Human trafficking is a concern, not only nationally but internationally. Traffickers are not always physically violent; they may use psychological means to force or coerce victims into human trafficking. Manipulation, such as false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships, is used to exploit victims’ vulnerabilities, such as substance abuse, as a tactic into trafficking. Substance abuse is considered a vulnerability for human trafficking because it can be used to subdue, coerce, and control victims. According to the Department of State, “The United States has prosecuted multiple sex trafficking cases in which the perpetrator used addiction as a tool of coercion.” In addition, victims of human trafficking may use substance abuse as a method of coping during and after captivity. As substance abuse continues to be a problem in the United States, vulnerable populations will continue to be at an increased risk of human trafficking.

As a result of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Authorization Act of 2008, the UCR Program started collecting data on human trafficking in January 2013. The data are collected through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the Summary Reporting System (SRS). Participation in the FBI’s UCR Program is voluntary for state, county, city, territorial, university/college, and tribal law enforcement agencies, but federal law enforcement agencies are mandated to participate. From 2013 to 2022, an average of 86 percent of agencies participated in the UCR Program, and the average population covered by the UCR Program was 94 percent.

Because of the hierarchy reporting method used in SRS, only NIBRS data were used in this analysis. NIBRS allows additional offenses to be reported that are connected to an incident, creating more detail-rich data. An important note is that an incident reported in NIBRS may have more than one associated offense, offender, and victim.

From 2013 to 2022, the average population covered by NIBRS was about 43 percent with agency participation at an average of about 45 percent. Agency participation and percent of population covered has significantly increased since 2013, and both are expected to rise as more agencies transition from SRS to NIBRS. For example, from 2018 to 2022, the average population covered rose to 55 percent with an average of 54 percent agency participation. The full report is in the Special Reports page in Crime Data Explorer.