Hazmat incident statistics: PHMSA data, 2021 to 2025
Five-year snapshot of US hazardous materials transportation incidents reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Every incident figure is read from PHMSA's public data portal, with data as of October 21, 2026.
Hazmat incidents by year, 2021 to 2025
| Year | Total incidents | Fatalities | Injuries | Property damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27,404 | 2 | 167 | $81,752,179 |
| 2024 | 27,419 | 1 | 101 | $81,829,295 |
| 2023 | 24,290 | 12 | 87 | $940,747,698 |
| 2022 | 25,162 | 3 | 35 | $49,628,833 |
| 2021 | 25,162 | 2 | 28 | $48,237,375 |
All modes (air, highway, rail, water). Source: PHMSA 10 Year Incident Summary Reports, All Incidents tab, Mode Of Transportation = (All Column Values), tables 'Incidents By Mode and Incident Year', 'Injuries By Mode and Incident Year', 'Fatalities By Mode and Incident Year' and 'Damages By Mode and Incident Year', Grand Total row. Data as of 10/21/2026 6:44:27 PM. Figures are exactly as PHMSA shows them, no rounding. 2021 and 2022 really do both total 25,162; the mode rows differ and each sums to that figure. In the same report, 2023 damage includes $904,740,387 recorded under FRA-RAILWAY, which is why that year is an outlier. In PHMSA's Yearly Incident Summary Reports, injuries are split into hospitalized and non-hospitalized; the 10 year report's Injuries figure equals the two combined (checked for 2026: 12 + 34 = 46, and for 2025 highway: 13 + 96 = 109). PHMSA says the data is updated nightly, so recent years can still move. All five fatalities columns are highway; PHMSA shows 0 fatalities for air, rail and water in every year 2016 to 2026.
Property damage is the dollar total PHMSA reports, not an estimate. Injuries combine PHMSA's hospitalized and non-hospitalized counts. The 2023 damage total includes $904,740,387 recorded for rail.
Hazmat incidents by transport mode, 2025
| Mode | Incidents | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Highway (FMCSA) | 25,452 | 92.9% |
| Air (FAA) | 1,658 | 6.1% |
| Rail (FRA) | 289 | 1.1% |
| Water (USCG) | 5 | <0.1% |
| All modes | 27,404 | 100% |
Calendar year 2025, the latest complete year. Counts from PHMSA 10 Year Incident Summary Reports, All Incidents tab, table 'Incidents By Mode and Incident Year', 2025 column. Data as of 10/21/2026 6:44:27 PM. PHMSA does not show shares; they are calculated here as mode count divided by the 27,404 grand total and rounded to one decimal place. Water is 5 of 27,404 (0.02%), shown as <0.1%. The Yearly Incident Summary Reports, Incident Cause by Mode tab (2025, FMCSA-HIGHWAY) shows the same 25,452 highway incidents.
Highway hazmat incidents by hazard class, 2025
| Hazard class (PHMSA label) | Incidents | Share of highway |
|---|---|---|
| Corrosive material | 13,091 | 51.5% |
| Flammable - combustible liquid | 8,835 | 34.7% |
| Oxidizer | 1,825 | 7.2% |
| Miscellaneous hazardous material | 572 | 2.2% |
| Nonflammable compressed gas | 370 | 1.5% |
| Organic peroxide | 200 | 0.8% |
| Flammable gas | 190 | 0.7% |
| Poisonous materials | 157 | 0.6% |
| Explosive no blast hazard | 66 | 0.3% |
| Flammable solid | 60 | 0.2% |
| Combustible liquid | 58 | 0.2% |
Highway mode only, calendar year 2025. Source: PHMSA Yearly Incident Summary Reports, Incidents by Hazard Class tab, prompts Incident Occurred Year = 2025 and Mode Of Transportation = FMCSA-HIGHWAY, table 'Hazmat Summary by Hazardous Materials Class'. Data as of 10/21/2026 6:44:27 PM. Counts are exact, not approximate. The table's Grand Total is 25,425 highway incidents; shares are each class count divided by 25,425, rounded to one decimal place (PHMSA does not show shares). PHMSA notes that one incident can involve more than one hazard class, so the class rows add to 25,461 and the shares add to slightly more than 100%; the 25,425 total is also 27 below the 25,452 highway count in the 10 year report for the same reason. Eight other PHMSA labels had 14 or fewer highway incidents each: Spontaneously combustible 14, Infectious substance (etiologic) 9, Dangerous when wet material 5, Radioactive material 3, Poisonous gas 3, Very insensitive explosive 1, Other regulated material, Class D 1, Forbidden 1.
The undeclared hazmat problem
PHMSA recorded 2,841 undeclared hazmat incidents in 2025, including 1,781 on highways and 1,055 in air transport. Undeclared means the material qualified as hazmat but the shipper did not declare it.
Lithium battery incidents: the fastest-growing category
PHMSA incident data and FAA in-flight lithium battery fire reports both show a clear multi-year upward trend in battery-related incidents, driven by growth in e-commerce, EVs, and battery storage systems. Key data points from named reports:
- FAA Lithium Battery Incident Chart (updated annually): The FAA tracks in-flight smoke, fire, or extreme heat events involving lithium batteries. Incidents increased from 31 events in 2012 to more than 100 per year in 2020 to 2023. Source: FAA Lithium Battery Incident Chart.
- PHMSA highway data: in 2025, Miscellaneous hazardous material (Class 9, which covers most lithium battery shipments under UN3480 / UN3481) ranked fourth among highway hazard classes with 572 incidents, behind corrosive material, flammable - combustible liquid and oxidizer. Source: PHMSA Yearly Incident Summary Reports, Incidents by Hazard Class.
Methodology and sources
All statistics on this page are drawn from the following publicly available primary sources. No original research was conducted by HazmatEasy.
- PHMSA Incident Statistics. 10 Year Incident Summary Reports and Yearly Incident Summary Reports, linked from phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-program-management-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics. Years CY2021 to CY2025, data as of October 21, 2026. Mode filters applied per table.
- FAA Lithium Battery Incident Chart. Federal Aviation Administration, updated quarterly. Available at faa.gov/hazmat/resources/lithium_batteries/incidents.
- DOT Form F 5800.1 (Hazardous Materials Incident Report). Required report filed by carriers involved in incidents; the underlying data populating the PHMSA database.
Rounding note: Counts and dollar figures are exactly as PHMSA's portal reports them. Percentage shares are calculated from those counts and rounded to one decimal place. Users requiring figures for regulatory or legal purposes should query the PHMSA portal directly, since it updates nightly.
Coverage limitation: PHMSA incident reporting captures only incidents above reporting thresholds (any release of hazardous material, any death, injury, evacuation, or property damage). Minor spills and near-miss events below these thresholds are not captured in the public dataset.
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