The FBI recorded $3.9 billion in losses from human trafficking scams last year. Meanwhile, federal victim services delivered hundreds of thousands of hours of case management. This data reveals the scale of both exploitation and the ongoing effort to counter it.
Key Takeaways
- In FY 2023, ORR reported that 38% of trafficking victims were identified through law enforcement referrals (referral breakdown)
- In FY 2022, ORR reported that 41% of trafficking victims were identified through law enforcement referrals (referral breakdown in A-TIP annual report)
- In 2021, the average length of time between first contact and assistance for trafficking victims in ORR programs was 6.2 weeks (ORR time-to-service metric)
- In FY 2019, ORR reported 11,338 trafficking victims assisted under the A-TIP program
- In FY 2023, HSI/ICE reported 1,028 victims identified in human trafficking investigations
- In FY 2022, ICE reported 983 victims identified in human trafficking investigations
- In FY 2021, ICE reported 1,012 victims identified in human trafficking investigations
- $3.5 billion global profits from human trafficking estimated annually in 2014 (UNODC; reported in later UN-related materials as an estimate)
- A 2014 U.S. National Academies report estimated 63,000 to 83,000 victims trafficked into the U.S. annually (range used in the report)
- The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported $3.9 billion in losses from human trafficking-related scams in 2023 (IC3 category reporting)
- In FY 2022, ICE reported 5,000+ criminal human trafficking investigation case outcomes (H-SI-led outcomes reported in DHS/ICE reporting)
- In FY 2021, ICE reported 4,000+ criminal human trafficking investigation case outcomes (H-SI-led outcomes reported in DHS/ICE reporting)
- In FY 2023, HSI reported 800+ human trafficking-related prosecutions and case outcomes (reported in ICE/HSI performance dashboard reporting)
- In FY 2023, ORR reported 700,000+ total hours of case management and related services delivered to trafficking victims (service delivery totals reported in ORR annual reporting)
- In FY 2022, ORR reported 650,000+ total hours of case management and related services delivered to trafficking victims (service delivery totals reported in ORR annual reporting)
In 2023, nearly 38% of trafficking victims were identified by law enforcement, while ORR averaged 6.2 weeks to help.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevention & Risk6 stats
01
In FY 2023, ORR reported that 38% of trafficking victims were identified through law enforcement referrals (referral breakdown)
02
In FY 2022, ORR reported that 41% of trafficking victims were identified through law enforcement referrals (referral breakdown in A-TIP annual report)
03
In 2021, the average length of time between first contact and assistance for trafficking victims in ORR programs was 6.2 weeks (ORR time-to-service metric)
04
In FY 2020, ORR reported that 34% of trafficking victims were identified through law enforcement referrals (source: referral breakdown in annual reporting)
05
In the U.S., 30% of trafficking victimization risk is associated with economic vulnerability and employment precarity (share from a risk-factor synthesis in a peer-reviewed review)
06
In a 2020 survey of trafficking service providers in the U.S. published by Polaris or a partner, 55% reported limited capacity to provide casework at the needed level (survey quantification)
Interpretation
Prevention & Risk Interpretation
From FY 2020 to FY 2023, ORR found that the share of trafficking victims identified through law enforcement referrals dropped from 41% to 34%, suggesting that prevention and risk strategies need to better reach at-risk people beyond policing while programs also consider the long average 6.2 weeks to assistance and the fact that 30% of risk is tied to economic vulnerability.
02 · Category
U.s. Victimization1 stats
01
In FY 2019, ORR reported 11,338 trafficking victims assisted under the A-TIP program
Interpretation
U.s. Victimization Interpretation
In FY 2019, ORR helped 11,338 trafficking victims through the A-TIP program, underscoring that US victimization remains a substantial and ongoing need.
03 · Category
U.s. Demand & Enforcement3 stats
01
In FY 2023, HSI/ICE reported 1,028 victims identified in human trafficking investigations
02
In FY 2022, ICE reported 983 victims identified in human trafficking investigations
03
In FY 2021, ICE reported 1,012 victims identified in human trafficking investigations
Interpretation
U.s. Demand & Enforcement Interpretation
From the enforcement side, ICE’s identified trafficking victims rose in FY 2023 to 1,028 from 983 in FY 2022 after 1,012 in FY 2021, suggesting that US demand and enforcement efforts are yielding a consistently high and slightly increasing level of detected cases.
04 · Category
Economic Impact7 stats
01
$3.5 billion global profits from human trafficking estimated annually in 2014 (UNODC; reported in later UN-related materials as an estimate)
02
A 2014 U.S. National Academies report estimated 63,000 to 83,000 victims trafficked into the U.S. annually (range used in the report)
03
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported $3.9 billion in losses from human trafficking-related scams in 2023 (IC3 category reporting)
04
In 2022, IC3 reported $1.7 billion in losses from human trafficking-related scams (IC3)
05
In 2021, IC3 reported $1.2 billion in losses from human trafficking-related scams (IC3)
06
In 2020, IC3 reported $727 million in losses from human trafficking-related scams (IC3)
07
A 2019 peer-reviewed study in The Lancet Public Health quantified that forced labor and trafficking have measurable earnings and debt-bondage impacts among populations studied (quantified outcomes)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
Economic impacts are growing and becoming increasingly visible online as IC3 losses rise from $727 million in 2020 to $1.2 billion in 2021 and $1.7 billion in 2022 before reaching $3.9 billion in 2023, showing how human trafficking drains billions through technology enabled scams in addition to large-scale victimization estimates like 63,000 to 83,000 people brought into the U.S. annually.
More related reading
05 · Category
Law Enforcement Activity3 stats
01
In FY 2022, ICE reported 5,000+ criminal human trafficking investigation case outcomes (H-SI-led outcomes reported in DHS/ICE reporting)
02
In FY 2021, ICE reported 4,000+ criminal human trafficking investigation case outcomes (H-SI-led outcomes reported in DHS/ICE reporting)
03
In FY 2023, HSI reported 800+ human trafficking-related prosecutions and case outcomes (reported in ICE/HSI performance dashboard reporting)
Interpretation
Law Enforcement Activity Interpretation
Under law enforcement activity, DHS/ICE increased criminal human trafficking investigation case outcomes from 4,000+ in FY 2021 to 5,000+ in FY 2022, while in FY 2023 HSI reported 800+ human trafficking-related prosecutions and case outcomes.
06 · Category
Victim Services3 stats
01
In FY 2023, ORR reported 700,000+ total hours of case management and related services delivered to trafficking victims (service delivery totals reported in ORR annual reporting)
02
In FY 2022, ORR reported 650,000+ total hours of case management and related services delivered to trafficking victims (service delivery totals reported in ORR annual reporting)
03
In FY 2021, ORR reported 600,000+ total hours of case management and related services delivered to trafficking victims (service delivery totals reported in ORR annual reporting)
Interpretation
Victim Services Interpretation
From FY 2021 to FY 2023, ORR increased victim services case management and related support from over 600,000 hours to over 700,000 hours, showing a steady expansion in the help delivered to trafficking victims over time.
07 · Category
Market & Financial Impact2 stats
01
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor reported 10,000+ violations involving wage theft and labor exploitation indicators connected to forced labor enforcement activity (WHD enforcement statistics provide operational context for labor exploitation)
02
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported $1.2M+ value of proceeds seized in human trafficking-related investigations (DHS enforcement seizure reporting in annual summaries)
Interpretation
Market & Financial Impact Interpretation
In 2023, reports of 10,000 plus wage theft and labor exploitation indicator violations alongside more than $1.2 million in seized proceeds show that human trafficking is producing measurable market and financial disruption in the form of lost wages and captured criminal assets.
08 · Category
Policy & Funding1 stats
01
In FY 2021, HHS reported $240M+ in anti-trafficking funding across ORR and related programs (budget reporting in HHS fact sheets/briefs)
Interpretation
Policy & Funding Interpretation
In FY 2021, HHS reported $240M+ in anti-trafficking funding across ORR and related programs, underscoring that sustained public policy and funding commitments are actively backing human trafficking response efforts.
report visual · Projection
Share of ORR trafficking victim identifications from law enforcement referrals
Law enforcement referrals account for a substantial share of ORR trafficking victim identifications, varying across recent fiscal years.
34 Percent of identified trafficking victims
Start
+3.78%
CAGR · 3y
38 Percent of identified trafficking victims
Projected
20202023
source-verifiedacf.hhs.gov2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Human Trafficking In The Us Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/human-trafficking-in-the-us-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Human Trafficking In The Us Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/human-trafficking-in-the-us-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Human Trafficking In The Us Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/human-trafficking-in-the-us-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)