Iron ore mines in the US: 27 open mines and MSHA citations
MSHA lists 27 open iron ore mines in the US, run by 23 operators and employing 4,246 people. Since January 1, 2022 its inspectors issued 6,446 citations and orders there with $9,938,175 in proposed penalties, and operators reported 468 injury or illness cases. The operators with the most open mines are United States Steel Corp-Minnesota Ore Operations; United Taconite LLC; Northshore Mining Company. Data from MSHA, November 6, 2026.
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- Open mines
- 27
- Operators
- 23
- Employees
- 4,246
- Active
- 20
- Intermittent
- 4
- Temporarily Idled
- 3
- Citations and orders since January 1, 2022
- 6,446
- Significant and substantial
- 891 (13.8%)
- Closure orders
- 29
- High negligence or reckless
- 98
- Proposed penalties
- $9,938,175
- Amount paid so far
- $7,300,910
- Inspections
- 628
- Inspector hours on site
- 20,394
- Citations per inspection
- 10.26 (all mines 2.30)
- Accident reports
- 499
- Injury and illness cases
- 468
- Fatalities
- 0
- Latest MSHA record
- November 4, 2026
Operators with the most open mines
Ranked by open mines, then by citations. Sole proprietors and individuals are not listed.
| Operator | Open mines | Employees | Citations since 2022 | Proposed penalties | Injury cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Steel Corp-Minnesota Ore Operations | 3 | 1,240 | 2,422 | $5,562,652 | 184 |
| United Taconite LLC | 2 | 362 | 672 | $1,008,845 | 53 |
| Northshore Mining Company | 2 | 495 | 670 | $625,142 | 35 |
| Tilden Mining Company, LC. | 1 | 860 | 1,620 | $1,951,044 | 78 |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Minorca Mine Inc. | 1 | 340 | 448 | $462,631 | 18 |
| Hibbing Taconite Company | 1 | 700 | 384 | $247,194 | 34 |
| U.S. Iron, LLC. | 1 | 4 | 53 | $19,516 | 0 |
| Utah Iron, LLC | 1 | 104 | 45 | $38,811 | 10 |
| Mesabi Metallics Company LLC | 1 | 43 | 35 | $3,749 | 52 |
| Vibrantz Minerals LLC | 1 | 10 | 27 | $5,465 | 0 |
| James Gang Enterprises Inc. | 1 | 6 | 23 | $6,265 | 1 |
| Alabama Pigments Co LLC | 1 | 27 | 8 | $1,142 | 0 |
| A. Lindberg & Sons, Inc. | 1 | 2 | 7 | $822 | 0 |
| Horizon Hill Materials, LLC | 1 | 2 | 7 | $1,035 | 0 |
| Rango Inc. | 1 | 2 | 6 | $747 | 1 |
| Top Rocks LLC | 1 | 3 | 6 | $885 | 0 |
| Iron Age Mine LLC | 1 | 2 | 4 | $913 | 0 |
| Colorado Lien Company | 1 | 5 | 3 | $441 | 0 |
| Quality Magnetite LLC | 1 | 33 | 3 | $449 | 1 |
| New Sunrise, LLC | 1 | 1 | 2 | $294 | 0 |
| CalPortland Company | 1 | 3 | 1 | $133 | 1 |
| GCC Trident LLC | 1 | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Hoover Construction Company | 1 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
Operators with the most citations
Citations and orders issued since January 1, 2022 at their open mines here.
| Operator | Open mines | Employees | Citations since 2022 | Proposed penalties | Injury cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Steel Corp-Minnesota Ore Operations | 3 | 1,240 | 2,422 | $5,562,652 | 184 |
| Tilden Mining Company, LC. | 1 | 860 | 1,620 | $1,951,044 | 78 |
| United Taconite LLC | 2 | 362 | 672 | $1,008,845 | 53 |
| Northshore Mining Company | 2 | 495 | 670 | $625,142 | 35 |
| Cleveland-Cliffs Minorca Mine Inc. | 1 | 340 | 448 | $462,631 | 18 |
| Hibbing Taconite Company | 1 | 700 | 384 | $247,194 | 34 |
| U.S. Iron, LLC. | 1 | 4 | 53 | $19,516 | 0 |
| Utah Iron, LLC | 1 | 104 | 45 | $38,811 | 10 |
| Mesabi Metallics Company LLC | 1 | 43 | 35 | $3,749 | 52 |
| Vibrantz Minerals LLC | 1 | 10 | 27 | $5,465 | 0 |
| James Gang Enterprises Inc. | 1 | 6 | 23 | $6,265 | 1 |
| Alabama Pigments Co LLC | 1 | 27 | 8 | $1,142 | 0 |
| A. Lindberg & Sons, Inc. | 1 | 2 | 7 | $822 | 0 |
| Horizon Hill Materials, LLC | 1 | 2 | 7 | $1,035 | 0 |
| Rango Inc. | 1 | 2 | 6 | $747 | 1 |
| Top Rocks LLC | 1 | 3 | 6 | $885 | 0 |
| Iron Age Mine LLC | 1 | 2 | 4 | $913 | 0 |
| Colorado Lien Company | 1 | 5 | 3 | $441 | 0 |
| Quality Magnetite LLC | 1 | 33 | 3 | $449 | 1 |
| New Sunrise, LLC | 1 | 1 | 2 | $294 | 0 |
| CalPortland Company | 1 | 3 | 1 | $133 | 1 |
| GCC Trident LLC | 1 | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Hoover Construction Company | 1 | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
Mines with the most citations
Open mines, ranked by citations and orders since January 1, 2022.
| Mine | Operator | County | Main commodity | Employees | Citations since 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilden Mine | Tilden Mining Company, LC. | Marquette County, MI | Iron ore | 860 | 1,620 |
| Minntac Mine | United States Steel Corp-Minnesota Ore Operations | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 430 | 1,116 |
| Minntac Plant | United States Steel Corp-Minnesota Ore Operations | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 790 | 948 |
| Northshore Mining Company | Northshore Mining Company | Lake County, MN | Iron ore | 335 | 592 |
| United Plant | United Taconite LLC | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 207 | 572 |
| Minorca Mine | Cleveland-Cliffs Minorca Mine Inc. | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 340 | 448 |
| Hibbing Taconite Company | Hibbing Taconite Company | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 700 | 384 |
| Keetac | United States Steel Corp-Minnesota Ore Operations | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 20 | 358 |
| United, Mine | United Taconite LLC | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 155 | 100 |
| Northshore Mining Company | Northshore Mining Company | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 160 | 78 |
| Beck Mine | U.S. Iron, LLC. | Inyo County, CA | Iron ore | 4 | 53 |
| Comstock / Mountain Lion | Utah Iron, LLC | Iron County, UT | Iron ore | 104 | 45 |
| Mesabi Metallics Company LLC | Mesabi Metallics Company LLC | Itasca County, MN | Iron ore | 43 | 35 |
| Vibrantz Minerals LLC | Vibrantz Minerals LLC | Harris County, TX | Iron ore | 10 | 27 |
| Silver Lake Mine | James Gang Enterprises Inc. | San Bernardino County, CA | Iron ore | 6 | 23 |
| Dudley Red #1 | Alabama Pigments Co LLC | Bibb County, AL | Iron ore | 27 | 8 |
| Rosemary's Mountain Quarry | Horizon Hill Materials, LLC | San Diego County, CA | Iron ore | 2 | 7 |
| SP-13 | A. Lindberg & Sons, Inc. | Marquette County, MI | Iron ore | 2 | 7 |
| MGB Mott | Top Rocks LLC | Marion County, TX | Iron ore | 3 | 6 |
| Portable Crusher No. 1 | Rango Inc. | La Paz County, AZ | Iron ore | 2 | 6 |
| Iron Age Mine | Iron Age Mine LLC | San Bernardino County, CA | Iron ore | 2 | 4 |
| Quality Magnetite LLC | Quality Magnetite LLC | Wayne County, WV | Iron ore | 33 | 3 |
| CF & I Pit | Colorado Lien Company | Pennington County, SD | Iron ore | 5 | 3 |
| Sunrise | New Sunrise, LLC | Platte County, WY | Iron ore | 1 | 2 |
| Baxter Mine | CalPortland Company | San Bernardino County, CA | Iron ore | 3 | 1 |
| Black Butte Mine | GCC Trident LLC | Meagher County, MT | Iron ore | 2 | 0 |
| Spread Three (3) | Hoover Construction Company | St Louis County, MN | Iron ore | 0 | 0 |
States
| State | Open mines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 11 | 40.7% |
| California | 5 | 18.5% |
| Michigan | 2 | 7.4% |
| Texas | 2 | 7.4% |
| Alabama | 1 | 3.7% |
| Arizona | 1 | 3.7% |
| Montana | 1 | 3.7% |
| South Dakota | 1 | 3.7% |
| Utah | 1 | 3.7% |
| West Virginia | 1 | 3.7% |
| Wyoming | 1 | 3.7% |
Citations and injury cases by year
Calendar years since 2022; 2026 runs to the date of the MSHA files.
| Year | Citations and orders | Significant and substantial | Proposed penalties | Injury and illness cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,616 | 208 | $2,108,658 | 80 |
| 2023 | 1,279 | 189 | $2,070,386 | 88 |
| 2024 | 1,602 | 215 | $2,814,697 | 103 |
| 2025 | 1,019 | 110 | $1,288,206 | 105 |
| 2026 | 930 | 169 | $1,656,228 | 92 |
Standards cited most at iron ore mines
Sections of Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations named on the citations, with the part each belongs to.
| Standard | What the part covers | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 30 CFR 56.20003 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 1,561 |
| 30 CFR 56.14112 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 435 |
| 30 CFR 56.14100 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 316 |
| 30 CFR 56.12028 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 315 |
| 30 CFR 56.12004 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 284 |
| 30 CFR 56.12032 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 229 |
| 30 CFR 56.14107 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 195 |
| 30 CFR 56.4201 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 174 |
| 30 CFR 56.14207 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 157 |
| 30 CFR 56.11002 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 149 |
| 30 CFR 56.12030 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 127 |
| 30 CFR 56.11016 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 116 |
| 30 CFR 56.4102 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 115 |
| 30 CFR 56.11012 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 102 |
| 30 CFR 56.11001 | Surface metal and nonmetal mines | 100 |
Injury and illness cases at iron ore mines
Accident reports by degree of injury, as the operator reported them to MSHA.
| Degree | Cases |
|---|---|
| Permanent disability | 6 |
| Days away from work or restricted activity | 271 |
| No lost time, or an occupational illness | 191 |
What the accident reports at iron ore mines describe
Accident classification, as MSHA codes the circumstances that contributed most directly.
| Classification | Reports |
|---|---|
| Handling of materials | 164 |
| Slip or fall of person | 105 |
| Handtools (nonpowered) | 68 |
| Machinery | 65 |
| Powered haulage | 29 |
| Other | 18 |
| Entrapment | 12 |
| Fire | 11 |
| Nonpowered haulage | 5 |
| Disorders (repeated trauma) | 5 |
Equipment named in accident reports at iron ore mines
| Equipment | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hand tools (not powered) | 69 |
| Hand tools (powered) | 31 |
| Front-end loader | 16 |
| Shovel | 13 |
| Ore haulage trucks - off highway trucks | 12 |
| Elevator | 10 |
| Bulldozer | 9 |
| Crane | 9 |
| Trucks | 8 |
| Welding machine | 7 |
Updated November 6, 2026. Read from US Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Open Government Data Sets. US government work, public domain. Counts come from the MSHA files published on November 6, 2026. An open mine is one MSHA lists as Active, Intermittent, New Mine, Temporarily Idled or NonProducing; 13,673 were open that day. Citations, penalties, inspections and accident reports run from January 1, 2022. A citation is an inspector's allegation and an operator can contest it; the penalty is the amount MSHA first proposed, before any contest or settlement. An operator is the legal entity MSHA assesses, and a parent company is its controller. Mines run by sole proprietors or by individuals are counted in every total and are not named. This page uses MSHA data and is not endorsed or certified by MSHA. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0. Spot a wrong value? Write to [email protected] with the link to this page.