FREE CONSULTATIONS (614) 444-1900

Which U.S. States Have Had the Most Human Trafficking Victims Over the Past 5 Years?

Human Trafficking Statistics 2024

We, the team at Joslyn Law Firm, reviewed the number of confirmed cases of human trafficking between 2019 and 2023 in each of the 50 US states. Comparing these statistics to census data, we identified which states had the largest number of human trafficking victims per 100,000 residents in this new analysis.

 

Click to view the full-size infographic

Which U.S. States Have Had the Most Human Trafficking Victims Over the Past 5 Years?

What is Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is defined as the use of “force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor of commercial sex act.” Victims are often lured into the situation through violence, false promises of compensation or deceptions of love. Human traffickers often take advantage of individuals who are not fluent in English, or are emotionally vulnerable or economically unstable.

 

Types of Human Trafficking

It is a common misconception that all human trafficking involves sex. This is not accurate. Human trafficking can also involve nonsexual labor in deplorable conditions for little to no compensation. Sex trafficking and forced labor are the two primary forms of human trafficking according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

There are, however, different types of forced labor including domestic servitude – where an employer has complete control over someone’s housing, food and transportation. Another form is forced child labor where children are under the custody of someone who denies them food, rest or education unless they are working.

It is also a misconception that the vast majority of human trafficking victims are women and girls. Young men, especially those who identify as LGBTQ, are estimated to comprise at least half of the sex trafficking victims in the US.

Human Trafficking Ranking by State

Nevada has the largest number of human trafficking victims per 100,000 people. With 3,194,176 residents, Nevada is ranked #32 in population, but between 2019 and 2023 there were 1,868 confirmed human trafficking victims in the state. This equates to 58.48 out of every 100,000 people, a significant amount more than even the state with the second-highest number of victims per capita.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, roughly 90% of human trafficking victims in Nevada are female and roughly 21% of them are minors under the age of 18. Additionally, 40% of the human trafficking victims in Nevada are not US citizens. The vast majority of the human trafficking in the state is sex trafficking.

Georgia had the second-largest number of human trafficking victims per 100,000 people. With 11,029,227 residents, Georgia is ranked #8 in population, but between 2019 and 2023 there were 5,140 confirmed cases of human trafficking in the state. This equates to 46.60 out of every 100,000 people. Interestingly, in 2019, the Attorney General created a statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit to rescue victims and convict human traffickers.

States with the Highest Amount of Human Trafficking per 100,000 Residents:

  1. Nevada
  2. Georgia
  3. Mississippi
  4. Missouri
  5. Louisiana
  6. Florida
  7. New Mexico
  8. California
  9. South Dakota
  10. Oregon

Human trafficking occurs in every US state. However, it should be noted that Rhode Island is the state with the lowest number of human trafficking victims per 100,000 people. With a population of 1,095,962, Rhode Island is ranked #44 in population, but between 2019 and 2023 there were just 89 confirmed cases of human trafficking in the state. This equates to 8.12 out of every 100,000 people. Statewide efforts to combat sex trafficking in Rhode Island include the creation of both a Human Trafficking Task Force and a Sex Trafficking Law Enforcement Task Force, however, it is not difficult to find new articles about sex trafficking occurring in the state. It is important to remain vigilant no matter where you are.

States with the Lowest Amount of Human Trafficking Per 100,000 Residents:

  1. Rhode Island
  2. Massachusetts
  3. Vermont
  4. Connecticut
  5. Minnesota
  6. Wisconsin
  7. Virginia
  8. Alabama
  9. Idaho
  10. Pennsylvania

 

How to Stop Human Trafficking

There are many ways to become involved with human trafficking prevention, including, but not limited to:

  • Taking training classes to learn the signs of human trafficking. These are available for law enforcement, educators, first responders and other concerned citizens.
  • Electing political candidates who promise to enact common sense laws to combat human trafficking.
  • Donating your time or finances to anti-trafficking charities.

Human trafficking is a federal crime, meaning it is taken very seriously. False accusations can lead to a lifetime of judicial and reputation-based consequences for innocent men and women. We at the Joslyn Law Firm aim to ensure everyone under investigation for federal sex crimes has appropriate legal counsel.

50 U.S. States Ranked by Number Human Trafficking Victims per 100,000 People

Rank State Total human trafficking victims (2019-2023) Population (2023) Human trafficking victims per 100,000 people
1 Nevada 1,868 3,194,176 58.48
2 Georgia 5,140 11,029,227 46.60
3 Mississippi 1,266 2,939,690 43.07
4 Missouri 2,016 6,196,156 32.54
5 Louisiana 1,447 4,573,749 31.64
6 Florida 6,904 22,610,726 30.53
7 New Mexico 644 2,114,371 30.46
8 California 11,254 38,965,193 28.88
9 South Dakota 264 919,318 28.72
10 Oregon 1,178 4,233,358 27.83
11 Utah 917 3,417,734 26.83
12 Michigan 2,653 10,037,261 26.43
13 Iowa 834 3,207,004 26.01
14 Delaware 263 1,031,890 25.49
15 Arkansas 780 3,067,732 25.43
16 Nebraska 493 1,978,379 24.92
17 Arizona 1,807 7,431,344 24.32
18 Washington 1,898 7,812,880 24.29
19 Texas 7,369 30,503,301 24.16
20 Kentucky 1,071 4,526,154 23.66
21 Colorado 1,389 5,877,610 23.63
22 Montana 266 1,132,812 23.48
23 Hawaii 333 1,435,138 23.20
24 North Dakota 181 783,926 23.09
25 Alaska 167 733,406 22.77
26 Ohio 2,675 11,785,935 22.70
27 Kansas 657 2,940,546 22.34
28 North Carolina 2,392 10,835,491 22.08
29 South Carolina 1,157 5,373,555 21.53
30 West Virginia 377 1,770,071 21.30
31 Maryland 1,290 6,180,253 20.87
32 Oklahoma 832 4,053,824 20.52
33 Wyoming 116 584,057 19.86
34 Maine 266 1,395,722 19.06
35 New Jersey 1,720 9,290,841 18.51
36 Tennessee 1,310 7,126,489 18.38
37 New York 3,576 19,571,216 18.27
38 Indiana 1,164 6,862,199 16.96
39 New Hampshire 227 1,402,054 16.19
40 Illinois 2,004 12,549,689 15.97
41 Pennsylvania 2,043 12,961,683 15.76
42 Idaho 298 1,964,726 15.17
43 Alabama 764 5,108,468 14.96
44 Virginia 1,281 8,715,698 14.70
45 Wisconsin 855 5,910,955 14.46
46 Minnesota 818 5,737,915 14.26
47 Connecticut 460 3,617,176 12.72
48 Vermont 71 647,464 10.97
49 Massachusetts 755 7,001,399 10.78
50 Rhode Island 89 1,095,962 8.12

The 10 States With the Most Human Trafficking Victims from 2019-2023

Rank Population rank State Total human trafficking victims (2019-2023) Population (2023) Human trafficking victims per 100,000 people
1 1 California 11,254 38,965,193 28.88
2 2 Texas 7,369 30,503,301 24.16
3 3 Florida 6,904 22,610,726 30.53
4 8 Georgia 5,140 11,029,227 46.60
5 4 New York 3,576 19,571,216 18.27
6 7 Ohio 2,675 11,785,935 22.70
7 10 Michigan 2,653 10,037,261 26.43
8 9 North Carolina 2,392 10,835,491 22.08
9 5 Pennsylvania 2,043 12,961,683 15.76
10 18 Missouri 2,016 6,196,156 32.54

The 10 States With the Fewest Human Trafficking Victims from 2019-2023

Rank Population rank State Total human trafficking victims (2019-2023) Population (2023) Human trafficking victims per 100,000 people
1 49 Vermont 71 647,464 10.97
2 44 Rhode Island 89 1,095,962 8.12
3 50 Wyoming 116 584,057 19.86
4 48 Alaska 167 733,406 22.77
5 47 North Dakota 181 783,926 23.09
6 41 New Hampshire 227 1,402,054 16.19
7 45 Delaware 263 1,031,890 25.49
8 46 South Dakota 264 919,318 28.72
9 42 Maine 266 1,395,722 19.06
10 43 Montana 266 1,132,812 23.48

Sources:

National Human Trafficking Hotline, Signals and cases by state 2019-2023

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics

United States Census Bureau, Population estimates July 1, 2023

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/geo/chart/ID/PST045222

 

Use the following embed code to post this infographic on your website:

This page was last updated by Brian Joslyn

Powered by: INTERNET LAVA