State rankings

Prison Population by State

Texas has the highest Total Prisoners in 2024 (138,721), followed by California (95,827) and Florida (81,978). Rhode Island has the lowest (1,339).

Politics & GovernmentPopulation51 states · 21 metricsUpdated Jul 11, 2026Original page
3 sources
48 of 51 states
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Total Prisoners, 2024

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 48 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
15,612
Middle half 5.8K – 26.6K
Average
21,441
48 states
Lowest (best)
1,339
Rhode Island
Highest (worst)
138,721
Texas

Over time · 1980–2024

The top 5 in 2024, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • Rhode Island
  • Alaska
  • North Dakota
  • New Hampshire
  • Hawaii

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Total Prisoners
#
1Rhode Island1,3392,388131
2Alaska1,3574,058420
3North Dakota1,8541,656243
4New Hampshire2,0561,971144
5Hawaii2,1033,533409
6Wyoming2,1871,956256
7Delaware2,8004,544323
8South Dakota3,6503,189575
9Massachusetts4,8515,830172
10Montana4,9514,238747
11New Mexico5,3615,044542
12Nebraska5,6415,521410
13West Virginia5,7915,181619
14Utah6,2215,929473
15Connecticut6,30810,202897
16Minnesota8,3838,134591
17Iowa8,5508,112719
18Kansas8,6628,333792
19Idaho9,5058,3111,518
20Nevada9,6579,5938,770
21New Jersey10,75911,203472
22Oregon12,30811,415901
23Washington13,60013,526915
24Maryland15,31415,607629
25South Carolina15,90915,2331,220
26Colorado16,41216,0301,429
27Arkansas18,00116,9351,568
28Kentucky18,99216,9732,202
29Alabama19,07324,6822,499
30Mississippi19,15117,9981,528
31Wisconsin20,05720,9041,514
32Oklahoma21,80120,0822,201
33Indiana23,59222,5282,560
34Missouri23,70722,0942,129
35Tennessee23,90222,0172,391
36Virginia26,20025,5451,897
37Louisiana27,86426,6181,568
38North Carolina28,77128,1742,511
39Illinois29,07828,2951,533
40Arizona31,033313,0773,166
41New York31,26931,2611,322
42Michigan32,60231,2851,701
43Pennsylvania38,65736,7352,125
44Ohio46,07642,6793,851
45Georgia47,29446,7603,665
46Florida81,97881,3265,881
47California95,82792,1463,816
48Texas138,721137,08512,179
—Maine—1,676197
—Vermont—1,217117

What correlates with Total Prisoners (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,105 other state metrics sharing at least 29 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Total Prisoners tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Adult PrisonersPrisons by State
    r = +0.99 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  2. Total Retail SalesElectricity Cost by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Uninsured PopulationUninsured People by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Fatal Car AccidentsFatal Car Accidents by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  5. Deaths Due to Car AccidentFatal Car Accidents by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  6. Gas Cons. Transportation (BTU)Gas Consumption by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Total Prisoners tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.65 · strong · n = 48
    Plot
  2. Off Grid Via Kuhl Safety ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 48
    Plot
  3. Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)
    r = −0.55 · strong · n = 46
    Plot
  4. Total Safety Score (WalletHub)Safest States in the US
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  5. White Alone % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  6. White Alone or in Combination % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.47 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Total Prisoners?
Texas has the highest Total Prisoners in 2024, at 138,721, followed by California (95,827) and Florida (81,978).
Which state has the lowest Total Prisoners?
Rhode Island has the lowest Total Prisoners in 2024, at 1,339.
What is the median Total Prisoners across US states?
The median is 15,612 across the 48 US states with data in 2024.
Where does this prison population by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Prisoners in 2022 – Statistical Tables - US Bureau of Justice Statistics; U.S. Criminal Justice Data - Sentencing Project; Bureau of Justice Statistics - Department of Justice.