America's crime record
Death penalty
People under sentence of death
2,192
people under sentence of death, 2023 · Down 3.2% from 2022
Timeline
People held under a sentence of death on December 31, by the states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Source and method
People leave the count when a court overturns the conviction or sentence, the sentence is commuted, or they die or are executed.
No rate. Only states with a death penalty can sentence anyone to death, so a rate over every U.S. resident would measure state law as much as crime.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables · One day each year · 1953 to 2023
- 1972The Supreme Court struck down the death penalty laws then in force (Furman v. Georgia), and most death sentences were set aside.
Breakdown
People under sentence of death by race and Hispanic origin, 2023
| White+MENAMiddle Eastern or North African | 43%935 | 935 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 41%888 | 888 | |
| Hispanic | 14%317 | 317 | |
| Asian, NHPINative Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or AIANAmerican Indian or Alaska Native | 2%52 | 52 |
Every year, 1968 to 2023
- White+MENA
- Black
- Hispanic
- White+MENA, Hispanic
- Asian, NHPI, or AIAN
- Asian, NHPI, AIAN, or race unknown
- Lighter: years CrimeDB split. Hispanic is what it placed; each other group is what is left once they are taken out
1968 to 1996: each race holds its Hispanic people, as BJS printed it. 1997 to 2013: Hispanic people split out of each race by CrimeDB, scaled to BJS's own count of Hispanic people, drawn lighter. 2014 to 2015: each race holds its Hispanic people, as BJS printed it (BJS printed no count of Hispanic people those years). 2016 to 2020: Hispanic people split out of each race by CrimeDB, scaled to BJS's own count of Hispanic people, drawn lighter.
All 2,192 people under sentence of death in 2023. Each race leaves out Hispanic people. Where BJS prints only White, Black, and Hispanic, Asian, NHPI, or AIAN is the total less those three, CrimeDB's difference. Prisons report the people they hold from their own records.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables
Every figure as a table
People under sentence of death, people under sentence of death, by year
| Year | Count | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,192 | |
| 2022 | 2,265 | |
| 2021 | 2,356 | |
| 2020 | 2,461 | |
| 2019 | 2,563 | |
| 2018 | 2,626 | |
| 2017 | 2,703 | |
| 2016 | 2,797 | |
| 2015 | 2,872 | |
| 2014 | 2,942 | |
| 2013 | 2,983 | |
| 2012 | 3,011 | |
| 2011 | 3,065 | |
| 2010 | 3,139 | |
| 2009 | 3,173 | |
| 2008 | 3,210 | |
| 2007 | 3,215 | |
| 2006 | 3,233 | |
| 2005 | 3,245 | |
| 2004 | 3,320 | |
| 2003 | 3,377 | |
| 2002 | 3,562 | |
| 2001 | 3,577 | |
| 2000 | 3,601 | |
| 1999 | 3,540 | |
| 1998 | 3,465 | |
| 1997 | 3,328 | |
| 1996 | 3,242 | |
| 1995 | 3,064 | |
| 1994 | 2,905 | |
| 1993 | 2,727 | |
| 1992 | 2,580 | |
| 1991 | 2,465 | |
| 1990 | 2,346 | |
| 1989 | 2,243 | |
| 1988 | 2,117 | |
| 1987 | 1,967 | |
| 1986 | 1,800 | |
| 1985 | 1,575 | |
| 1984 | 1,420 | |
| 1983 | 1,209 | |
| 1982 | 1,066 | |
| 1981 | 860 | |
| 1980 | 692 | |
| 1979 | 593 | |
| 1978 | 482 | |
| 1977 | 423 | |
| 1976 | 420 | |
| 1975 | 488 | |
| 1974 | 244 | |
| 1973 | 134 | |
| 1972 | 334 | |
| 1971 | 642 | |
| 1970 | 631 | |
| 1969 | 575 | |
| 1968 | 517 | |
| 1967 | 435 | |
| 1966 | 406 | |
| 1965 | 331 | |
| 1964 | 315 | |
| 1963 | 297 | |
| 1962 | 267 | |
| 1961 | 257 | |
| 1960 | 212 | |
| 1959 | 164 | |
| 1958 | 147 | |
| 1957 | 151 | |
| 1956 | 146 | |
| 1955 | 125 | |
| 1954 | 147 | |
| 1953 | 131 |
No rate. Only states with a death penalty can sentence anyone to death, so a rate over every U.S. resident would measure state law as much as crime.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables · One day each year
People under sentence of death by race and Hispanic origin, 2023
| Race and Hispanic origin | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White+MENA | 935 | 43% |
| Black | 888 | 41% |
| Hispanic | 317 | 14% |
| Asian, NHPI, or AIAN | 52 | 2% |
Hispanic is of any race; the other groups are not Hispanic. White+MENA includes Middle Eastern and North African people.
All 2,192 people under sentence of death in 2023. Each race leaves out Hispanic people. Where BJS prints only White, Black, and Hispanic, Asian, NHPI, or AIAN is the total less those three, CrimeDB's difference. Prisons report the people they hold from their own records.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables
People under sentence of death by sex, 2023
| Sex | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 2,145 | 98% |
| Female | 47 | 2% |
All 2,192 people under sentence of death in 2023.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables
People under sentence of death by age, 2023
| Age | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 19 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 to 24 | 0 | 0% |
| 25 to 29 | 8 | <1% |
| 30 to 34 | 63 | 3% |
| 35 to 39 | 130 | 6% |
| 40 to 44 | 230 | 11% |
| 45 to 49 | 314 | 14% |
| 50 to 54 | 397 | 18% |
| 55 to 59 | 345 | 16% |
| 60 to 64 | 321 | 15% |
| 65 or older | 384 | 18% |
All 2,192 people under sentence of death in 2023.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables
People under sentence of death by jurisdiction, 2023
| Jurisdiction | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 653 | 30% |
| Florida | 287 | 13% |
| Texas | 180 | 8% |
| Alabama | 158 | 7% |
| North Carolina | 136 | 6% |
| Ohio | 120 | 6% |
| Arizona | 111 | 5% |
| Pennsylvania | 96 | 4% |
| Louisiana | 60 | 3% |
| Nevada | 52 | 2% |
| Tennessee | 45 | 2% |
| Federal | 41 | 2% |
| Georgia | 37 | 2% |
| Mississippi | 36 | 2% |
| Oklahoma | 36 | 2% |
| South Carolina | 32 | 2% |
| Arkansas | 27 | 1% |
| Kentucky | 26 | 1% |
| Missouri | 12 | 1% |
| Nebraska | 11 | 1% |
| Kansas | 9 | <1% |
| Idaho | 8 | <1% |
| Indiana | 8 | <1% |
| Utah | 7 | <1% |
| Montana | 2 | <1% |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 0% |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0% |
All 2,192 people under sentence of death in 2023.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables
People under sentence of death by race and Hispanic origin, every year
| Year | All people under sentence of death | White+MENA | Black | Hispanic | White+MENA, Hispanic | Asian, NHPI, or AIAN | Asian, NHPI, AIAN, or race unknown | Hispanic, moved by CrimeDB from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,192 | 935 | 888 | 317 | – | 52 | – | – |
| 2022 | 2,265 | 969 | 917 | 325 | – | 54 | – | – |
| 2021 | 2,356 | 1,013 | 949 | 336 | – | 58 | – | – |
| 2020 | 2,461 | 1,066 | 993 | 345 | – | 57 | – | 326 White, 16 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2019 | 2,563 | 1,105 | 1,040 | 358 | – | 60 | – | 338 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2018 | 2,626 | 1,131 | 1,074 | 359 | – | 62 | – | 339 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2017 | 2,703 | 1,163 | 1,112 | 365 | – | 63 | – | 345 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2016 | 2,797 | 1,196 | 1,161 | 378 | – | 62 | – | 357 White, 18 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2015 | 2,872 | – | 1,202 | – | 1,606 | – | 64 | – |
| 2014 | 2,942 | – | 1,233 | – | 1,647 | – | 62 | – |
| 2013 | 2,983 | 1,302 | 1,233 | 389 | – | 59 | – | 368 White, 18 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2012 | 3,011 | 1,318 | 1,240 | 387 | – | 66 | – | 366 White, 18 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2011 | 3,065 | 1,354 | 1,256 | 388 | – | 67 | – | 367 White, 18 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2010 | 3,139 | 1,379 | 1,291 | 386 | – | 83 | – | 364 White, 18 Black, 4 All other races |
| 2009 | 3,173 | 1,423 | 1,301 | 376 | – | 73 | – | 356 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2008 | 3,210 | 1,440 | 1,326 | 375 | – | 69 | – | 355 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2007 | 3,215 | 1,464 | 1,322 | 361 | – | 68 | – | 342 White, 16 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2006 | 3,233 | 1,467 | 1,337 | 358 | – | 71 | – | 339 White, 16 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2005 | 3,245 | 1,461 | 1,349 | 361 | – | 74 | – | 341 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2004 | 3,320 | 1,508 | 1,373 | 368 | – | 71 | – | 348 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2003 | 3,377 | 1,537 | 1,400 | 365 | – | 75 | – | 345 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2002 | 3,562 | 1,596 | 1,534 | 363 | – | 69 | – | 343 White, 17 Black, 3 All other races |
| 2001 | 3,577 | 1,626 | 1,521 | 361 | – | 69 | – | 342 White, 17 Black, 2 All other races |
| 2000 | 3,601 | 1,666 | 1,525 | 341 | – | 69 | – | 323 White, 16 Black, 2 All other races |
| 1999 | 3,540 | 1,651 | 1,500 | 326 | – | 63 | – | 309 White, 15 Black, 2 All other races |
| 1998 | 3,465 | 1,618 | 1,475 | 315 | – | 57 | – | 299 White, 14 Black, 2 All other races |
| 1997 | 3,328 | 1,588 | 1,395 | 291 | – | 54 | – | 276 White, 13 Black, 2 All other races |
| 1996 | 3,242 | – | 1,358 | – | 1,833 | – | 51 | – |
| 1995 | 3,064 | – | 1,284 | – | 1,732 | – | 48 | – |
| 1994 | 2,905 | – | 1,203 | – | 1,653 | – | 49 | – |
| 1993 | 2,727 | – | 1,111 | – | 1,575 | – | 41 | – |
| 1992 | 2,580 | – | 1,031 | – | 1,511 | – | 38 | – |
| 1991 | 2,465 | – | 979 | – | 1,449 | – | 37 | – |
| 1990 | 2,346 | – | 940 | – | 1,368 | – | 38 | – |
| 1989 | 2,243 | – | 898 | – | 1,308 | – | 37 | – |
| 1988 | 2,117 | – | 848 | – | 1,235 | – | 34 | – |
| 1987 | 1,967 | – | 813 | – | 1,128 | – | 26 | – |
| 1986 | 1,800 | – | 762 | – | 1,013 | – | 25 | – |
| 1985 | 1,575 | – | 664 | – | 896 | – | 15 | – |
| 1984 | 1,420 | – | 598 | – | 806 | – | 16 | – |
| 1983 | 1,209 | – | 505 | – | 692 | – | 12 | – |
| 1982 | 1,066 | – | 441 | – | 613 | – | 12 | – |
| 1981 | 860 | – | 353 | – | 499 | – | 8 | – |
| 1980 | 692 | – | 264 | – | 424 | – | 4 | – |
| 1979 | 593 | – | 236 | – | 354 | – | 3 | – |
| 1978 | 482 | – | 197 | – | 281 | – | 4 | – |
| 1977 | 423 | – | 192 | – | 229 | – | 2 | – |
| 1976 | 420 | – | 195 | – | 225 | – | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 488 | – | 262 | – | 218 | – | 8 | – |
| 1974 | 244 | – | 128 | – | 110 | – | 6 | – |
| 1973 | 134 | – | 68 | – | 64 | – | 2 | – |
| 1972 | 334 | – | 166 | – | 167 | – | 1 | – |
| 1971 | 642 | – | 332 | – | 306 | – | 4 | – |
| 1970 | 631 | – | 335 | – | 293 | – | 3 | – |
| 1969 | 575 | – | 310 | – | 263 | – | 2 | – |
| 1968 | 517 | – | 271 | – | 243 | – | 3 | – |
Every year, 1968 to 2023. – means the source's codes that year hold no such group.
Hispanic, moved by CrimeDB from: the year's Hispanic people by the race the source printed them in (race recorded without ethnicity: split by NIBRS's recorded Hispanic share of each race), so each printed race is its group plus the people moved from it; – means the year is as the source printed it.
1968 to 1996: Each race holds its Hispanic people: BJS printed Hispanic origin apart and never crossed it with race before the 2022 edition, and the machine-readable editions that print its count of Hispanic people start in 1997. All other races holds American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander people, Hispanic or not, and people with only Hispanic origin recorded. Prisons report the people they hold from their own records.
1997 to 2013: BJS printed race with Hispanic people inside each race and Hispanic origin apart before the 2022 edition. All other races holds American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander people and people with only Hispanic origin recorded: its Hispanic part joins Hispanic, the rest is Asian, NHPI, or AIAN; for people received it is the total less White and Black, CrimeDB's difference. Prisons report the people they hold from their own records. Each race is split into Hispanic and not by the share NIBRS records Hispanic within that race for arrestees, nationwide (crimedb-race-split; the latest cross window, 2021, for every earlier year): a model, the lighter part of each bar. Nobody's recorded race changes; only Hispanic origin, which BJS printed apart, is placed. BJS prints its own count of Hispanic people each year, so the split is scaled to add to it exactly (each race's odds of being Hispanic move by one factor). A year BJS printed no Hispanic count (people under sentence of death at year-end 2014 and 2015, people received in 2017) keeps each race as printed.
2014 to 2015: Each race holds its Hispanic people, as BJS printed it: BJS printed no count of Hispanic people that year, so nothing is split.
2016 to 2020: BJS printed race with Hispanic people inside each race and Hispanic origin apart before the 2022 edition. All other races holds American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander people and people with only Hispanic origin recorded: its Hispanic part joins Hispanic, the rest is Asian, NHPI, or AIAN; for people received it is the total less White and Black, CrimeDB's difference. Prisons report the people they hold from their own records. Each race is split into Hispanic and not by the share NIBRS records Hispanic within that race for arrestees, nationwide (crimedb-race-split; the latest cross window, 2021, for every earlier year): a model, the lighter part of each bar. Nobody's recorded race changes; only Hispanic origin, which BJS printed apart, is placed. BJS prints its own count of Hispanic people each year, so the split is scaled to add to it exactly (each race's odds of being Hispanic move by one factor). A year BJS printed no Hispanic count (people under sentence of death at year-end 2014 and 2015, people received in 2017) keeps each race as printed.
2021 on: Each race leaves out Hispanic people. Where BJS prints only White, Black, and Hispanic, Asian, NHPI, or AIAN is the total less those three, CrimeDB's difference. Prisons report the people they hold from their own records.
1968 to 1996: each race holds its Hispanic people, as BJS printed it. 1997 to 2013: Hispanic people split out of each race by CrimeDB, scaled to BJS's own count of Hispanic people, drawn lighter. 2014 to 2015: each race holds its Hispanic people, as BJS printed it (BJS printed no count of Hispanic people those years). 2016 to 2020: Hispanic people split out of each race by CrimeDB, scaled to BJS's own count of Hispanic people, drawn lighter.
BJS Capital Punishment statistical tables