155,270
2025 (latest)
FEDERAL PRISON POPULATION
persons in Bureau of Prisons custody · 1980–2025 · neither direction is "better" · Federal Bureau of Prisons, Past Population Totals
24,640
1980
219,298
high · 2013
24,640
low · 1980
+530%
since 1980
┊ dashed lines mark 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. Federal Bureau of Prisons total population at fiscal year end, directly from BOP's own published historical totals file. Breaks: none known.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/raw_stats/BOP_pastPopulationTotals.csv
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Crime-And-Justice
Data
| Year | Federal prison population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 155,270 | −2% |
| 2024 | 158,864 | +0% |
| 2023 | 158,424 | −0% |
| 2022 | 159,090 | +2% |
| 2021 | 155,826 | +0% |
| 2020 | 155,562 | −12% |
| 2019 | 177,214 | −2% |
| 2018 | 181,698 | −2% |
| 2017 | 185,617 | −3% |
| 2016 | 192,170 | −7% |
| 2015 | 205,723 | −4% |
| 2014 | 214,149 | −2% |
| 2013 | 219,298 | +0% |
| 2012 | 218,687 | +0% |
| 2011 | 217,768 | +4% |
| 2010 | 210,227 | +1% |
| 2009 | 208,759 | +4% |
| 2008 | 201,668 | +1% |
| 2007 | 200,020 | +4% |
| 2006 | 192,584 | +3% |
| 2005 | 187,394 | +4% |
| 2004 | 179,895 | +4% |
| 2003 | 172,499 | +6% |
| 2002 | 163,436 | +4% |
| 2001 | 156,572 | +8% |
| 2000 | 145,125 | +9% |
| 1999 | 133,689 | +9% |
| 1998 | 122,316 | +9% |
| 1997 | 112,289 | +6% |
| 1996 | 105,443 | +4% |
| 1995 | 100,958 | +6% |
| 1994 | 95,162 | +7% |
| 1993 | 88,565 | +11% |
| 1992 | 79,678 | +11% |
| 1991 | 71,508 | +10% |
| 1990 | 64,936 | +12% |
| 1989 | 57,762 | +14% |
| 1988 | 50,513 | +2% |
| 1987 | 49,378 | +7% |
| 1986 | 46,055 | +14% |
| 1985 | 40,330 | +13% |
| 1984 | 35,795 | +8% |
| 1983 | 33,216 | +9% |
| 1982 | 30,531 | +16% |
| 1981 | 26,313 | +7% |
| 1980 | 24,640 | — |
Also in Crime & Justice