2,192
2023 (latest)
PERSONS UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH
persons · 1953–2023 · neither direction is "better" · Bureau of Justice Statistics, Capital Punishment in the United States
131
1953
3,601
high · 2000
125
low · 1955
+1573%
since 1953
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. Year-end count of persons under sentence of death in the United States, from Capital Punishment, 2023 - Statistical Tables (NCJ 310309), table cp23stat01. Breaks: none known beyond states individually abolishing or reinstating capital punishment over the period, which is a real substantive change, not a measurement break.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/cp23st.zip
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Crime-And-Justice
Data
| Year | Persons under sentence of death | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2,192 | −3% |
| 2022 | 2,265 | −4% |
| 2021 | 2,356 | −4% |
| 2020 | 2,461 | −4% |
| 2019 | 2,563 | −2% |
| 2018 | 2,626 | −3% |
| 2017 | 2,703 | −3% |
| 2016 | 2,797 | −3% |
| 2015 | 2,872 | −2% |
| 2014 | 2,942 | −1% |
| 2013 | 2,983 | −1% |
| 2012 | 3,011 | −2% |
| 2011 | 3,065 | −2% |
| 2010 | 3,139 | −1% |
| 2009 | 3,173 | −1% |
| 2008 | 3,210 | −0% |
| 2007 | 3,215 | −1% |
| 2006 | 3,233 | −0% |
| 2005 | 3,245 | −2% |
| 2004 | 3,320 | −2% |
| 2003 | 3,377 | −5% |
| 2002 | 3,562 | −0% |
| 2001 | 3,577 | −1% |
| 2000 | 3,601 | +2% |
| 1999 | 3,540 | +2% |
| 1998 | 3,465 | +4% |
| 1997 | 3,328 | +3% |
| 1996 | 3,242 | +6% |
| 1995 | 3,064 | +5% |
| 1994 | 2,905 | +7% |
| 1993 | 2,727 | +6% |
| 1992 | 2,580 | +5% |
| 1991 | 2,465 | +5% |
| 1990 | 2,346 | +5% |
| 1989 | 2,243 | +6% |
| 1988 | 2,117 | +8% |
| 1987 | 1,967 | +9% |
| 1986 | 1,800 | +14% |
| 1985 | 1,575 | +11% |
| 1984 | 1,420 | +17% |
| 1983 | 1,209 | +13% |
| 1982 | 1,066 | +24% |
| 1981 | 860 | +24% |
| 1980 | 692 | +17% |
| 1979 | 593 | +23% |
| 1978 | 482 | +14% |
| 1977 | 423 | +1% |
| 1976 | 420 | −14% |
| 1975 | 488 | +100% |
| 1974 | 244 | +82% |
| 1973 | 134 | −60% |
| 1972 | 334 | −48% |
| 1971 | 642 | +2% |
| 1970 | 631 | +10% |
| 1969 | 575 | +11% |
| 1968 | 517 | +19% |
| 1967 | 435 | +7% |
| 1966 | 406 | +23% |
| 1965 | 331 | +5% |
| 1964 | 315 | +6% |
| 1963 | 297 | +11% |
| 1962 | 267 | +4% |
| 1961 | 257 | +21% |
| 1960 | 212 | +29% |
| 1959 | 164 | +12% |
| 1958 | 147 | −3% |
| 1957 | 151 | +3% |
| 1956 | 146 | +17% |
| 1955 | 125 | −15% |
| 1954 | 147 | +12% |
| 1953 | 131 | — |
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