Southeastern Pennsylvania Counties See High Rates of Human Trafficking Charges
Three counties in southeastern Pennsylvania – Berks, Chester, and Delaware – ranked among the top five in the state for human trafficking charges filed between 2020 and 2024, according to data released by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Franklin County led the state with 208 charges, representing 14.53% of the statewide total. Berks County followed with 167 charges, or 11.66% of the total. Dauphin County was third with 151 charges (10.54%), followed by Delaware County with 148 (10.34%) and Chester County with 103 (7.19%).
Statewide, officials reported 1,432 human trafficking offenses filed in 431 cases over the five-year period.
Human trafficking is defined as a form of human rights abuse where individuals profit from the exploitation of others through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, compelling victims into sex acts or labor/services in exchange for something of value.
A more detailed breakdown of charges by county reveals significant fluctuations year-to-year. Berks County saw 6 charges in 2020, a surge to 92 in 2021, followed by 2 in 2022, 12 in 2023, and 55 in 2024, culminating in a total of 167 offenses. Chester County recorded 72 charges in 2020, then no charges in 2021 or 2022, 5 in 2023, and 26 in 2024, for a total of 103. Delaware County reported 10 charges in 2020, 26 in 2021, 15 in 2022, 22 in 2023, and 75 in 2024, totaling 148 offenses. Montgomery County reported 26 total offenses over the same period.
Court officials also noted demographic trends among defendants. The data indicates that 86% of those convicted of human trafficking offenses are male. The largest percentage of defendants – 37% – fall within the 30- to 39-year-old age range.
Other counties with notable numbers of charges include Blair County, which ranked sixth in the state with 75 offenses, Lycoming County with 69, Lancaster County with 58, York County with 45, and Cumberland County with 31. Several counties reported only one charge each – Clarion, Crawford, Fulton, Jefferson, Potter, and Union – representing 0.07% of the state total.
