America's crime record
Jails and prisons
People in federal prison
152,643
people held, 2026 · Down 0.6% from 2025
Timeline
People in the Federal Bureau of Prisons' custody, in its own prisons and in contract facilities, on the last weekly count of each year.
Source and method
Federal prisons hold people convicted of federal crimes, many of them drug, weapon, and immigration offenses, and some held before trial.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics · One day each year · 2014 to 2026
Breakdown
People held by race, 2026
| Black, 55,349 placed by CrimeDB | 36%55,349 | 55,349 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White+MENAMiddle Eastern or North African, 46,141 placed by CrimeDB | 30%46,141 | 46,141 | |
| Hispanic, 44,704 placed by CrimeDB | 29%44,704 | 44,704 | |
| AIANAmerican Indian or Alaska Native, 4,204 placed by CrimeDB | 3%4,204 | 4,204 | |
| Asian+NHPINative Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 2,245 placed by CrimeDB | 2%2,245 | 2,245 |
- Race recorded without ethnicity: split by NIBRS's recorded Hispanic share of each race
Every year, 2014 to 2026
- White+MENA
- Black
- Hispanic
- AIAN
- Asian+NHPI
- Lighter: years CrimeDB split. Hispanic is what it placed; each other group is what is left once they are taken out
2014 to 2026: Hispanic people split out of each race by CrimeDB, scaled to BOP's own count of Hispanic people, drawn lighter.
All 152,643 people held in 2026. Four races, Asian holding Pacific Islanders; ethnicity printed apart, never crossed with race. The Bureau of Prisons' own records. Each race is split into Hispanic and not by the share NIBRS records Hispanic within that race for the closest role, nationwide (crimedb-race-split; 2021 on, earlier years take 2021's): a model, the lighter part of each bar. Nobody's recorded race changes; only Hispanic origin, which the source left out, is placed. The arrestee share is the starting point. BOP prints its own Hispanic count apart from race (about 30% of people held, many of them noncitizens), so the split is scaled to add to it (each race's odds of being Hispanic move by one factor, so no race goes all Hispanic).
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics
Every figure as a table
People in federal prison, people held, by year
| Year | Count | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 152,643 | – | |
| 2025 | 153,512 | 45 | |
| 2024 | 156,370 | 46 | |
| 2023 | 156,973 | 47 | |
| 2022 | 159,309 | 48 | |
| 2021 | 157,500 | 47 | |
| 2020 | 152,805 | 46 | |
| 2019 | 175,997 | 53 | |
| 2018 | 180,417 | 55 | |
| 2017 | 183,058 | 56 | |
| 2016 | 189,192 | 58 | |
| 2015 | 196,455 | 61 | |
| 2014 | 212,090 | 66 |
Rate: Per 100,000 U.S. residents on July 1 of the year, from the Census Bureau's estimates (1980: the April census count).
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics · One day each year
People in federal prison: people held per 100,000 people in each group, by race, by year
| Year | White+MENA | Black | Hispanic | AIAN | Asian+NHPI | Share with race not given |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | – | – | – | – | – | 0% |
| 2025 | 24 | 132 | 65 | 177 | 9.6 | 0% |
| 2024 | 25 | 138 | 66 | 175 | 9.4 | 0% |
| 2023 | 24 | 141 | 70 | 160 | 9.1 | 0% |
| 2022 | 24 | 143 | 75 | 157 | 9.3 | 0% |
| 2021 | 24 | 140 | 76 | 150 | 9.5 | 0% |
| 2020 | 23 | 138 | 74 | 139 | 9.5 | 0% |
| 2019 | 26 | 155 | 92 | 155 | 11 | 0% |
| 2018 | 26 | 162 | 96 | 156 | 11 | 0% |
| 2017 | 26 | 164 | 102 | 153 | 12 | 0% |
| 2016 | 27 | 170 | 109 | 147 | 12 | 0% |
| 2015 | 28 | 177 | 117 | 147 | 13 | 0% |
| 2014 | 29 | 191 | 132 | 148 | 15 | 0% |
The Rate view's race lines, from 2014. Each group's line is its people held per 100,000 people in the group. Four races, Asian holding Pacific Islanders; ethnicity printed apart, never crossed with race. The Bureau of Prisons' own records. Each race is split into Hispanic and not by the share NIBRS records Hispanic within that race for the closest role, nationwide (crimedb-race-split; 2021 on, earlier years take 2021's): a model, the lighter part of each bar. Nobody's recorded race changes; only Hispanic origin, which the source left out, is placed. The arrestee share is the starting point. BOP prints its own Hispanic count apart from race (about 30% of people held, many of them noncitizens), so the split is scaled to add to it (each race's odds of being Hispanic move by one factor, so no race goes all Hispanic).
– means no rate: a group the source does not count apart that year, or no people to divide by. People whose race is not known are in no group's rate, so each rate is a floor.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics; Census Bureau population estimates
People held by race, 2026
| Race | Count | Of which placed by CrimeDB | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 55,349 | 55,349 | 36% |
| White+MENA | 46,141 | 46,141 | 30% |
| Hispanic | 44,704 | 44,704 | 29% |
| AIAN | 4,204 | 4,204 | 3% |
| Asian+NHPI | 2,245 | 2,245 | 2% |
Hispanic is of any race; the other groups are not Hispanic. White+MENA includes Middle Eastern and North African people.
All 152,643 people held in 2026. Four races, Asian holding Pacific Islanders; ethnicity printed apart, never crossed with race. The Bureau of Prisons' own records. Each race is split into Hispanic and not by the share NIBRS records Hispanic within that race for the closest role, nationwide (crimedb-race-split; 2021 on, earlier years take 2021's): a model, the lighter part of each bar. Nobody's recorded race changes; only Hispanic origin, which the source left out, is placed. The arrestee share is the starting point. BOP prints its own Hispanic count apart from race (about 30% of people held, many of them noncitizens), so the split is scaled to add to it (each race's odds of being Hispanic move by one factor, so no race goes all Hispanic).
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics
People held by sex, 2026
| Sex | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 142,816 | 94% |
| Female | 9,827 | 6% |
All 152,643 people held in 2026.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics
People held by age, 2026
| Age | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15 | 0% |
| 18 to 21 | 1,302 | 1% |
| 22 to 25 | 6,528 | 4% |
| 26 to 30 | 15,870 | 10% |
| 31 to 35 | 24,075 | 16% |
| 36 to 40 | 26,876 | 18% |
| 41 to 45 | 25,379 | 17% |
| 46 to 50 | 20,412 | 13% |
| 51 to 55 | 13,367 | 9% |
| 56 to 60 | 8,475 | 6% |
| 61 to 65 | 5,417 | 4% |
| Over 65 | 4,927 | 3% |
All 152,643 people held in 2026.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics
People held by citizenship, 2026
| Citizenship | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 128,506 | 84% |
| Mexico | 12,120 | 8% |
| Dominican Republic | 1,511 | 1% |
| Colombia | 1,172 | 1% |
| Cuba | 835 | 1% |
| Other | 8,499 | 6% |
All 152,643 people held in 2026.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics
People held by offense, 2026
| Offense | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Drug | 60,848 | 40% |
| Weapon | 31,669 | 21% |
| Sex | 20,708 | 14% |
| No offense group (held before trial or not listed) | 9,798 | 6% |
| Burglary | 7,150 | 5% |
| Immigration | 6,723 | 4% |
| Extortion | 5,474 | 4% |
| Homicide | 5,023 | 3% |
| Robbery | 3,271 | 2% |
| Misc | 983 | 1% |
| Court | 626 | <1% |
| Criminal | 208 | <1% |
| Banking | 112 | <1% |
| National Security | 50 | 0% |
All 152,643 people held in 2026; 9,798 have no offense group in BOP's list, most of them held before trial, and are their own row, so every share is of the full total. BOP's own offense groups, for the most serious offense of people sentenced.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics
People held by race, every year
| Year | All people held | White+MENA | Black | Hispanic | AIAN | Asian+NHPI | Hispanic, moved by CrimeDB from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 152,643 | 46,141 | 55,349 | 44,704 | 4,204 | 2,245 | 40,329 White, 3,655 Black, 208 Asian, 512 Native American |
| 2025 | 153,512 | 46,532 | 55,122 | 45,435 | 4,164 | 2,259 | 41,039 White, 3,673 Black, 211 Asian, 512 Native American |
| 2024 | 156,370 | 47,263 | 57,322 | 45,532 | 4,108 | 2,145 | 41,471 White, 3,420 Black, 212 Asian, 429 Native American |
| 2023 | 156,973 | 46,243 | 58,348 | 46,648 | 3,733 | 2,001 | 43,664 White, 2,283 Black, 249 Asian, 452 Native American |
| 2022 | 159,309 | 46,970 | 58,555 | 48,172 | 3,626 | 1,986 | 44,751 White, 2,632 Black, 335 Asian, 454 Native American |
| 2021 | 157,500 | 46,884 | 57,233 | 47,967 | 3,451 | 1,965 | 44,269 White, 2,857 Black, 365 Asian, 476 Native American |
| 2020 | 152,805 | 45,434 | 56,111 | 46,125 | 3,188 | 1,947 | 42,551 White, 2,779 Black, 359 Asian, 436 Native American |
| 2019 | 175,997 | 51,006 | 62,565 | 56,644 | 3,555 | 2,227 | 52,273 White, 3,390 Black, 449 Asian, 532 Native American |
| 2018 | 180,417 | 51,449 | 65,147 | 58,041 | 3,563 | 2,217 | 53,467 White, 3,580 Black, 453 Asian, 541 Native American |
| 2017 | 183,058 | 51,513 | 65,817 | 59,986 | 3,514 | 2,228 | 55,234 White, 3,732 Black, 470 Asian, 550 Native American |
| 2016 | 189,192 | 52,666 | 67,691 | 63,198 | 3,371 | 2,266 | 58,205 White, 3,956 Black, 492 Asian, 545 Native American |
| 2015 | 196,455 | 54,291 | 70,001 | 66,386 | 3,370 | 2,407 | 61,131 White, 4,168 Black, 533 Asian, 554 Native American |
| 2014 | 212,090 | 58,072 | 74,762 | 73,236 | 3,390 | 2,630 | 67,467 White, 4,593 Black, 600 Asian, 576 Native American |
Every year, 2014 to 2026. – 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.
2014 on: Four races, Asian holding Pacific Islanders; ethnicity printed apart, never crossed with race. The Bureau of Prisons' own records. Each race is split into Hispanic and not by the share NIBRS records Hispanic within that race for the closest role, nationwide (crimedb-race-split; 2021 on, earlier years take 2021's): a model, the lighter part of each bar. Nobody's recorded race changes; only Hispanic origin, which the source left out, is placed. The arrestee share is the starting point. BOP prints its own Hispanic count apart from race (about 30% of people held, many of them noncitizens), so the split is scaled to add to it (each race's odds of being Hispanic move by one factor, so no race goes all Hispanic).
2014 to 2026: Hispanic people split out of each race by CrimeDB, scaled to BOP's own count of Hispanic people, drawn lighter.
Federal Bureau of Prisons, population statistics