Shocking as it is, the million individuals engaged in prostitution across the United States each year represent not a monolithic industry but a crisis often rooted in childhood trauma and systemic failure, as revealed by the harrowing statistic that the average age of entry is just 12 to 14 years old.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, an estimated 1 million people are engaged in prostitution or commercial sex acts annually
- Approximately 80% of prostitution in the US involves women
- The average age of entry into prostitution in the US is 12-14 years old
- 60% of US prostitutes suffer from PTSD at rates similar to combat veterans
- The average prostitute in the US is female, aged 25-35, with a high school education or less
- 85% of prostitutes in US are women of color
- The underground commercial sex economy in US cities averages $39.9 million to $290 million per city annually
- Prostitutes in the US earn an average of $24,247 per year from commercial sex
- Pimps earn 50-70% of prostitutes' income in the US, averaging $33,000 per year
- 65% of US prostitutes test positive for at least one STI annually
- HIV prevalence among US sex workers is 17-27% in some cities
- 58% of prostitutes report gonorrhea infections in their lifetime
- There were 23,530 prostitution arrests in the US in 2019
- Prostitution is illegal in 49 US states except certain Nevada counties
- Over 80% of prostitution arrests are of sex workers, not buyers
The blog post details widespread, harmful prostitution and sex trafficking across America with shocking statistics.
Demographics
- 60% of US prostitutes suffer from PTSD at rates similar to combat veterans
- The average prostitute in the US is female, aged 25-35, with a high school education or less
- 85% of prostitutes in US are women of color
- Male prostitutes make up 15-20% of the US sex worker population
- Transgender sex workers comprise 20-25% in some urban areas like San Francisco
- 70% of US prostitutes come from low-income or impoverished backgrounds
- African American women represent 55% of arrested prostitutes in major cities
- 45% of sex trafficking victims in the US are under 18
- Hispanic individuals account for 20% of identified sex trafficking victims
- The average pimp in the US is 27 years old and male
- 90% of child sex trafficking victims in the US are US citizens
- Women aged 18-24 make up 40% of online sex ads in the US
- 30% of US prostitutes have children under 18
- Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be trafficked for sex in the US
- 65% of street prostitutes report drug addiction histories
- LGBTQ youth represent 40% of homeless youth involved in survival sex
- 50% of prostitutes in Las Vegas are immigrants
- Asian women comprise 10% of sex workers in California massage parlors
- 75% of pimped girls in the US are recruited by someone they know
- Veterans make up 8% of sex trafficking victims in the US
- 55% of US sex workers report prior foster care placement
- White women account for 35% of prostitution arrests nationwide
- 20% of male sex workers in the US identify as gay or bisexual
- Runaway youth aged 12-15 are 50% more likely to engage in prostitution
- 40% of sex workers in New York City are foreign-born
- Elderly sex workers over 50 make up 5% in urban areas
- 60% of brothel workers in Nevada are from out of state
Demographics Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim, systemic portrait of an industry built not on choice, but on the exploitation of society's most marginalized—the young, the poor, people of color, and the discarded—by predators who often emerge from their very communities.
Economic
- The underground commercial sex economy in US cities averages $39.9 million to $290 million per city annually
- Prostitutes in the US earn an average of $24,247 per year from commercial sex
- Pimps earn 50-70% of prostitutes' income in the US, averaging $33,000 per year
- Online sex buyers spend an average of $272 per transaction in the US
- Street prostitutes charge $30-50 per act on average nationwide
- Escort services charge $200-500 per hour in major US cities
- Massage parlors generate $1.5 billion in illegal sex revenue yearly in the US
- The national sex trafficking economy is estimated at $9.5 billion annually
- Buyers of sex spend $290 million yearly in Atlanta alone
- Prostitution taxes in Nevada brothels total $500,000 monthly
- Pimps invest 34% of earnings back into the sex trade business
- Average sex worker supports 2-3 pimps financially
- Commercial sex in San Diego totals $183 million per year
- Denver's sex economy from escorts is $40 million annually
- Washington DC street prostitution revenue is $99 million yearly
- Kansas City sex trade generates $65 million per year
- Dallas prostitution market is $99 million annually
- Seattle escorts contribute $117 million to sex economy yearly
- Miami's underground sex revenue is $165 million per year
- National average hotel revenue from prostitution is $200 million yearly
- Sex workers remit 20-30% of earnings to families or pimps abroad
- Brothel workers in Nevada earn $50,000-$100,000 annually pre-tax
- Online platforms take 20-40% commission on prostitution transactions
- 68% of pimps' expenses go to hotels and motels
Economic Interpretation
Beneath the staggering billions of the American sex trade lies a grimly efficient pyramid scheme, where the pimp's hotel bill is secured long before the worker's rent.
Health
- 65% of US prostitutes test positive for at least one STI annually
- HIV prevalence among US sex workers is 17-27% in some cities
- 58% of prostitutes report gonorrhea infections in their lifetime
- 89% of sex workers suffer physical violence from clients yearly
- 68% of prostitutes have been raped an average of 33 times
- Drug use among US prostitutes reaches 80% for cocaine/heroin
- 45% of sex trafficking victims have untreated mental health disorders
- Chlamydia rates among female sex workers are 3 times the national average
- 70% of street prostitutes experience chronic homelessness linked to health decline
- Syphilis infections among sex workers increased 30% from 2015-2020
- 95% of prostitutes report depression symptoms
- Homicide rate for prostitutes is 17 times higher than general population
- 60% of child sex workers have STDs at identification
- Hepatitis C prevalence is 25% among injecting drug-using sex workers
- 75% of sex workers report condom non-use with some clients
- PTSD affects 40-60% of female sex workers in the US
- Overdose deaths among sex workers rose 20% during opioid crisis
- 50% of transgender sex workers have HIV
- Malnutrition affects 30% of underage prostitutes
- 85% report client-perpetrated violence leading to injury
- TB rates 10 times higher among homeless sex workers
- Suicide attempt rate is 40% lifetime among US prostitutes
- 70% have untreated trauma-related disorders
- Gonorrhea cases among sex workers up 50% in 2021
- 55% of pimped youth suffer brain injuries from assaults
- HPV infection rates exceed 90% in long-term sex workers
Health Interpretation
These statistics reveal an American nightmare in which the pursuit of survival through prostitution exacts a nearly universal toll of violence, disease, and profound despair.
Legal
- There were 23,530 prostitution arrests in the US in 2019
- Prostitution is illegal in 49 US states except certain Nevada counties
- Over 80% of prostitution arrests are of sex workers, not buyers
- FOSTA-SESTA law led to 30% drop in sex ads online post-2018
- 1,200 convictions under TVPA for sex trafficking since 2000
- Nevada brothels require weekly HIV/STI testing for workers
- 45 states have safe harbor laws protecting minor sex trafficking victims
- Average sentence for sex trafficking is 15 years federally
- 10,000+ sex trafficking prosecutions since 2003 under federal law
- Pimping convictions average 10-20 years imprisonment
- Buyer arrests increased 50% in cities with end-demand policies
- 35 states criminalize purchasing sex
- Civil forfeiture used in 20% of prostitution raids for assets
- Over 50,000 minors rescued from sex trafficking since 2003
- Mann Act prohibits interstate transport for prostitution
- 75% of prostitution laws target sellers over buyers
- New York diverted 1,000 sex workers to services instead of jail in 2020
- Federal funding for anti-trafficking is $150 million annually
Legal Interpretation
America locks up the people selling sex far more than the people buying it, a lopsided crusade where we treat the symptom with handcuffs while funding the demand with little more than a stern federal memo.
Prevalence
- In the United States, an estimated 1 million people are engaged in prostitution or commercial sex acts annually
- Approximately 80% of prostitution in the US involves women
- The average age of entry into prostitution in the US is 12-14 years old
- There are over 1,000 escort services listed in the US yellow pages at any given time
- Street-based prostitution accounts for about 20-30% of all commercial sex transactions in major US cities
- Online platforms facilitate 70-80% of sex trafficking in the US
- An estimated 100,000-300,000 children are at risk of sex trafficking in the US each year
- Prostitution generates $14.6 billion annually in the underground economy of eight major US cities
- About 49% of street prostitutes in the US are under the age of 18
- Indoor prostitution markets are 7-8 times larger than street markets in US cities
- Nationwide, there are approximately 70,000-80,000 arrests for prostitution annually
- Sex trafficking victims in the US number around 15,000-50,000 at any time
- 90% of prostitutes in US cities report being homeless at some point
- Commercial sex economy in Atlanta is estimated at $290 million per year
- In San Diego, prostitution generates $183 million annually
- 40-50% of prostitutes in the US have been involved in the child welfare system
- Escort services in Denver produce $40 million yearly from prostitution
- Street prostitution in Washington DC is valued at $99 million per year
- Online ads for prostitution in US increased 300% from 2010-2015
- Approximately 10% of all men in the US have paid for sex at least once
- Pimps control 50% of street prostitution in US cities
- Sex workers in the US average 300-500 clients per year
- Brothels operate in Nevada legally, generating $35 million in taxes since 1987
- 25% of US prostitutes are transgender individuals
- Commercial sexual exploitation affects 1 in 6 endangered runaways in the US
- In Miami, the sex economy is $165 million annually from prostitution
- Seattle's prostitution market totals $117 million per year
- Kansas City's underground sex economy is $65 million yearly
- Dallas prostitution generates $99 million annually
Prevalence Interpretation
Behind the staggering financial figures—billions generated in city after city—lies a grim human reality where exploitation often begins in childhood, thrives in the shadows of the internet, and is sustained by a pervasive, hidden demand.
Sources & References
- Reference 1URBANurban.orgVisit source
- Reference 2OJPojp.govVisit source
- Reference 3POLARISPROJECTpolarisproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 4NCJRSncjrs.govVisit source
- Reference 5STATEstate.govVisit source
- Reference 6HUMANTRAFFICKINGHOTLINEhumantraffickinghotline.orgVisit source
- Reference 7UCRucr.fbi.govVisit source
- Reference 8DHSdhs.govVisit source
- Reference 9NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 10ASPEaspe.hhs.govVisit source
- Reference 11GUTTMACHERguttmacher.orgVisit source
- Reference 12REVIEWJOURNALreviewjournal.comVisit source
- Reference 13WILLIAMSINSTITUTEwilliamsinstitute.law.ucla.eduVisit source
- Reference 14NATIONALCENTERnationalcenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 15SFCHRONICLEsfchronicle.comVisit source
- Reference 16URBANINDIANHEALTHurbanindianhealth.orgVisit source
- Reference 17CHAPINHALLchapinhall.orgVisit source
- Reference 18OAGoag.ca.govVisit source
- Reference 19ACFacf.hhs.govVisit source
- Reference 20NCFYncfy.acf.hhs.govVisit source
- Reference 21NYCwww1.nyc.govVisit source
- Reference 22LASVEGASSUNlasvegassun.comVisit source
- Reference 23ILOilo.orgVisit source
- Reference 24CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 25LAWlaw.cornell.eduVisit source
- Reference 26CONGRESScongress.govVisit source
- Reference 27JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source
- Reference 28NEVADAnevada.licensing.state.nv.usVisit source
- Reference 29LOVE146love146.orgVisit source
- Reference 30USSCussc.govVisit source
- Reference 31NCSLncsl.orgVisit source
- Reference 32NYCOURTSnycourts.govVisit source