DENVER (KDVR) — The U.S. saw a record number of reported human trafficking incidents in 2023, according to a new study by the Colorado-based Common Sense Institute.
In total, there were 3,117 reported incidents in 2023, up from 2,921 reported in 2022.
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Texas saw the highest number by far, with 528 reported incidents. However, when you take the state’s high population into account, the rate per capita is much lower than in other states, with around 1.76 human trafficking incidents reported per 100,000 people.
This is the ninth-highest rate nationwide, according to the study.
This is the same case in California, which had the third-highest overall number at 293 human trafficking reports, according to the data. This amounted to around 0.75 incidents per 100,000 people in the state or the No. 28 highest.
Alaska had the highest rate of human trafficking incidents per capita at 9.95 per 100,000 people. There were 73 overall reported incidents in 2023, according to the data.