Public safety communication statistics at a glance
Public safety communication systems are measured in calls, coverage, adoption, and the ability to move from legacy voice handling to networked emergency response. The supplied data shows a sector that is large, uneven, and still expanding fast.
Big number: 45 states reported 213,652,929 911 calls in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
Why it matters: that one figure alone shows that emergency communications is not a niche operations topic. It is a national-scale service environment where small gains in coverage, training, or message handling affect millions of interactions.
Table of contents
- Fast facts
- 911 call volume and reporting coverage
- NG911 adoption and ESInet usage
- PSAP counts and state training requirements
- Text-to-911 and messaging trends
- FirstNet public safety communication statistics
- What the numbers say about public safety communications
Fast facts
Here are the fastest signals from the dataset:
- 56 states and territories were invited to participate in the 2021 National 911 data collection effort (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 50 states submitted data and 6 states did not submit data for that report (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- The 2021 National 911 Profile Database used 56 data elements (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 45 states reported a total of 213,652,929 911 calls in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 38 states reported 507,969 text-to-911 messages in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 38 states said they had adopted a statewide NG911 plan in 2021, which represented about 79% of respondents for that data element (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 2,287 PSAPs reported using an ESInet in 2021 across 47 states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- The United States had 5,748 primary and secondary PSAPs as of February 2021 (NENA 9-1-1 Statistics).
- In FY 2023, FirstNet had more than 26,000 public safety agencies and organizations subscribed and 5 million device connections (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
911 call volume and reporting coverage
The national picture begins with participation. The 2021 report invited 56 states and territories and received submissions from 50 states, leaving 6 states out of the final data set (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). That reporting gap matters because every downstream comparison depends on who reported and who did not.
The report covers the calendar year January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). Within that period, the responding states reported a combined 213,652,929 911 calls (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
A compact view of the most useful comparisons:
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| States and territories invited | 56 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| States that submitted data | 50 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| States that did not submit data | 6 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| Data elements in the profile database | 56 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| States reporting total 911 calls | 45 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| Total 911 calls reported | 213,652,929 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| Wireline 911 calls reported | 17,690,733 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| Wireless 911 calls reported | 138,127,253 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| Text-to-911 messages reported | 507,969 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
Two patterns stand out from the table.
First, the communications load is heavily wireless. The report says 40 states reported 138,127,253 wireless 911 calls and 40 states reported 17,690,733 wireline 911 calls (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). Even without drawing outside conclusions, the contrast between those figures shows that wireless traffic dominates the reporting mix.
Second, the reporting base itself is incomplete. The national totals are useful, but they are built from the states that answered the survey. That means the numbers are strong indicators of scale, not a full census of every emergency communication event nationwide.
Key takeaway on call volume
- The reporting system is large enough to capture more than 213 million 911 calls in a single year (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- But the state response rate also shows why public safety communication statistics should always be read with participation context attached.
NG911 adoption and ESInet usage
A core theme in the dataset is the transition from legacy emergency communications to next-generation infrastructure.
In 2021, 38 states had adopted a statewide NG911 plan (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). The same report says those 38 states represented about 79% of respondents for that data element (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). That is a strong majority, but not universal adoption.
The earlier comparison shows the direction of change. In 2020, 35 states had adopted a statewide NG911 plan, and those states represented about 73% of respondents for that data element (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). The year-over-year shift from 35 to 38 states is modest in absolute terms, but important in policy terms because statewide planning is often the step that turns modernization from a concept into a program.
ESInet use shows a similar scale effect. In 2021, 2,287 PSAPs reported using an ESInet, spread across 47 states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). In 2020, the comparable number was 2,177 PSAPs across the same 47 states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
NG911 and ESInet side-by-side
| Metric | 2020 | 2021 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| States with statewide NG911 plan | 35 | 38 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| Share of respondents for that element | 73% | 79% | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| PSAPs using an ESInet | 2,177 | 2,287 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
| States with ESInet-using PSAPs | 47 | 47 | National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data |
The table shows a practical truth about public safety communications: infrastructure adoption does not move in a straight line across every metric at once. Planning and implementation can rise together, but the pace differs by state, by system, and by dispatch environment.
PSAP counts and state training requirements
The 2021 report lists 4,637 primary PSAPs (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). That figure was reported by 49 states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). In 2020, the comparable count was 4,627 primary PSAPs, reported by 48 states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). The previous year referenced in the report showed 4,658 primary PSAPs (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
Separately, NENA reports that the United States had 5,748 primary and secondary PSAPs as of February 2021 (NENA 9-1-1 Statistics). That broader figure helps show the size of the operating environment around the primary-PSAP totals in the state report.
Primary PSAP comparison points
- 4,637 primary PSAPs were reported in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 4,627 primary PSAPs were reported in 2020 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 4,658 primary PSAPs were reported for the previous year referenced in the report (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 5,748 primary and secondary PSAPs existed in the United States as of February 2021 (NENA 9-1-1 Statistics).
Training requirements add another layer of operational maturity. In the 2021 report:
- 32 states had minimum training requirements for telecommunicators (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 16 states did not have minimum telecommunicator training requirements (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 2 states were unknown on telecommunicator minimum training requirements (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 6 states did not submit telecommunicator training data (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
For specialized dispatch functions, the report also shows:
- 28 states had minimum training requirements for Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 17 states had quality assurance requirements for EMD (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 19 states had minimum training requirements for fire dispatch protocols (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 13 states had quality assurance requirements for fire call-handling protocols (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
That mix suggests a communications system where structure is growing, but standards are still uneven across functions and jurisdictions. Minimum training is not the same thing as universal coverage, and quality assurance is not yet present everywhere the dataset measures it.
Text-to-911 and messaging trends
Text handling is one of the clearest indicators that public safety communications now extend beyond voice calls.
In 2021, 38 states reported 507,969 text-to-911 messages (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data). The same report shows that text-to-911 reporting had already grown over the preceding years:
- 33 states reported 188,646 messages in 2018 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 36 states reported 581,151 messages in 2019 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- 39 states reported 492,328 messages in 2020 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
The numbers do not move in a perfectly straight line, but the broader pattern is clear: more states are participating, and text-to-911 is part of normal emergency communications reporting rather than an experimental side channel.
A useful framing for the messaging data is to treat it as a capacity signal. Reporting text messages at this scale means public safety communication systems are already handling multi-channel intake, not just voice traffic.
Fast facts on text handling
- The 2021 text-to-911 total was 507,969 messages across 38 states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- The reporting base rose from 33 states in 2018 to 39 states in 2020 and 38 states in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- Text reporting is still a smaller stream than voice, but it is large enough to matter operationally in any discussion of public safety communication statistics.
FirstNet public safety communication statistics
The FirstNet figures in the dataset add a broader network layer to the emergency communications picture.
By FY 2023, FirstNet had more than 26,000 public safety agencies and organizations subscribed (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report). It also had 5 million device connections (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
Other FY 2023 figures show the system’s scale:
- Coverage exceeded 2.91 million square miles (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- FirstNet deployed over 1,450 solutions for public safety during emergency situations (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- The app catalog included more than 215 unique apps (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- There were over 821 FirstNet Ready devices (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- The deployable fleet grew to over 180 deployables (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
The launch and rollout history in the dataset is also specific:
- Congress allocated $7 billion and 20 MHz of broadband spectrum to establish FirstNet (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- The FirstNet Authority awarded AT&T a 25-year contract in 2017 to build, operate, and maintain the network (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- In FY 2023, the initial network buildout was completed in all 50 states, 5 territories, the District of Columbia, and on tribal lands (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
- All 56 states and territories opted into FirstNet, triggering the nationwide buildout (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
A short timeline helps show the growth path:
| Period | Public safety agencies / organizations | Connections or devices | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | More than 13,000 agencies subscribed | Over 1.5 million devices connected | FirstNet Authority FY2020 Financial Report |
| FY 2021 | More than 19,500 agencies and organizations used FirstNet | More than 3 million connections | FirstNet Authority FY2021 Annual Report |
| FY 2022 | Nearly 22,000 agencies and organizations reached | 3.7 million network connections | FirstNet Authority FY2022 Annual Report |
| FY 2023 | More than 26,000 agencies and organizations subscribed | 5 million device connections | FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report |
That trend matters because it shows adoption compounding across years rather than plateauing. The network is not just larger; it is being used more broadly by the public safety community.
Additional FirstNet signals
- In FY 2022, FirstNet conducted more than 1,850 engagements with public safety stakeholders, including over 49,000 public safety stakeholders (FirstNet Authority FY2022 Annual Report).
- FirstNet supported public safety communications in over 950 events during FY 2022 (FirstNet Authority FY2022 Annual Report).
- In FY 2022, the network grew by more than 30% (FirstNet Authority FY2022 Annual Report).
- In 2020, public safety submitted more than 750 requests for FirstNet’s dedicated fleet of portable network assets (FirstNet Authority FY2020 press release).
What the numbers say about public safety communications
The most useful way to read public safety communication statistics is to group them into three layers.
First, there is the incident layer: the reported 213,652,929 911 calls and 507,969 text-to-911 messages that show the scale of day-to-day emergency contact in the reporting states (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
Second, there is the infrastructure layer: 4,637 primary PSAPs, 2,287 ESInet-using PSAPs, and 38 states with statewide NG911 plans in the 2021 report (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
Third, there is the broader network layer: more than 26,000 public safety agencies and organizations subscribed to FirstNet and 5 million device connections in FY 2023 (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).
Taken together, those figures show a communications ecosystem that is both massive and still modernizing. Coverage, training, reporting completeness, and network adoption all matter because public safety communications depends on the handoff between people, policies, and systems.
A final set of takeaways is worth keeping in mind:
- Wireless calling is dominant in the reporting mix, with 138,127,253 wireless 911 calls versus 17,690,733 wireline 911 calls reported in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- NG911 adoption is substantial but not universal, with 38 states reporting statewide plans in 2021 (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- Training requirements remain uneven, especially for telecommunicators, EMD, and fire dispatch protocols (National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data).
- FirstNet shows how public safety communications can scale when network usage, device adoption, and coverage expand together (FirstNet Authority FY2023 Annual Report).