products: 2024 Report.
The evidence therefore supports several distinct interpretations: national ED studies quantify a substantial injury burden, pediatric studies identify concentrated risks in hands, feet and younger children, hospital data show materially higher inpatient than ED charges, and historical CPSC analyses quantify the potential importance of blade-contact safeguards. Each result remains tied to its own population, period, database and definition.