ISAF data · Beach safety
US Shark Attack Statistics (2026)
Every confirmed unprovoked shark bite in the 50 US states from 2010 to 2025, by year, state and Florida county, from the International Shark Attack File: where bites happen, where they kill, and who gets bitten.
By Laurence Tuchin, Founder, SurfSpotGuide
About 41.4 a year. 15 were fatal: fewer than one a year. Rip currents killed 667 people on US ocean coasts over the same years.
- of US shark bites were in Florida (332), but only 1 was fatal
- 50%
- bites per million residents in Hawaii, the highest of any state (Florida: 15.4)
- 71.5
- bites a year on average in 2018–2025, down from 47.6 in 2010–2017
- 35.3
Key takeaways
- 01There were 663 confirmed unprovoked shark bites in the 50 US states from 2010 to 2025, about 41.4 a year, and 15 were fatal, according to SurfSpotGuide analysis of International Shark Attack File data.
- 02Florida had 332 of the 663 (50%), more than every other state combined, but only 1 fatal bite.
- 03Hawaii and California account for 12 of the 15 US shark-bite deaths from 2010 to 2025 (6 each), despite far fewer bites than Florida.
- 04Volusia County, Florida, had the most shark bites of any Florida county in 14 of 16 years from 2010 to 2025: 135 bites, 41% of the state's total, according to SurfSpotGuide analysis of International Shark Attack File data.
- 05Swimmers and waders, not surfers, made up the largest share of shark-bite victims in ISAF's annual reports for 2022, 2024 and 2025; in earlier years surfers and board-sport riders usually led.
- 06The US accounted for 58% of the world's 1,143 confirmed unprovoked shark bites from 2010 to 2025, according to SurfSpotGuide analysis of International Shark Attack File data.
How many shark attacks are there each year in the US?
About 41.4 a year: 663 confirmed unprovoked bites in the 50 states from 2010 to 2025. The busiest year was 2015 (59) and the quietest 2025 (25).
Show the numbers
| Year | Bites | Fatal | Florida | Hawaii | California |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 4 |
| 2011 | 29 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| 2012 | 52 | 1 | 26 | 10 | 5 |
| 2013 | 47 | 1 | 23 | 13 | 1 |
| 2014 | 52 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 4 |
| 2015 | 59 | 1 | 30 | 7 | 2 |
| 2016 | 53 | 0 | 32 | 10 | 4 |
| 2017 | 53 | 0 | 31 | 6 | 2 |
| 2018 | 32 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 1 |
| 2019 | 40 | 0 | 21 | 9 | 3 |
| 2020 | 33 | 3 | 16 | 5 | 4 |
| 2021 | 47 | 1 | 28 | 6 | 3 |
| 2022 | 41 | 1 | 16 | 5 | 4 |
| 2023 | 36 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 2 |
| 2024 | 28 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 25 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 5 |
Source: SurfSpotGuide analysis of International Shark Attack File yearly summaries. 50 states only.
Which state has the most shark attacks?
Florida, by far: 332 of 663 bites from 2010 to 2025. Per person, though, Hawaii is the riskiest, with 71.5 bites per million residents against Florida's 15.4.
- Florida332
- Hawaii104
- South Carolina61
- California50
- North Carolina47
- New York17
- Texas16
- Oregon8
- Georgia7
- Alabama5
- Hawaii71.5
- Florida15.4
- South Carolina11.9
- North Carolina4.5
- Oregon1.9
- California1.3
- Alabama1
- New York0.8
- Georgia0.7
- Texas0.5
2020 Census populations.
Show the numbers
| State | Bites | Fatal | Per million residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 332 | 1 | 15.4 |
| Hawaii | 104 | 6 | 71.5 |
| South Carolina | 61 | 0 | 11.9 |
| California | 50 | 6 | 1.3 |
| North Carolina | 47 | 0 | 4.5 |
| New York | 17 | 0 | 0.8 |
| Texas | 16 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Oregon | 8 | 0 | 1.9 |
| Georgia | 7 | 0 | 0.7 |
| Alabama | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 1 | 0.6 |
| Maine | 2 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Delaware | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Virginia | 2 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Maryland | 1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 0 | 0.3 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 0 | 0.1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 0 | 0.9 |
| Washington | 1 | 0 | 0.1 |
Source: International Shark Attack File; population: US Census 2020. Every year and state as CSV.
How many shark attacks are there in Florida?
332 confirmed unprovoked bites from 2010 to 2025, about 20.8 a year, and 1 fatal. Volusia County, home to New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach, had 135 of them (41%), the most of any county in 14 of 16 years.
- Volusia County135
- Brevard County54
- Duval County25
- Palm Beach County21
- St. Johns County19
- Martin County16
- Miami-Dade County10
- St. Lucie County10
Volusia's count is why New Smyrna Beach is often called the shark-bite capital of the world. The only years it didn't lead Florida were 2012 (Brevard led; Volusia had 7) and 2015 (Brevard led; Volusia had 7).
Source: International Shark Attack File yearly summaries (county figures as ISAF reported them).
How many shark attacks are there in Hawaii?
104 unprovoked bites from 2010 to 2025, the second most of any state, and 6 fatal. That is 71.5 bites per million residents, the highest rate of any state.
How many shark attacks are there in California?
50 unprovoked bites from 2010 to 2025, but 6 of them fatal: as many deaths as Hawaii and more than Florida's 1, from 50 bites against Florida's 332.
How many people die from shark attacks each year?
In the US, fewer than one a year: 15 deaths from 2010 to 2025 (Hawaii 6, California 6, Florida 1, Massachusetts 1 and Maine 1). Worldwide, ISAF recorded 106 unprovoked fatalities over the same years. Rip currents killed 667 people on US ocean coasts in that time, 44 times as many as sharks.
More on rip currents in America's most dangerous beaches, and on how much Americans worry about sharks in America's beach fears.
Are surfers or swimmers bitten more?
Surfers and board-sport riders made up most victims for years, but in 2022, 2024 and 2025 swimmers and waders were the larger group in ISAF's annual reports.
ISAF's activity shares cover its annual case lists; several years label them worldwide, others don't say. 2010 counts surfers only.
How many shark attacks are there worldwide?
ISAF confirmed 1,143 unprovoked bites worldwide from 2010 to 2025, about 71 a year. The US accounted for 58% of them.
Definitions
- Unprovoked bite
- ISAF's term for a bite on a live person in the shark's natural habitat with no human provocation. Bites on people feeding, catching or touching sharks are "provoked" and not counted here.
- Shark attack
- The everyday term. ISAF now says "bite", because most incidents are a single investigatory bite, not an attack.
- Fatal
- A bite that killed the person, as ISAF classifies it in that year's report.
- Bites per million residents
- Bites in a state from 2010 to 2025 divided by its 2020 Census population. Visitors are bitten too, so this is a guide to where bites cluster, not personal odds.
Methodology
ISAF publishes one summary a year, which it overwrites, so we saved each year's report and typed in its figures with the sentence each came from. A script checks every figure against the saved report and that the state and county counts add up to the totals. We use each year's figure as first published; ISAF later revised a few years slightly (noted in the CSV).
The US figures here are the 50 states. ISAF counts US territories inconsistently between years, so they are left out. 663 confirmed bites over 16 years is a small number, so year-to-year swings are mostly chance.
Sources
- International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History: yearly worldwide summaries: 2010–2025; earlier years via the Internet Archive
Frequently asked questions
What is the shark attack capital of the world?
New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida, is usually given the title. Volusia had 135 confirmed unprovoked bites from 2010 to 2025, more than any other Florida county in 14 of the 16 years.
Are shark attacks increasing?
Not in the US. The 50 states averaged 35.3 confirmed bites a year in 2018–2025, against 47.6 in 2010–2017.
What are the odds of being bitten by a shark?
Very low, and hard to pin down because nobody counts how many people swim. A useful comparison: rip currents killed 667 people on US ocean coasts from 2010 to 2025, against 15 shark-bite deaths.
When will 2026 figures be available?
ISAF publishes each year's summary early the following year. This page updates when it does.
Use this data
Free to use with a credit
Need your state's numbers, a beach-by-beach list or a quote? Email Laurence Tuchin, Founder: laurence@surfspotguide.com.
Suggested citation
SurfSpotGuide (2026). US Shark Attack Statistics (2026). https://www.surfspotguide.com/surf-statistics/shark-attack-statistics
Download the full data (CSV)