March 13, 2014
The New York Times this week unpacks a recent report commissioned by the Justice Department and conducted by the Urban Institute examining the economics of the sex trade in the United States.
Here’s part of what they found:
A street prostitute in Dallas may make as little as $5 per sex act. But pimps can take in $33,000 a week in Atlanta, where the sex business brings in an estimated $290 million per year. It is not nearly as lucrative in Denver, where prostitution and other elements of an underground trade are worth about $40 million.
The study, available by clicking here, found that prices were generally consistent across the country, with $150 being the average hourly rate for prostitution. White women and young women generated higher prices.
The study looked at eight American cities, and although New Jersey was not included, we’ve seen first hand the economic forces that drive forced prostitution and other forms of human trafficking in the Garden State. It’s why we worked so hard to stamp out this crime during February’s Super Bowl at the Meadowlands and why we’ll continue to monitor the issue and seek out effective interventions.
For more information on our work to combat human trafficking, click here.