It happened just after 8:30 a.m. in Stanly County.
The construction worker was working in the trench when it caved in. The worker was trapped inside and died from their injuries before they could be rescued.
Work in the area was being done on a housing development, according to local ABC affiliate WSOC.
The cause of the trench collapse has not been determined. However, OSHA has been contacted and is now looking into what happened.