Skip to content
FreedomRankings

Source figures · 2023

Imprisonment Rate by State: Prisoners per 100,000 Residents

How many people each state holds in prison on a sentence of more than a year, per 100,000 residents. Bureau of Justice Statistics figures, with the agency’s own notes on each state.

Source data last read . The Bureau of Justice Statistics publishes these once a year, about two years after the date they describe. Yearly figures back to 2010 are in the API and the bulk data.

Highest state

652 per 100k

Mississippi, 2023

Lowest state

96 per 100k

Massachusetts, 2023

Middle state

300 per 100k

Median of the 50 states, 2023

Spread

6.8×

Mississippi against Massachusetts

All 50 states, highest to lowest

  1. 1Mississippi652 per 100k
  2. 2Louisiana617 per 100k
  3. 3Arkansas596 per 100k
  4. 4Oklahoma545 per 100k
  5. 5Idaho490 per 100k
  6. 6Texas477 per 100k
  7. 7Georgia449 per 100k
  8. 8Arizona448 per 100k
  9. 9Montana438 per 100k
  10. 10Kentucky423 per 100k
  11. 11South Dakota405 per 100k
  12. 12Alabama394 per 100k
  13. 13Ohio394 per 100k
  14. 14Missouri385 per 100k
  15. 15Florida382 per 100k
  16. 16Wyoming378 per 100k
  17. 17Indiana351 per 100k
  18. 18Wisconsin346 per 100k
  19. 19Tennessee341 per 100k
  20. 20Michigan328 per 100k
  21. 21West Virginia328 per 100k
  22. 22Nevada327 per 100k
  23. 23Virginia314 per 100k
  24. 24Kansas305 per 100k
  25. 25Pennsylvania300 per 100k
  26. 26South Carolina299 per 100k
  27. 27Nebraska295 per 100k
  28. 28Oregon291 per 100k
  29. 29Colorado290 per 100k
  30. 30Delaware †275 per 100k
  31. 31North Carolina275 per 100k
  32. 32Iowa274 per 100k
  33. 33Maryland261 per 100k
  34. 34New Mexico259 per 100k
  35. 35California246 per 100k
  36. 36North Dakota240 per 100k
  37. 37Illinois238 per 100k
  38. 38Alaska †202 per 100k
  39. 39Utah186 per 100k
  40. 40Connecticut †183 per 100k
  41. 41Washington181 per 100k
  42. 42New York167 per 100k
  43. 43Hawaii †165 per 100k
  44. 44Minnesota152 per 100k
  45. 45New Hampshire151 per 100k
  46. 46New Jersey125 per 100k
  47. 47Vermont †124 per 100k
  48. 48Rhode Island †122 per 100k
  49. 49Maine119 per 100k
  50. 50Massachusetts96 per 100k
Sentenced prisoners (sentence over one year) under state jurisdiction on 31 December, per 100,000 residents. Local jails are not included, except where a state runs prisons and jails as one system. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2023. † See the note above before relying on this figure.

Where each figure comes from

Each row is the rate as the Bureau of Justice Statistics printed it, with the report it came from. Nothing here is estimated or filled in by us; where a state did not report, it is left out.

StatePrisoners per 100,000Source figures
Mississippi652 per 100k652 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Louisiana617 per 100k617 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Arkansas596 per 100k596 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Oklahoma545 per 100k545 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Idaho490 per 100k490 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Texas477 per 100k477 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Georgia449 per 100k449 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Arizona448 per 100k448 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Montana438 per 100k438 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Kentucky423 per 100k423 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
South Dakota405 per 100k405 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Alabama394 per 100k394 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Ohio394 per 100k394 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Missouri385 per 100k385 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Florida382 per 100k382 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Wyoming378 per 100k378 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Indiana351 per 100k351 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Wisconsin346 per 100k346 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Tennessee341 per 100k341 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Michigan328 per 100k328 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
West Virginia328 per 100k328 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Nevada327 per 100k327 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Virginia314 per 100k314 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Kansas305 per 100k305 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Pennsylvania300 per 100k300 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
South Carolina299 per 100k299 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Nebraska295 per 100k295 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Oregon291 per 100k291 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Colorado290 per 100k290 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Delaware †275 per 100k275 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
North Carolina275 per 100k275 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Iowa274 per 100k274 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Maryland261 per 100k261 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
New Mexico259 per 100k259 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
California246 per 100k246 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
North Dakota240 per 100k240 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Illinois238 per 100k238 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Alaska †202 per 100k202 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Utah186 per 100k186 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Connecticut †183 per 100k183 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Washington181 per 100k181 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
New York167 per 100k167 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Hawaii †165 per 100k165 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Minnesota152 per 100k152 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
New Hampshire151 per 100k151 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
New Jersey125 per 100k125 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Vermont †124 per 100k124 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Rhode Island †122 per 100k122 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Maine119 per 100k119 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Massachusetts96 per 100k96 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction per 100,000 residents, 31 December 2023 (U.S
Imprisonment Rate by State: Prisoners per 100,000 Residents, 2023, with the source figures behind each value. † See the note above before relying on this figure.

How this relates to the freedom index

This is one of the individual policy variables the state index is being rebuilt onto, in the Criminal Justice category. In the published catalog a lower figure counts as freer, with this reasoning: Published as a cited reference series and not yet part of any score; a weight will be set only with a published scoring method.

It is not part of any state’s score yet. Today’s scores still come from published third-party indices, and this page shows the source figure on its own. The full variable list, with every weight, is on the data page.

This page shows 2023. Every year we hold, 2010 to 2023, is in policy-observations.csv, one row per state and year with its citation, free to reuse with attribution.

Sources and methods

Every figure on this page comes from one of the datasets below and nowhere else. Nothing is estimated, interpolated or carried over from a previous edition. Where two sources measure something similar, they are reported separately rather than combined, because they are not measuring the same thing.

  • Prisoners in 2023, Table 7: imprisonment rates by jurisdiction (NCJ 310197)

    Bureau of Justice Statistics

    Covers
    31 December 2023, 50 states (DC prisoners are federal)
    Last read
    October 28, 2026

    National Prisoner Statistics: counts the states report to BJS, divided by Census resident population estimates for 1 January of the following year. Where a state did not report, BJS prints no figure and none is shown here.

    Exact file we readPublisher’s page

Found something wrong? Our corrections log records every fix we have made, and we would rather hear about an error than have it stand.