States Where People Go Missing Most—and What Data Actually Shows

By Kate PlummerSenior US News ReporterShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.California, Texas, Florida, Alaska and Arizona are the states with the most current active missing persons cases. But accounting for population and measuring the rate of missing people per 100,000 residents, Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Arizona and Tennessee show higher rates.The ContextAccording to the Department of Justice (DOJ), more than 500,000 people were reported missing in the U.S. last year, and according to the National Missing Persons Database (NamUS), which is operated by the DOJ, there are 26,403 open missing persons cases. Investigations can span months or even years in some cases.But there likely even are more missing people in the U.S. According to its website, "the NamUS database does not include information on all missing, unidentified, and/or unclaimed persons nationwide."...What To KnowWith 3,790, California has the most missing people, per the latest NamUS report in February. Texas is second with 2,905 and Florida third with 2,512. Alaska has the fourth-highest number of missing people with 1,306 cases and Arizona fifth with 1,102.However, larger states that have bigger populations, like California, may give the impression that people are more likely to go missing there. But if the data is adjusted per capita, when missing persons are divided by the state population, using the latest U.S. Census, a different picture emerges and smaller states show disproportionately high rates of missing people.The state with the highest rate of missing people is Alaska, which has 178.08 missing people per 100,000 residents. Next is Hawaii, with a rate of 20.13 per 100,000. Oklahoma is third with 16.39 missing people per 100,000 residents and Arizona fourth with 15.41. Tennessee is fifth with 14.40.High-Profile CasesAmid the thousands of missing persons cases, some have captured national attention. There is a nationwide search for Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who was last seen at her Arizona home on January 31 and reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped and said drops of her blood were found on the front porch of her house.The FBI has joined the search for a missing grandfather who, according to his son, sent strange text messages and cleared $1 million from his bank account in the weeks before he was reported missing. Naiping Hou, the 74-year-old father of cryptocurrency investor Wen Hou, has been missing since May 4, 2025.Another missing person, Michigan resident Lynette Hooker, has been missing at sea since April 4. Her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities that his wife fell from their dinghy as they sailed from Hope Town to Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. He said strong currents carried her away and that his wife had the boat's keys, causing its engine to shut off and forcing him to paddle ashore.Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently said that the Trump administration may investigate a string of mysterious deaths and disappearances of U.S. experts with ties to advanced research that have fueled claims of a possible connection.Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI GuidelinesRelated PodcastsTop StoriesFor MembersAnalysisHow the Iran War Scored Trump His Biggest OPEC Win Yet5 min readFor MembersAnalysisThe First…

This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at Newsweek.