Which U.S. states or industries have the highest reported cases of human trafficking and forced labor?
Executive summary
Reported human trafficking cases in U.S. data sets concentrate geographically in large-population and travel-hub states—consistently naming California, Texas and Florida among the highest in raw reports—while analyses that adjust for population sometimes highlight smaller states such as Nevada and Mississippi as having high rates per capita [1] [2] [3]. The available reporting also shows that sex trafficking makes up the majority of reported cases in many datasets, with labor trafficking showing different demographic patterns; however, the provided sources do not offer a comprehensive, uniform breakdown of specific industries (beyond the sex vs. labor distinction) tied to the highest reported cases [4] [5] [6].
1. Where reports concentrate: big states lead in raw counts
Multiple compendia of hotline and aggregated data show the largest absolute numbers of reported trafficking cases in populous states—California, Texas, Florida and New York appear repeatedly at the top of lists of cases reported, with California often cited as the single state with the most reported cases (California: 1,334 in 2020; Texas: 987; Florida: 738; New York: 414 in that snapshot) [1] [3]. Law‑firm and advocacy summaries echo that pattern: analyses built on National Human Trafficking Hotline data consistently list California, Texas and Florida among the top reporters of cases [7] [8].
2. A different picture emerges when rates are adjusted for population
When researchers convert counts into victims or cases per 100,000 residents, different states climb toward the top: a multi‑year mapping project based on Joslyn Law Firm’s compiled figures ranked Nevada, Georgia and Mississippi among the highest victims per 100,000 people between 2019–2023, and Georgia was singled out as having one of the highest per‑capita rates in such reviews [2] [9]. These contrasting rankings reflect a methodological tension in trafficking data: raw counts track volume and service demand, while per‑capita rates reveal relative concentration in smaller or tourism‑dependent states [2] [9].
3. Types of trafficking reported: sex trafficking dominates reporting
Across the data cited, sexual exploitation comprises the majority of reported cases in many datasets and historical snapshots: one review asserted that sexual exploitation was the leading type of trafficking in the U.S. and noted large shares of hotline reports and decade‑long totals focused on sex trafficking [4] [6]. The Bureau of Justice data excerpted in summaries also contrasts sex and labor trafficking by demography—sex victims more often white or Black in that sample, labor victims more frequently Hispanic or Asian—highlighting that different forms of trafficking follow different demographic and sectoral patterns [1].
4. Why reported cases are an imperfect guide to where trafficking “is worst”
Sources repeatedly emphasize that hotline and official case counts capture only reported incidents and therefore understate the true prevalence; the National Human Trafficking Hotline itself cautions that its case total is a function of signals received, changes in data collection, and reporting behavior rather than a complete census of trafficking [5]. The U.S. State Department and academic reviews note large gaps between estimated victims and officially identified cases, and inconsistent reporting across jurisdictions complicates direct state‑to‑state comparisons [3] [5].
5. What the provided reporting does not fully answer: industry-level concentration
The assembled sources consistently classify trafficking into labor vs. sex exploitation and identify geographic hot spots, but they do not provide a robust, source‑backed list tying highest reported cases to specific commercial industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, or hospitality in the materials supplied here; therefore any claim about which industries have the highest reported forced‑labor cases would go beyond these sources [5] [4]. The reporting does, however, show that sex trafficking has been the dominant type in many reported datasets [4] [6].
6. Bottom line for readers and investigators
Reported case volume points to California, Texas and Florida as recurring leaders in raw counts, while per‑capita analyses elevate Nevada, Georgia and Mississippi; sex trafficking accounts for a large share of reported incidents in the cited datasets, and data limitations — underreporting, shifting hotline procedures, and uneven state reporting — mean any ranking should be treated as a reflection of reporting patterns and vulnerability, not a definitive measure of total incidence [1] [2] [5] [4]. The sources provided do not supply a reliable, source‑cited breakdown of specific industries with the most reported forced‑labor cases, a gap that future data releases or focused sector studies would need to fill [5] [4].