GAO Report Reveals Critical Data Gaps in US Child Labor Fatalities

A newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights significant gaps in child labor data, revealing that critical information is missing for more than half of work-related deaths among individuals under the age of 18 in the United States.

According to the report, an average of 24 children under 18 died annually in work-related incidents between 2013 and 2023, totaling 260 child fatality cases. However, over half of these cases lacked detailed data regarding the cause of death or the specific industry in which the child was employed.

Of the 109 fatalities where the industry was reported, 75% occurred in the agriculture sector. Additionally, among the 111 fatalities with a documented cause of death, two-thirds were attributed to transportation incidents.

The GAO attributes these data gaps to a lack of coordination between federal agencies. Notably, the report finds that since January 2025, collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies to address child labor law violations has “largely diminished.”

Further compounding these issues, data collection regarding work-related injuries and illnesses among children was altered in 2021, preventing comparisons with earlier years. Additionally, a DOL survey and two other federal datasets containing child labor injury data have been discontinued.

Between fiscal years 2015 and 2025, 59% of child labor law violations involved employers scheduling 14- or 15-year-olds to work longer or later than permitted under federal law. Furthermore, 62% of these violations occurred within the accommodation and food services industry.

The report also indicates that the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division “has not fully addressed” the challenges inherent in enforcing child labor laws, reinforcing the decline in inter-agency collaboration since January 2025.

The GAO report was prepared in response to a July 2023 request by House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott of Virginia, who tasked the agency with evaluating the scope of child labor, the capacity of federal agencies to enforce laws, and the effectiveness of current protective measures.

“The GAO report shows that the Trump administration’s upheaval of federal agencies has harmed children,” Scott stated. “As a result of the administration’s chaos, the federal government’s response to child labor lacks coordination, and its enforcement of child labor laws is less effective. Additionally, the slashing of budgets at critical research agencies such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has led to real harms. The federal government cannot effectively prevent child labor if it does not have the information it needs to know where children are working, if they are being injured, and where the greatest risks exist.”

Scott has introduced the “Protecting Children Act,” a bill aimed at improving data collection and utilization to bolster child labor law enforcement.

The release of this report coincides with a surge in child labor violations across the United States over the past decade. Since 2021, 19 states have moved to relax child labor laws. The number of minors employed in violation of federal child labor laws rose from 1,012 in fiscal year 2015 to 5,272 in fiscal year 2025.

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