Mapping Out The Human Trafficking Problem Across the United States

Historically, it has been difficult to gather accurate data over human trafficking due to issues like under reporting and the use of deceptive tactics to evade law enforcement. However, human trafficking rates can be estimated through confirmed cases of human trafficking and census data over state population. One law firm did just that using data they collected from the National Human Trafficking Hotline to create a map highlighting the states with the highest rate of human trafficking over the past 5 years.

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As the most-populated state with over 39 million people, California has a reported 11,254 cases of human trafficking from 2019 to 2023. Texas and Florida follow in a similar pattern respectively. As the states with the second and third highest population, Texas and Florida had a reported 7,369 and 6,904 cases during this time.

Georgia is the first state in the ranking where trafficking rates do not directly reflect its population. Despite having the eighth-largest population with over 11 million people, it ranks fourth with 5,140 cases of human trafficking from 2019 to 2023. Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, is home to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world’s major transportation hubs.

When looking at the data from the rate of human trafficking per 100,000 people, Nevada ranks first. Despite only having a population of just over 3 million, Nevada has a rate of 58.48 victims of human trafficking per 100,000 people. This is in contrast to California, where the rate is 28.88 per 100,000 people. Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world known for its nightlife and gambling, is a target destination for human traffickers. Many vulnerable populations, such as homeless youth and migrant workers, are at a higher risk of exploitation and trafficking in Las Vegas.