A bed looks like the least dangerous furniture in the house. It has no blades, no motor, and its whole job is to keep you still. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which tracks product injuries through its National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), still puts beds, mattresses and pillows near the top of its 2024 list. Here is how many people were treated, how that ranks, and who they were.
The 2024 answer
CPSC estimates that about 1.1 million people were treated in US hospital emergency departments in 2024 for injuries involving beds, mattresses or pillows (the report’s estimate is 1,114,811). That is a national estimate built from a sample of hospitals, not a count of every visit.
The report puts the 2024 rate at 331.1 such injuries per 100,000 people, or about 1 in 302 (our arithmetic: 100,000 divided by 331.1).
Because the figure comes from a sample, it carries some uncertainty. The report gives a coefficient of variation of 0.08, which means the standard error is about 8 percent of the estimate.
Second only to stairs and floors
Among the top 20 product groups in CPSC’s 2024 report, for all ages combined, beds, mattresses and pillows rank second. Only stairs, ramps, landings and floors were involved in more, about 3.1 million. Both figures come from the same table, year and method.
The pattern holds at both ends of life. Beds, mattresses and pillows also rank second, again behind stairs, ramps, landings and floors, for babies under 1 and for each age group from 55 to 64 upward.
Who is treated most often
The 2024 report breaks the same product group down by age. Each rate is per 100,000 people in that age group in the US, so the rows can be compared even though the groups span different numbers of years.
| Age group (2024) | Estimated injuries treated in US emergency departments | Coefficient of variation | Rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | 78,141 | 0.14 | 2,140.3 |
| 1 to 4 | 122,778 | 0.12 | 830.4 |
| 5 to 9 | 49,979 | 0.11 | 250.5 |
| 10 to 14 | 21,094 | 0.11 | 101.9 |
| 15 to 24 | 44,008 | 0.10 | 99.8 |
| 25 to 34 | 47,291 | 0.09 | 103.9 |
| 35 to 44 | 51,811 | 0.09 | 115.3 |
| 45 to 54 | 56,054 | 0.09 | 138.4 |
| 55 to 64 | 102,630 | 0.09 | 247.4 |
| 65 to 74 | 168,885 | 0.10 | 477.2 |
| 75 to 84 | 202,433 | 0.11 | 1,048.4 |
| 85 and older | 169,706 | 0.12 | 2,664.2 |
| All ages | 1,114,811 | 0.08 | 331.1 |
The highest 2024 rate belongs to people 85 and older: 2,664.2 per 100,000, about 1 in 38 (our arithmetic). Babies under 1 come next at 2,140.3 per 100,000, about 1 in 47 (our arithmetic). The lowest rate in the table is for people 15 to 24, at 99.8 per 100,000.
The largest number of injuries, rather than the highest rate, falls in the 75 to 84 group, an estimated 202,433 in 2024.
What the figures count
The report’s estimates are weighted national estimates of the number of people treated in US hospital emergency departments for injuries related to consumer products. “Involving” is the right word: a bed, mattress or pillow was recorded as part of the injury, which does not mean it caused it. NEISS can record up to three products for each injury, so one injury can also be counted under another group, such as floors.
The rates use the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2024 estimates of the US resident population. The 2024 estimates come from a sample of 100 hospitals, of which 77 reported that year, including children’s hospitals.
The report does not say how these injuries happened, and it does not list which product codes make up CPSC’s beds, mattresses and pillows group.
The short version
In 2024, about 1.1 million people were treated in US hospital emergency departments for injuries involving beds, mattresses or pillows, about 1 in 302 people (our arithmetic). Only stairs, ramps, landings and floors were involved in more. The highest rates were among people 85 and older and babies under 1.
Last checked: 2026-10-20, against CPSC’s NEISS Data Highlights for 2024. This article was machine-checked against the sources above and has not been expert-reviewed. Spotted an error or a newer public figure? Please tell us on our contact page with the article link and we will review it.
Sources
- S1 US Consumer Product Safety Commission, “NEISS Data Highlights (Top 20 Product Groups by Age Group), 2024” (two pages, PDF dated April 2025), the all ages column and the BEDS, MATTRESSES, PILLOWS row in each age column, plus the footnotes on estimates, CV and rates. https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/NEISSQuery/Data/Highlights/2024/2024%20NEISS%20Data%20Highlights%20(age).pdf, accessed Oct 20, 2026.