Who Is Affected?
A DATA-DRIVEN LOOK AT THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MISSING-PERSON CRISIS
Missing-person cases affect children, teenagers, adults, older adults, Indigenous people, people of color and people from communities across the United States. Data can help us understand patterns and disparities while reminding us that every missing person matters.
Statistics help us see what individual cases can sometimes hide. They can reveal patterns involving age, race, geography, vulnerability and other circumstances. But statistics should never be used to determine whose disappearance is more important. Behind every number is a person, and behind every missing person is a family, community or loved one affected by the loss of contact.
THE NATIONAL PICTURE — 2024
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
Under Age 18
Active NCIC missing-person records involving juveniles under age 18 as of December 31, 2024.
Under Age 21
Active NCIC missing-person records involving juveniles under age 21 as of December 31, 2024.
NCMEC child-case data: In 2024, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assisted law enforcement with 29,568 cases involving missing children and reported helping bring 91% of those children home.
COMMUNITIES AFFECTED
Children & Teens
Children and teenagers account for a substantial portion of missing person cases. NCMEC reports that the overwhelming majority of the missing-child cases it receives involve children who have run away. These children can face risks including exploitation, trafficking, violence and other victimization.
2024 NCMEC: More than 29,000 missing-child cases were reported to NCMEC.
Adults
Adults make up a large portion of missing-person records. Adult cases can involve voluntary absence, domestic violence, mental health-related circumstances, accidents, exploitation, criminal victimization, environmental dangers or circumstances that remain unknown.
Important: The FBI's NCIC Missing Person File includes people of all ages.
Older Adults
Older adults may face particular risks when missing, including disorientation, cognitive impairment, medical emergencies, environmental exposure and difficulty navigating unfamiliar areas.
NCIC category: The FBI includes disability-related missing-person circumstances within its Missing Person File classifications.
Indigenous People
American Indian and Alaska Native communities have specific missing-person data needs and longstanding concerns involving jurisdiction, reporting, visibility and access to investigative resources.
DOJ: The Department of Justice publishes separate American Indian and Alaska Native missing-person data through its Tribal Justice and Safety resources.
People of Color
Missing people of color and their families can face challenges involving visibility, media coverage, data collection, investigative resources and public awareness. These issues deserve examination without diminishing the importance of any individual case.
Data matters: Race and ethnicity fields are collected differently across databases, making direct comparisons difficult.
Other Populations
Missing-person cases also affect people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, veterans, people experiencing mental health challenges and many other communities.
Every population matters: National databases do not capture every circumstance or every missing-person case in the country.
WHAT THE DATA CAN HELP US SEE
Visibility
Public attention is not always distributed equally among missing persons. Examining coverage and public awareness can help identify gaps in visibility.
Resources
Differences in geography, jurisdiction, available technology and investigative resources can affect how missing-person cases are documented and investigated.
Data Gaps
No single database captures every missing person or every circumstance. Different reporting systems can produce different numbers.
AMERICAN INDIAN & ALASKA NATIVE MISSING-PERSON DATA
The U.S. Department of Justice provides specific data resources for missing American Indian and Alaska Native persons. These reports include statistical breakdowns involving age, sex, race and NCIC entry criteria.
This separate reporting is important because national statistics can obscure circumstances that are particularly relevant to tribal communities.
DATA REQUIRES CONTEXT
A larger number of missing-person records within a particular population does not automatically explain why people are missing, whether they are at greater risk, or how individual cases are handled. Statistics should be examined alongside age, geography, circumstances, reporting practices, population size and other relevant factors.
NO ONE SHOULD BECOME INVISIBLE IN THE NUMBERS.
The purpose of looking at disparities is not to rank victims or suggest that one person's disappearance matters more than another's. It is to understand where gaps may exist, where communities may need greater visibility and where families may need additional support.
SOURCES & DATA REFERENCES
National Crime Information Center (NCIC), 2024 Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics. Includes records entered, active records, locate transactions and demographic/entry classifications.
View FBI 2024 Statistics →NCMEC's 2024 data includes missing-child cases reported to the organization and information about recovery and circumstances.
View NCMEC 2024 Data →NamUs provides missing, unidentified and unclaimed-person case data. NamUs cautions that its data does not represent every missing person nationwide and that demographic fields depend on information entered into the system.
View NamUs Reports & Statistics →DOJ provides data and research resources concerning missing American Indian and Alaska Native persons, including annual NCIC statistics.
View DOJ Tribal Data & Research →UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITATIONS OF NATIONAL DATA
No national database represents every missing-person case in the United States. The FBI's NCIC statistics reflect records entered by participating law-enforcement agencies. NamUs contains cases reported to that system and specifically cautions that its data does not include every missing, unidentified or unclaimed person nationwide. NCMEC data represents cases reported to NCMEC rather than every missing-child report made to law enforcement. For these reasons, figures from different systems should not be added together or treated as interchangeable.