Job-related homicides increased last year for the first time in six years, according to the latest report of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. The report, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shows that the number of victims rose to 677 in 2000 from 651 in 1999, but the total remains far below the 1,080 workplace homicides in 1994.

The census data also reveals that the states with the most deaths resulting from assault and other violent acts at work were California (111), Texas (103), New York (68), and Florida (66). These numbers were not provided by the BLS but calculated from the data it provided.)

Not surprisingly, most victims were cashiers (82), restaurant and hotel managers (67), and taxicab drivers and chauffeurs (60). Forty-six security officers were killed on the job as well. Among the workers safest from the threat of homicide were airplane pilots, farmers, lumberjacks, and carpenters.