- California has the most missing persons in the United States, with 2,133 cases reported.
- The United States has the highest number of missing persons globally, with 521,705 people reported missing in 2021 according to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person and Unidentified Person Files.
Missing Persons by State 2024
Every year, some people in the United States go missing. In California, the most populated state, there were 2,133 reports of missing persons. Florida and Texas, also big states, had 1,252 and 1,246 reports respectively. Arizona, Washington, and New York also had quite a few reports.
Meanwhile, states with fewer people had fewer missing person reports. Places like Vermont, Wyoming, and North Dakota had some of the lowest numbers. But remember, these numbers might not tell the whole story. Some states might have better ways of reporting missing people, which could make their numbers seem higher.
Missing Persons by State 2024
Top 10 Highest Missing Person Rates (per 100,000 people):
- Alaska – 173.54
- Oklahoma – 16.01
- Hawaii – 16.68
- Arizona – 14.15
- Oregon – 12.48
- Louisiana – 11.97
- Arkansas – 11.56
- Washington – 10.78
- Tennessee – 10.65
- Montana – 9.13
Top 10 Lowest Missing Person Rates (per 100,000 people):
- Massachusetts – 2.74
- Rhode Island – 2.57
- Maryland – 3.56
- Indiana – 3.33
- Ohio – 3.46
- Wisconsin – 3.29
- Iowa – 3.28
- Michigan – 6.00
- Connecticut – 6.23
- Virginia – 4.03
Missing Persons by State 2024
| State | Open cases | Resolved cases | Missing person rate per ( 100k ) | Unclaimed person | Unidentified person |
| California | 3,362 | 3,890 | 8.64 | 2,561 | 2,847 |
| Texas | 2,585 | 2,607 | 8.48 | 848 | 1,990 |
| Florida | 1,744 | 2,347 | 7.7 | 81 | 906 |
| Alaska | 1,272 | 254 | 173.54 | 1 | 63 |
| New York | 1,066 | 1,299 | 5.47 | 6,371 | 1,453 |
| Arizona | 1,055 | 1,352 | 14.15 | 98 | 2,054 |
| Washington | 844 | 887 | 10.78 | 1,448 | 165 |
| Tennessee | 760 | 1,342 | 10.65 | 613 | 122 |
| Oklahoma | 648 | 2,106 | 16.01 | 138 | 115 |
| Michigan | 602 | 1,803 | 6 | 176 | 330 |
| North Carolina | 580 | 885 | 5.35 | 47 | 148 |
| Louisiana | 545 | 392 | 11.97 | 15 | 149 |
| Oregon | 527 | 757 | 12.48 | 56 | 140 |
| Pennsylvania | 504 | 668 | 3.9 | 104 | 320 |
| Missouri | 450 | 696 | 7.27 | 34 | 113 |
| Illinois | 411 | 848 | 3.29 | 80 | 224 |
| Ohio | 407 | 694 | 3.46 | 117 | 106 |
| Georgia | 405 | 664 | 3.67 | 287 | 259 |
| New Jersey | 378 | 748 | 4.08 | 165 | 436 |
| Colorado | 364 | 1,262 | 6.2 | 167 | 87 |
| Arkansas | 354 | 2,646 | 11.56 | 18 | 105 |
| Virginia | 351 | 519 | 4.03 | 202 | |
| Kentucky | 325 | 353 | 7.19 | 1 | 72 |
| Alabama | 291 | 345 | 5.71 | 171 | 62 |
| South Carolina | 270 | 325 | 5.03 | 73 | 73 |
| New Mexico | 243 | 808 | 11.52 | 8 | 149 |
| Hawaii | 239 | 62 | 16.68 | 483 | 67 |
| Indiana | 228 | 300 | 3.33 | 6 | 58 |
| Connecticut | 226 | 1,108 | 6.23 | 322 | 46 |
| Maryland | 219 | 292 | 3.56 | 2 | 330 |
| Nevada | 214 | 454 | 6.67 | 331 | 321 |
| Minnesota | 195 | 222 | 3.41 | 50 | |
| Wisconsin | 194 | 255 | 3.29 | 33 | 49 |
| Massachusetts | 191 | 347 | 2.74 | 579 | 202 |
| Mississippi | 175 | 125 | 5.97 | 1 | 49 |
| Utah | 152 | 255 | 4.44 | 28 | 51 |
| Maine | 143 | 87 | 10.26 | 29 | |
| West Virginia | 143 | 104 | 8.1 | 68 | 31 |
| Idaho | 130 | 274 | 6.59 | 252 | 24 |
| Kansas | 120 | 181 | 4.09 | 27 | |
| Iowa | 105 | 131 | 3.28 | 13 | 12 |
| Montana | 104 | 317 | 9.13 | 14 | |
| Nebraska | 85 | 204 | 4.31 | 6 | |
| Delaware | 60 | 54 | 5.81 | 1 | 29 |
| New Hampshire | 56 | 41 | 3.99 | 2 | 7 |
| Vermont | 55 | 32 | 8.5 | 7 | |
| Wyoming | 54 | 72 | 9.26 | 2 | 5 |
| District of Columbia | 50 | 136 | 7.41 | 142 | 33 |
| North Dakota | 34 | 73 | 4.36 | 4 | |
| South Dakota | 33 | 84 | 3.57 | 2 | |
| Rhode Island | 28 | 32 | 2.57 | 25 | |
| United States | 23,576 | 35,739 | 15,943 | 14,168 |
SAFEST STATE IN THE US 2024 ( https://usadatahub.com/safest-state-in-the-us-2024/ )
CRIME RATE BY STATE 2024 ( https://usadatahub.com/crime-rate-by-state-2024/ )
Missing Persons by State 2024
FAQ: Missing Persons
What is the oldest case of a missing person? The disappearance of Marvin Clark, an American man who vanished under mysterious circumstances while end route to visit his daughter in Portland, Oregon, during the Halloween weekend of 1926, holds the distinction of being the oldest active missing person case in the United States.
Why do people go missing? There are various reasons why people go missing, including escaping domestic abuse, seeking a new identity and life in an unknown place, or becoming victims of kidnapping.
Who is the first missing child? Etan Patz is considered one of the first missing children to gain widespread national attention. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25, 1983, the first National Missing Children’s Day in memory of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street corner on May 25, 1979.
How many children are missing in the US? In the United States, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing every year according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC). However, this number represents only a snapshot of the problem.
Source:
Wikipedia page on the Disappearance of Marvin Clark
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Marvin_ClarkEtan Patz FBI Wanted Poster
Link: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/etan-patzFederal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
Link: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ncicNational Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Link: https://www.namus.gov/