The second-deadliest workplace shooting in the United States took place in Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986 at a United States post office. There were 15 fatalities and six injuries in this shooting, and the incident inspired the American phrase “going postal.”
Workplace shootings
A mass shooting in the United States is generally defined as an incident where four or more people were injured or killed, though this can vary by source. It is sometimes difficult to identify the cause of workplace killings (also called rampage killings), although many involved disgruntled workers and some involve perpetrators with mental health problems.
Mass shootings in the United States
The vast majority of mass shootings in the United States are perpetrated by male assailants, and only four shootings have been carried out by women since 1982. Additionally, most of the weapons used in mass shootings were acquired through legal means, with only 16 incidents involving illegally obtained weapons since 1982.
Number of victims of workplace shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024
Characteristic
Fatalities
Injured
Total
El Paso Walmart mass shooting (El Paso, Texas, 2019)
22
26
48
San Bernardino mass shooting (San Bernardino, California, 2015)
14
21
35
Atlanta day trading spree killings (Atlanta, Georgia, 1999)
9
13
22
United States Postal Service shooting (Edmond, Oklahoma, 1986)
15
6
21
Standard Gravure shooting (Louisville, Kentucky, 1989)
9
12
21
Excel Industries mass shooting (Hesston, Kansas, 2016)
3
14
17
Virginia Beach municipal building shooting (Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2019)
12
4
16
Lockheed Martin shooting (Meridian, Mississippi, 2003)
Since 2013, the source defines a mass shooting as any single attack in a public place with three or more fatalities, in line with the definition by the FBI. Before 2013, a mass shooting was defined as any single attack in a public place with four or more fatalities.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Mother Jones. (December 9, 2024). Number of victims of workplace shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 09, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/476400/workplace-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones. "Number of victims of workplace shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024." Chart. December 9, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 09, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/476400/workplace-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones. (2024). Number of victims of workplace shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 09, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/476400/workplace-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones. "Number of Victims of Workplace Shootings in The United States between 1982 and September 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Dec 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/476400/workplace-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/
Mother Jones, Number of victims of workplace shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/476400/workplace-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/ (last visited December 09, 2024)
Number of victims of workplace shootings in the United States between 1982 and September 2024 [Graph], Mother Jones, December 9, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/476400/workplace-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count/