Which states have the most missing persons cases?
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - According to NamUS, over 600,000 people go missing each year in the United States, ranging from young children to older individuals.
Famous missing person cases such as the Elizabeth Smart or Jayme Closs disappearances are well-known missing persons cases, but countless other cases never make it to the spotlight.
National Missing Persons Day was observed on February 3. It was designed to give the nation an opportunity to focus more on finding those missing persons, and some states are even expanding those efforts.
Arizona holds a Missing in Arizona Day each year where forensic experts and law enforcement take information, notes, and records about missing individuals in hopes of finding some of those people.
But fortunately, Georgia by comparison has very few missing persons cases.
The chart below shows the number and rate of missing persons by state in America.
| State | Total Missing | Missing per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 309 | 41.8 |
| Arizona | 915 | 13.0 |
| Oregon | 432 | 10.4 |
| Vermont | 54 | 8.7 |
| Washington | 643 | 8.7 |
| Maine | 108 | 8.1 |
| Wyoming | 45 | 7.8 |
| Hawaii | 107 | 7.5 |
| Montana | 71 | 6.8 |
| New Mexico | 143 | 6.8 |
| Arkansas | 200 | 6.7 |
| West Virginia | 120 | 6.6 |
| Nevada | 192 | 6.4 |
| Oklahoma | 252 | 6.4 |
| Delaware | 58 | 6.0 |
| Florida | 1,252 | 6.0 |
| Idaho | 101 | 5.9 |
| Louisiana | 266 | 5.7 |
| Kentucky | 248 | 5.6 |
| Michigan | 556 | 5.6 |
| Connecticut | 197 | 5.5 |
| California | 2,133 | 5.4 |
| Tennessee | 361 | 5.4 |
| Colorado | 292 | 5.2 |
| Missouri | 316 | 5.2 |
| D. C. | 35 | 5.0 |
| Texas | 1,246 | 4.4 |
| Alabama | 204 | 4.2 |
| North Dakota | 31 | 4.1 |
| Mississippi | 115 | 3.9 |
| South Carolina | 184 | 3.7 |
| Utah | 107 | 3.4 |
| New Jersey | 299 | 3.3 |
| Minnesota | 179 | 3.2 |
| Nebraska | 61 | 3.2 |
| North Carolina | 327 | 3.2 |
| New York | 606 | 3.1 |
| Ohio | 358 | 3.1 |
| Pennsylvania | 401 | 3.1 |
| Maryland | 183 | 3.0 |
| Kansas | 81 | 2.8 |
| Virginia | 239 | 2.8 |
| Iowa | 86 | 2.7 |
| Indiana | 174 | 2.6 |
| New Hampshire | 35 | 2.6 |
| South Dakota | 23 | 2.6 |
| Wisconsin | 149 | 2.6 |
| Illinois | 317 | 2.5 |
| Georgia | 250 | 2.4 |
| Rhode Island | 20 | 1.9 |
| Massachusetts | 126 | 1.8 |
Our source for this story, VivintSource, reports that a missing person is defined as “anyone whose whereabouts is unknown whatever the circumstances of disappearance.” They can be considered a lost person, someone who has voluntarily gone missing, or someone who is missing against their will. In our research, we uncovered some compelling data about missing persons:
- Of the 15,207 people currently missing in the US, approximately 60% are male and 40% are female.
- The average age of people when they go missing is around 34.
- As of January 2019, there are 106 children currently missing who were younger than a year old when they went missing.
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