Urban Hotspots and Postal Worker Risk: Where Dog Bites Cluster and Why it Matters

Dog bites aren’t just random; they cluster in specific places and times, and that pattern can help communities prevent injuries before they happen. A nationwide study of dog-bite hotspots conducted by experts of the Texas Law Dog law firm, shows the U.S. averages 4.5 million bites each year, with about 1,000 people a day needing emergency care making geography, seasonality, and everyday routines critical risk factors to understand.

National prevalence and who gets hurt

• Scale: An estimated 4.5 million people are bitten annually; 850,000 require medical attention, and roughly 370,000 end up in the ER.

• Age and gender: The average victim age is 28.9, and men account for a slight majority (52.6%) of incidents.

• Setting: About 80.2% of bites happen at home, most are “unintentional,” and bites spike in summer and on weekends.

These patterns reflect overlapping realities: more outdoor time, relaxed supervision, and increased interactions with familiar dogs in familiar spaces all of which can raise risk even without malicious intent.

City and state hotspots, led by California and Texas

Postal service data, a consistent barometer for bite incidents, pinpoints urban hotspots. In 2023, Los Angeles led U.S. cities in attacks on mail carriers, followed by Houston and Chicago. Statewide, California recorded 727 postal-worker attacks, with Texas at 411, then Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois close behind. Large dog populations, high child populations, and stray challenges contribute to why California and Texas sit at the top.

• Top cities (2023): Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, San Diego, Dallas, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Columbus.

• Top states (2023): California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri.

Postal carriers are a visible slice of a larger story: high-density areas mean more door-to-door traffic, more deliveries, and more chance encounters at gates, stoops, and mail slots—prime moments for defensive canine behavior.

Children face the highest stakes

Children are disproportionately targeted in dog bite incidents about 70% of cases and injuries tend to be more severe due to a child’s height and vulnerability. The 5–9 age group is most affected, and pediatric outcomes increasingly include PTSD and dog phobia. The pandemic era saw a notable increase in pediatric bites, reflecting more at-home exposure and changes in routines.

• Share of victims: Children in ~70% of cases; average 16 child fatalities annually.

• Severity: Torso-level injuries are more common in children and can be more serious.

• Psychological impact: PTSD reported in over half of child victims, with rising dog-related phobias noted by pediatricians.

For families and schools, that means prevention is as much about environment and education as it is about the dog itself.

Breed risk, bite force, and context

While any dog can bite, fatality data in the study attributes most deaths to a small number of breeds over time, with pit bulls and rottweilers comprising the largest shares of fatal incidents reported. The Kangal’s measured bite force appears highest among cited breeds. These facts must be held alongside context: most bites are unintentional and occur at home, underscoring how training, supervision, and socialization across all breeds make the real difference day-to-day.

• Fatalities: Pit bulls implicated in 65.6% of recorded deaths; rottweilers 10.4%.

• Bite force: Kangal at a reported 743 PSI in cited testing.

Practical prevention for cities and neighborhoods

• Secure entry points: Reinforce fences, self-close gates, and use mailbox slots or exterior boxes to reduce face-to-face encounters at the door.

• Structured training: Early obedience and ongoing socialization reduce defensive reactions to strangers, uniforms, and delivery routines.

• Active supervision: Keep dogs leashed or behind a closed-door during deliveries; avoid letting dogs meet carriers at open thresholds.

• Family education: Teach children to avoid approaching tethered or feeding dogs and to ask owners before interacting.

• Routine and exercise: Daily exercise lowers stress and arousal levels that can trigger bites in busy, stimulus-rich environments.

Cities with high delivery volumes and dense housing benefit most from coordinated messaging between HOAs, schools, and delivery services. Small, consistent changes like keeping dogs in a separate room during expected delivery windows pay outsized dividends in bite reduction.

Source attribution

This article draws on a nationwide analysis of dog-bite hotspots, demographics, postal worker data, and prevention findings. Referenced study: A study looking at where dog bites most occur in the U.S.