Federal law requires HHS to fund a national communication system to assist victims of human trafficking in communicating with service providers. OTIP provides grant funding for the National Human Trafficking Hotline (Hotline), a 24/7, confidential, multilingual resource that offers information and service referrals for individuals at risk of, currently experiencing, or who have experienced trafficking.
There are also federal requirements to post information of the Hotline in all Federal buildings, at each port of entry, and coordinate with owners and operators to post Hotline information in the restrooms of aircraft, airport, buses, bus stations, trains, and train stations. There may also be state and local requirements to post information about the Hotline.
Between FY 2007 and FY 2024, the Hotline received nearly 1.5 million signals* including almost 90,000 signals directly from potential victims of human trafficking seeking assistance. The Hotline identified nearly 115,000 potential human trafficking situations.
Note to Reader:
Prevalence: The data presented in this section is based on information received by the Hotline through phone calls, texts, emails, and online tip reports (signals). Signal volume and the number of human trafficking situations identified from any one state do not reflect the overall prevalence, scale, or scope of human trafficking. Signal volume can be influenced by multiple factors including, but not limited to, the level of awareness of the Hotline and its services in specific geographic areas.
*Signals: The information on this page is based on signals received by the Hotline from FY 2013 to FY 2024 about human trafficking situations and related issues in the United States and U.S. territories. Signals may be received as phone calls, text messages, Webchat, online tip reports, or emails. Signals unrelated to human trafficking are considered non-substantive and are not included in the data.
Total "Case" Counts and Number of Human Trafficking Situations Identified: Each situation reported to the Hotline is assessed for indicators of human trafficking. A single situation may involve one or multiple potential victims. Hotline specialists use detailed protocols to assess trafficking indicators, but the phrasing and scope of questions asked can vary based on the individual’s responses and circumstances. Additionally, individuals experiencing trafficking and third parties are not asked standardized questions and only provide information they are comfortable sharing to receive help. Therefore, the data reflects only what was disclosed by those contacting the Hotline.
National Human Trafficking Hotline Reports to Law Enforcement, Child Welfare, and Referrals to Services since January 20, 2025
Table 1: Number of Signals Received, Potential Human Trafficking Situations Identified, Situations Reported, and Number of Referrals to Services Issued, January 20, 2025 through September 14, 2025
This table details the number of substantive signals received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline, the number of potential human trafficking situations identified through those signals, the number of potential human trafficking situations reported to law enforcement, the number of situations reported to child protective services, the number of situations reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the number of service referrals provided. A single human trafficking situation may be reported to multiple entities. The Hotline follows all federal, state, tribal, and local mandated reporting requirements and complies with federal requirements for privacy and confidentiality.
| Signals Received | 74,460 |
| Potential Human Trafficking Situations Identified | 10,896 |
| Potential Human Trafficking Situations Reported to Law Enforcement | 1,677 |
| Potential Human Trafficking Situations Reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) | 943 |
| Potential Human Trafficking Situations Reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) | 194 |
| Referrals to Services Issued | 6,444 |
National Human Trafficking Hotline Key Performance Metrics 11-Year Snapshot, FY 2013 to FY 2024
Table 2: National Human Trafficking Hotline Key Performance Metrics 11-Year Snapshot, FY13-FY24
This table presents a 11-year snapshot of key performance metrics for the Hotline.
| Fiscal Year | Total Number of Signals (e.g., calls, texts, Webchats, online tip forms, emails) Received | Total Number of Substantive Signals Received | Total Number of Signals Received from Potential Victims | Total Number of Potential Human Trafficking Situations Identified |
| 2013 | 32,438 | N/A (Not collected until FY18) | 2,641 | 4,796 |
| 2014 | 39,134 | 2,602 | 5,166 | |
| 2015 | 36,916 | 3,487 | 5,418 | |
| 2016 | 54,823 | 4,608 | 7,405 | |
| 2017 | 68,938 | 4,626 | 8,686 | |
| 2018 | 116,940 | 47,709 | 7,136 | 10,658 |
| 2019 | 136,990 | 56,644 | 10,362 | 11,852 |
| 2020 | 195,100 | 65,959 | 13,129 | 11,193 |
| 2021 | 219,380 | 66,308 | 13,538 | 10,983 |
| 2022 | 212,167 | 55,731 | 10,190 | 10,013 |
| 2023 | 184,179 | 35,005 | 7,977 | 9,877 |
| 2024 | 155,819 | 31,529 | 7,693 | 12,130 |
| Total | 1,452,824 | 358,885 | 88,989 | 108,177 |
National Human Trafficking Hotline Reports to Law Enforcement and Referrals to Services, FY 2018 to FY 2024
Table 3: Number of Potential Human Trafficking Situations Reported to Law Enforcement and Number of Referrals to Services, FY18-FY24
This table details the number of situations reported to law enforcement and the number of service referrals provided.
From FY 2018 to FY 2024, the Hotline referred 20,829 situations of potential human trafficking to law enforcement and made 67,215 unique referrals to services. The Hotline follows all federal, state, tribal, and local mandated reporting requirements and complies with federal requirements for privacy and confidentiality.
| Fiscal Year | Situations Reported to Law Enforcement | Unique Referrals to Services |
| FY 2018 | 3,434 | 9,365 |
| FY 2019 | 3,599 | 9,283 |
| FY 2020 | 3,353 | 8,701 |
| FY 2021 | 2,889 | 10,633 |
| FY 2022 | 2,531 | 10,059 |
| FY 2023 | 2,381 | 8,411 |
| FY 2024 | 2,642 | 10,763 |
| Total | 20,829 | 67,215 |
Additional Hotline Data
For additional Hotline data, visit humantraffickinghotline.org/statistics. Please note that the data on the Hotline website may not align with the data provided in the chart above, as Hotline website data is summarized by calendar year and performance data is summarized by federal fiscal year.
OTIP partners with other federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Transportation to implement federal requirements to publicly post information on the Hotline. OTIP partners with the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) to conduct program evaluations of the Hotline. For more information, visit OPRE’s Human Trafficking Research and Data webpage.