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12 Surprisingly Dangerous Jobs Worth the Risk

If "danger" is your middle name, why not add it to your resume? Taking on greater risk at work can lead to greater rewards. Such is the case for the following dozen jobs, which all endure high rates of work-related injuries and illnesses and also pay more (often much more) than the national median of $43,992 a year.

They're probably not the jobs you'd expect. Your mind might go straight to reality TV shows such as "Deadliest Catch" and "Ax Men." Fishing and logging are indeed life-threatening: 41 fishers and 55 loggers died on the job in 2017, especially high counts considering the total number of these workers are just 24,509 and 48,804, respectively, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compare those figures with an overall fatality rate of just 3.5 deaths per 100,000 workers in the U.S. But with the fields shrinking and offering relatively low compensation (with median earnings between $33,000 and $39,500), those dangerous jobs are hardly worth the risk.

To identify the best high-risk job opportunities, we worked the numbers for you. Focusing on fields that are collecting generous paychecks now and are projected to expand greatly over the next decade, we ranked 773 popular occupations to see which ones offer the most promising futures. We also favored occupations with lower typical education requirements, allowing for lower investments of time and money. Finally, we scoured the top of our rankings for positions that face on-the-job injury and illness rates higher than that of all jobs in the U.S. Take a look at the best jobs for all you risk-takers.

Health Services Manager

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Total Number of Jobs: 371,020

Projected Job Growth, 2017-2027: 21.0% (All jobs: 9.7%)

Median Annual Salary: $96,517 (All Jobs: $43,992)

Typical Education Required: Bachelor's degree

Rate of Injuries/Illnesses: 134.5 per 10,000 workers (All Jobs: 89.4)

2017 Work-Related Fatalities: 3

Perhaps medical dramas such as "ER" and "Chicago Med" aren't so far fetched

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