Zoogster's data are actually from 2003 and is a bit outdated
Sales-delivery drivers are in the top 10 each time:
2002 it was 5th
In 2004 it was 9th
2005 it was 8th
2006 it was 9th
2007 it was 8th
2008 it was 9th
etc
But the top 10 most dangerous categories lump some work together that is safe with some that is more dangerous.
There is something that list does not say:That list is also as you noted is about fatality rates, but assault, robbery, and homicide rates would be the most relevant to the discussion of self defense.
I have seen pizza delivery driver statistics on their own, and it and taxi-cab driver rated as the single most common victims of homicide on the job.
Even when lumped in with all sales drivers that category still is rated one of the highest per capita for homicide.
There is no way it is more dangerous than working in the fisheries industry, which is #1.
I wouldn't say it is more dangerous than fishing, but
almost none of the fishermen killed on the job (or on the job of most of the other top 10) are being murdered, or robbed.
While 25% of those that die in the driver-sales category are, a category that includes a lot of truck drivers that have much lower homicide rates that bring the homicide rate down well below what it is for pizza delivery.
(Most of the rest are obviously traffic accidents.)
The same goes for logging, private pilots, and most of the top 10 jobs. Few of those on the list have homicide as a major cause of death.
Out of those on the list with the highest homicide related causes, it is taxi-cab drivers.
Consider why:
They deal with complete strangers in cash in random locations of the criminals choosing. Virtually identical to a pizza delivery driver, and unlike most other jobs
Well, most folks probably don't consider prostitution as a job, but it is, just not a legal job in most of the US.
Yes it is very dangerous if you count illegal jobs, but then you should include drug dealer (violent criminals are always trying to rob them) and career robber (end up at gun point every now and then) as well. You can't just start throwing in illegal professions.
However prostitution includes very similar reasons to the taxi-cab and pizza delivery jobs. They meet and deal with complete strangers at the location or destination of the attacker's choosing, and who they are meeting with is completely undocumented.
Few jobs will have you meeting with complete strangers, where the stranger wants, while knowing nothing about who the stranger is.
Most jobs where people meet with other people involve known individuals, on file, documented customers, or at least require the customer to enter a business such as a retail location.
However a taxi cab or a pizza delivery driver can both be called to remote locations, just as a prostitute can be taken to one. They are informal transactions done with a stranger at the location of the stranger's choosing, while being highly visible to the criminal element (every thug has legitimately ordered a pizza before, and everyone knows about and sees taxis) and with no customer type out of place.
They all share much of the same reason that gives them the highest homicide rate (and rate of robbery) in the country, and has for decades.
Since a gun as it relates to defense is for dealing with such risks, not the risk of drowning, having trees fall on you, or vehicular accidents, or the causes of death for most on the top 10...
It would be the rate of homicide and robbery that would be most relevant to the OP's post.
Out of every legal job in the country, almost none are more likely to result in need for a concealed firearm than pizza-delivery/taxi-driver. Even police and security have a lower rate of violent attack and homicide.
