Total Number of Adults Incarcerated in US Prisons and Jails
On December 31, 2020, an estimated 1,691,600 persons were either under the jurisdiction of state or federal prisons or in the custody of local jails. An estimated total of 2,086,000 people were incarcerated in prisons or jails at the end of 2019.
An estimated 1,215,800 people were incarcerated in state or federal prisons at the end of 2020, down from an estimated 1,430,200 at the end of 2019.
An estimated 549,100 people were incarcerated in local jails at the end of 2020, down from an estimated 734,500 at the end of 2019.
Rich Kluckow, DSW, and Zhen Zeng, PhD. Correctional Populations in the United States, 2020 - Statistical Tables. Bureau of Justice Statistics: Washington, DC. March 2022. NCJ303184.