State rankings

Prison Spending by State

Wyoming has the highest Spending Per Prisoner (136), followed by California (131.3) and Maine (122.1). Mississippi has the lowest (18.41).

Politics & GovernmentPopulation50 states · 3 metricsUpdated Aug 24, 2023Original page
2 sources
50 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map
Cost-of-living adjustmentConverts wages and incomes to what they would buy at average US prices, so $100k in a cheap state and $100k in an expensive one are not treated as equal.More in the glossary →

Spending Per Prisoner

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

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All 50 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
54.99
Middle half 33.57 – 75.48
Average
59.62
50 states
Lowest (best)
18.41
Mississippi
Highest (worst)
136
Wyoming

Data

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

50 states · # = rank by Spending Per Prisoner
#
1Mississippi18.41594$33.43
2Alabama23.8504$40.25
3Kansas24.34299$41.52
4Texas25.9463$43.80
5Georgia25.97440$36.39
6Louisiana26.81580$37.96
7Nevada28.37367$65.07
8Oklahoma28.52567$37.64
9Florida29.62376$45.65
10Arizona30526$45.07
11Indiana31.69353$40.81
12South Dakota33.36366$42.16
13Arkansas33.39534$36.77
14Missouri34.1375$34.55
15South Carolina34.36315$40.62
16Kentucky34.84412$36.75
17Idaho37.85442$45.54
18Virginia40.11369$44.11
19Ohio42.56382$48.12
20West Virginia46.94338$42.27
21Tennessee51.8328$39.92
22North Carolina52.88282$41.52
23Maryland53.92253$52.87
24Illinois54.04233$62.84
25Iowa54.94261$52.81
26New Hampshire55.03171$51.38
27Hawaii56.8287$62.77
28Montana57.96362$42.95
29New Mexico58.94260$39.17
30Nebraska60.05271$46.50
31Colorado61.11280$54.57
32Michigan61.3334$54.38
33Wisconsin66.02345$49.50
34Connecticut67.1266$55.82
35Pennsylvania67.7303$58.26
36Delaware73.68475$48.70
37New Jersey74.14138$73.49
38Minnesota75.93143$56.35
39Washington77.61204$62.96
40Utah79.59166$48.05
41North Dakota81.97180$48.51
42Alaska82.74625$67.02
43Oregon88.74301$68.79
44New York91.63169$71.16
45Massachusetts114.496.3$72.26
46Vermont119.2200$50.32
47Rhode Island121.5203—
48Maine122.1126$43.66
49California131.3246$81.17
50Wyoming136362$47.54

What correlates with Spending Per Prisoner?

Pearson r against 2,111 other state metrics sharing at least 30 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 Spending Per Prisoner tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Final ScoreSingle Mom Friendly States
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Low Incarceration Rate RankWorst Prisons by StateA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.70 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Average RentAverage Rent by State
    r = +0.68 · strong · n = 44
    Plot
  4. Average Annual Snowfall (in)Snowiest States
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 40
    Plot
  5. Average Annual Snowfall (cm)Snowiest States
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 40
    Plot
  6. Health and SafetyBest States to Raise a FamilyA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.67 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Spending Per Prisoner tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Maternal Mortality Total Deaths (2019-2023)Maternal Mortality Rate by State
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 39
    Plot
  2. PrisonersPrisons by State
    r = −0.70 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Maternal Mortality Rate (2018-2022)Maternal Mortality Rate by State
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  4. Male Prisoner RatePrison Population by State
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Prisoners Over Age 18Prison Population by State
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Prisoner RatePrison Population by State
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Spending Per Prisoner?
Wyoming has the highest Spending Per Prisoner, at 136, followed by California (131.3) and Maine (122.1).
Which state has the lowest Spending Per Prisoner?
Mississippi has the lowest Spending Per Prisoner, at 18.41.
What is the median Spending Per Prisoner across US states?
The median is 54.99 across the 50 US states with data.
Where does this prison spending by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: How much do states spend on prisons? - USA Facts; Prisoners in 2021 – Statistical Tables - Bureau of Justice Statistics.