State rankings

Private Prisons by State

Texas has the highest # of Private Prisons (7), followed by Florida (7) and Arizona (6). Montana has the lowest (1).

Law50 states · 8 metricsUpdated Aug 16, 2026Original page
9 sources
16 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

# of Private Prisons

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 16 ranked

Highest 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
3
Middle half 1.75 – 4.25
Average
3.19
16 states
Highest
7
Texas
Lowest
1
Montana

Data

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

50 states · # = rank by # of Private Prisons
#
1Texas75511,030
1Florida73311,728
3Arizona6109,738
4New Mexico561,522
5Tennessee4106,828
6Georgia3347,284
6Colorado3202,677
6Oklahoma3244,282
6Mississippi332,252
10California233—
10Alabama214253
10Louisiana27—
13Pennsylvania124447
13Virginia1381,278
13Indiana1153,906
13Montana142,319
—New York—54—
—Illinois—27335
—Ohio—276,540
—North Carolina—5629
—Michigan—39—
—New Jersey—11834
—Washington—12—
—Massachusetts—16—
—Missouri—21—
—Maryland—23—
—Wisconsin—19—
—Minnesota—10—
—South Carolina—22—
—Kentucky—12814
—Oregon—14—
—Connecticut—19—
—Utah—2—
—Nevada—7—
—Iowa—9—
—Arkansas—17—
—Kansas—8—
—Idaho—10861
—Nebraska—8—
—West Virginia—21—
—Hawaii—4966
—New Hampshire—3—
—Maine—4—
—Rhode Island—7—
—Delaware—4—
—South Dakota—445
—North Dakota—4292
—Alaska—14300
—Vermont—6110
—Wyoming—5291

What correlates with # of Private Prisons?

Pearson r against 2,143 other state metrics sharing at least 10 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher # of Private Prisons tend to score higher on these

  1. Percentage Population Growth (2023-2024)Most Popular States
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 15
    Plot
  2. Total Beach LengthBeaches by State
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  3. Favorite Season is WinterAll Four Seasons States
    r = +0.77 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  4. UninsuredHealthiest States
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  5. % of Total Ex-Californians Who've Moved This YearPeople Leaving California by State
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 15
    Plot
  6. Est. Ex-Californians Moving to StatePeople Leaving California by State
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 15
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher # of Private Prisons tend to score lower on these

  1. Financial AccessibilityEntrepreneur-Friendly States
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  2. Financial AccessibilityBest States to Own a Business
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  3. Indoor Allergy Pet Dander ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = −0.71 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  4. White Alone % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.70 · very strong · n = 16
    Plot
  5. Maximum CostLiposuction Limits by State
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 16
    Plot
  6. White Alone or in Combination % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.68 · strong · n = 16
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest # of Private Prisons?
Texas has the highest # of Private Prisons, at 7, followed by Florida (7) and Arizona (6).
Which state has the lowest # of Private Prisons?
Montana has the lowest # of Private Prisons, at 1.
What is the median # of Private Prisons across US states?
The median is 3 across the 16 US states with data.
Where does this private prisons by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: A Look at the Number of Private Prisons Across the U.S. - Summit Defense; Private Prisons In The United States - The Sentencing Project; ADCRR Prisons - Website of the State of Arizona; Why Idaho Still Depends On Private Prisons Despite Fraught History - Mountain West News Bureau.