US State-by-State Data | Human Trafficking Report

Data Sources Hotline contact data comes from the National Human Trafficking Hotline operated by Polaris Project (2023 annual data). Law scores are based on the Shared Hope International “Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking” grading system, which evaluates state laws across six categories on a 0–100 scale. Cases reported reflects both hotline-identified cases and federal cases prosecuted in each state.

Top 10 States by Hotline Contacts

4,837

California; #1

3,611

Texas; #2

1,987

Florida; #3

1,456

New York; #4

1,102

Ohio; #5

US State Trafficking Hotline Contacts

Hover over any state for details. National Human Trafficking Hotline data (2023)

Top 10 States by Hotline Contacts

National Human Trafficking Hotline contacts, 2023 (Polaris Project)

California

4,837

Texas

3,611

Florida

1,987

New York

1,456

Ohio

1,102

Georgia

1,043

Illinois

986

Pennsylvania

913

North Carolina

857

Michigan

812

Source: Polaris Project, "National Human Trafficking Hotline Data Report," 2023

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Rank	State	Region	Hotline Contacts	Cases Reported	Law Score (0–100)
1	California	West	4,837	1,548	82.5
2	Texas	Southwest	3,611	1,190	90.0
3	Florida	Southeast	1,987	896	87.5
4	New York	Northeast	1,456	652	80.0
5	Ohio	Midwest	1,102	461	85.0
6	Georgia	Southeast	1,043	422	77.5
7	Illinois	Midwest	986	398	82.5
8	Pennsylvania	Northeast	913	371	72.5
9	North Carolina	Southeast	857	345	70.0
10	Michigan	Midwest	812	331	75.0
11	Virginia	Southeast	756	298	72.5
12	New Jersey	Northeast	721	287	77.5
13	Arizona	Southwest	698	276	80.0
14	Washington	West	665	263	82.5
15	Tennessee	Southeast	631	248	75.0
16	Maryland	Southeast	598	234	70.0
17	Nevada	West	576	229	85.0
18	Massachusetts	Northeast	554	218	77.5
19	Colorado	West	532	207	75.0
20	Indiana	Midwest	511	198	72.5
21	Louisiana	Southeast	489	187	82.5
22	Missouri	Midwest	467	179	70.0
23	Minnesota	Midwest	445	171	80.0
24	South Carolina	Southeast	423	162	72.5
25	Oregon	West	401	153	77.5
26	Wisconsin	Midwest	387	148	70.0
27	Alabama	Southeast	365	139	67.5
28	Connecticut	Northeast	349	132	80.0
29	Kentucky	Southeast	334	126	72.5
30	Oklahoma	Southwest	321	119	75.0
31	Iowa	Midwest	298	112	70.0
32	Mississippi	Southeast	287	107	65.0
33	Arkansas	Southeast	276	101	62.5
34	Kansas	Midwest	264	96	70.0
35	New Mexico	Southwest	253	91	67.5
36	Utah	West	241	87	72.5
37	Nebraska	Midwest	228	82	72.5
38	Hawaii	West	216	78	75.0
39	Delaware	Northeast	198	73	70.0
40	New Hampshire	Northeast	187	68	67.5
41	West Virginia	Southeast	176	64	62.5
42	Idaho	West	165	59	65.0
43	Maine	Northeast	154	54	67.5
44	Rhode Island	Northeast	143	50	72.5
45	Montana	West	132	46	60.0
46	Alaska	West	121	42	62.5
47	South Dakota	Midwest	112	38	60.0
48	North Dakota	Midwest	103	35	62.5
49	Vermont	Northeast	94	31	65.0
50	Wyoming	West	86	28	57.5

Key Patterns

Population and Urbanization

Hotline contacts strongly correlate with population size and urbanization. The top 10 states collectively account for approximately 60% of all National Hotline contacts. Major metropolitan areas, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, New York, Atlanta, are consistent trafficking hotspots due to large populations, international airports, major highways, and concentrations of industries vulnerable to labor trafficking.

Legislative Strength

Texas (90.0) leads in legislative strength with comprehensive trafficking-specific statutes, mandatory training for law enforcement, and strong victim protections. States scoring below 65 typically lack one or more of: safe harbor provisions for minors, asset forfeiture in trafficking cases, mandatory restitution for victims, or trafficking-specific training mandates.

Underreporting

Lower hotline contacts in smaller states do not necessarily mean less trafficking. Factors that suppress reporting include: limited awareness campaigns, fewer service providers, distrust of law enforcement in rural communities, language barriers in immigrant communities, and the hidden nature of labor trafficking in agricultural regions.

Data Caveat Hotline data reflects reporting, not actual trafficking prevalence. States with more robust awareness campaigns, service infrastructure, and law enforcement training typically report higher numbers; which may reflect better identification rather than more trafficking.

Sources

[1] NGO REPORT Polaris Project. "National Human Trafficking Hotline Data Report." 2023.
[2] NGO REPORT Shared Hope International. "Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking." 2023.
[3] GOV REPORT US Department of Justice. "Federal Human Trafficking Prosecutions, by District." 2023.
[4] GOV REPORT Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Federal Prosecution of Human-Trafficking Cases, 2015–2023."
[5] NGO REPORT Polaris Project. "2023 Data Report: The US National Human Trafficking Hotline." 2024.