Missing Persons By State

Last updated November 24, 2024

Missing Persons Rate
Top
Last
Missing Persons Rate
1.AlaskaAlaska42.16
2.ArizonaArizona12.28
3.OregonOregon10.23
4.VermontVermont8.34
5.WashingtonWashington8.21
6.MaineMaine7.75
7.WyomingWyoming7.72
8.HawaiiHawaii7.47
9.West VirginiaWest Virginia6.80
10.New MexicoNew Mexico6.78
11.ArkansasArkansas6.53
12.MontanaMontana6.23
13.OklahomaOklahoma6.22
14.NevadaNevada5.98
15.LouisianaLouisiana5.84
16.DelawareDelaware5.62
17.MichiganMichigan5.54
18.FloridaFlorida5.52
19.KentuckyKentucky5.49
20.CaliforniaCalifornia5.48
21.ConnecticutConnecticut5.43
22.IdahoIdaho5.12
23.MissouriMissouri5.11
24.TennesseeTennessee5.06
25.ColoradoColorado4.98
26.TexasTexas4.09
27.AlabamaAlabama4.00
28.North DakotaNorth Dakota3.97
29.MississippiMississippi3.92
30.South CarolinaSouth Carolina3.43
31.New JerseyNew Jersey3.23
32.MinnesotaMinnesota3.13
33.UtahUtah3.13
34.New YorkNew York3.11
35.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania3.10
36.NebraskaNebraska3.09
37.OhioOhio3.05
38.North CarolinaNorth Carolina3.02
39.MarylandMaryland2.97
40.KansasKansas2.76
41.VirginiaVirginia2.74
42.IowaIowa2.68
43.IllinoisIllinois2.54
44.IndianaIndiana2.54
45.WisconsinWisconsin2.52
46.New HampshireNew Hampshire2.49
47.South DakotaSouth Dakota2.49
48.GeorgiaGeorgia2.26
49.Rhode IslandRhode Island1.83
50.MassachusettsMassachusetts1.81

An Analysis of Missing Persons by State

Few things are as frightening and distressing as the phenomenon of missing persons. In the United States, more than 600,000 people go missing annually, with over 4,400 unidentified bodies discovered each year. Despite steady progress in solving these cases over the past couple of decades, there are still over 20,000 missing person cases remaining open today. This underscores the necessity to delve into the context of missing persons by state, to establish patterns and help focus the efforts of agencies and organizations tasked with resolving these cases.

In this article, we drew on the U.S. Department of Justice's National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUS) database.

  • Alaska, with its sparse population, has a much higher rate of missing persons per 100,000 residents than any other state, standing at a stark 42.16 compared to the next highest, Arizona, with 12.28.
  • Despite having the highest total number of missing persons (3,010), California's rate of missing persons per 100,000 residents is middling, indicating that the high total number is more to its large population than to a higher likelihood of individuals going missing.
  • Massachusetts has the lowest rate of missing persons with 1.81 per 100,000 residents. Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, South Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, and New Hampshire also maintain low rates, all under 3.5 per 100,000 residents.
  • In absolute terms, Rhode Island has the least number of missing persons, followed closely by South Dakota, North Dakota, Delaware and New Hampshire, all of which have less than 100 missing person cases.

By Region

Alabama

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Ranked in U.S.

#27

Alaska

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Ranked in U.S.

#1

Arizona

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Ranked in U.S.

#2

Arkansas

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Ranked in U.S.

#11

California

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Ranked in U.S.

#20

Colorado

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Ranked in U.S.

#25

Connecticut

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Ranked in U.S.

#21

Delaware

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Ranked in U.S.

#16

Florida

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Ranked in U.S.

#18

Georgia

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Ranked in U.S.

#48

Hawaii

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Ranked in U.S.

#8

Idaho

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Ranked in U.S.

#22

Illinois

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Ranked in U.S.

#43

Indiana

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Ranked in U.S.

#44

Iowa

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Ranked in U.S.

#42

Kansas

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Ranked in U.S.

#40

Kentucky

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Ranked in U.S.

#19

Louisiana

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Ranked in U.S.

#15

Maine

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Ranked in U.S.

#6

Maryland

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Ranked in U.S.

#39

Massachusetts

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Ranked in U.S.

#50

Michigan

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Ranked in U.S.

#17

Minnesota

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Ranked in U.S.

#32

Mississippi

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Ranked in U.S.

#29

Missouri

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Ranked in U.S.

#23

Montana

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Ranked in U.S.

#12

Nebraska

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Ranked in U.S.

#36

Nevada

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Ranked in U.S.

#14

New Hampshire

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Ranked in U.S.

#46

New Jersey

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Ranked in U.S.

#31

New Mexico

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Ranked in U.S.

#10

New York

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Ranked in U.S.

#34

North Carolina

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Ranked in U.S.

#38

North Dakota

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Ranked in U.S.

#28

Ohio

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Ranked in U.S.

#37

Oklahoma

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Ranked in U.S.

#13

Oregon

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Ranked in U.S.

#3

Pennsylvania

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Ranked in U.S.

#35

Rhode Island

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Ranked in U.S.

#49

South Carolina

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Ranked in U.S.

#30

South Dakota

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Ranked in U.S.

#47

Tennessee

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Ranked in U.S.

#24

Texas

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Ranked in U.S.

#26

Utah

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Ranked in U.S.

#33

Vermont

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Ranked in U.S.

#4

Virginia

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Ranked in U.S.

#41

Washington

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Ranked in U.S.

#5

West Virginia

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Ranked in U.S.

#9

Wisconsin

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Ranked in U.S.

#45

Wyoming

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Ranked in U.S.

#7

Table

Region ↕Missing Persons Rate↕
Alabama iconAlabama4.00
Alaska iconAlaska42.16
Arizona iconArizona12.28
Arkansas iconArkansas6.53
California iconCalifornia5.48
Colorado iconColorado4.98
Connecticut iconConnecticut5.43
Delaware iconDelaware5.62
Florida iconFlorida5.52
Georgia iconGeorgia2.26
Hawaii iconHawaii7.47
Idaho iconIdaho5.12
Illinois iconIllinois2.54
Indiana iconIndiana2.54
Iowa iconIowa2.68
Kansas iconKansas2.76
Kentucky iconKentucky5.49
Louisiana iconLouisiana5.84
Maine iconMaine7.75
Maryland iconMaryland2.97
Massachusetts iconMassachusetts1.81
Michigan iconMichigan5.54
Minnesota iconMinnesota3.13
Mississippi iconMississippi3.92
Missouri iconMissouri5.11
Montana iconMontana6.23
Nebraska iconNebraska3.09
Nevada iconNevada5.98
New Hampshire iconNew Hampshire2.49
New Jersey iconNew Jersey3.23
New Mexico iconNew Mexico6.78
New York iconNew York3.11
North Carolina iconNorth Carolina3.02
North Dakota iconNorth Dakota3.97
Ohio iconOhio3.05
Oklahoma iconOklahoma6.22
Oregon iconOregon10.23
Pennsylvania iconPennsylvania3.10
Rhode Island iconRhode Island1.83
South Carolina iconSouth Carolina3.43
South Dakota iconSouth Dakota2.49
Tennessee iconTennessee5.06
Texas iconTexas4.09
Utah iconUtah3.13
Vermont iconVermont8.34
Virginia iconVirginia2.74
Washington iconWashington8.21
West Virginia iconWest Virginia6.80
Wisconsin iconWisconsin2.52
Wyoming iconWyoming7.72
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