US: 20% fewer prisoners in 10 years
State and federal prisons held 1.25 million people in 2023, versus 1.58 million in 2013. Sentenced to more than a year: 360 per 100,000 residents, down from 479.
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All prisoners under jurisdiction and the rate for sentences over one year have different scopes. Both declined over the decade, though counts rose in 2022–2023.
One percentage scale relative to 2013: 0% is the starting value, +100% is a doubling, −50% is a halving. Lines show the yearly path; on a short screen, bars show the change to 2023. Equal distances mean equal relative changes. For shares, this is relative change, not percentage points. Gaps are not filled; original values and units are below.
- Prison population people under prison jurisdiction, any sentence status
1,576,950 (2013) → 1,254,224 (2023)
- Rate per 100,000 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents in the same demographic group
479 (2013) → 360 (2023)
Published values for the selected period without interpolation. The headline describes an observation, not a causal effect.
December 31 legal jurisdiction of state/federal prisons, regardless of where people are held; local jails are excluded. Rates cover sentences longer than one year per 100,000 residents in the same group. These are not crime rates. Age and other factors are not standardised.
A question for this picture
Which jurisdictions saw the largest decline?