Data / Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) / California

Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) in California

Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) in California was 246 per 100,000 people in 2023, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. That is down 4 pts from 2022. That is the 35th highest of 50 states in 2023.

2023, per 100,000 people246
Change on 2022-4 pts
Rank35th of 50US states ranked
Series high4832006
Series low861978

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Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) in California, 1978 to 2023

010020030040050019781985199219992006201320231978: 86 per 100,000 people1979: 91 per 100,000 people1980: 98 per 100,000 people1981: 115 per 100,000 people1982: 135 per 100,000 people1983: 150 per 100,000 people1984: 161 per 100,000 people1985: 183 per 100,000 people1986: 213 per 100,000 people1987: 233 per 100,000 people1988: 259 per 100,000 people1989: 289 per 100,000 people1990: 314 per 100,000 people1991: 323 per 100,000 people1992: 340 per 100,000 people1993: 370 per 100,000 people1994: 386 per 100,000 people1995: 416 per 100,000 people1996: 446 per 100,000 people1997: 470 per 100,000 people1998: 482 per 100,000 people1999: 479 per 100,000 people2000: 472 per 100,000 people2001: 456 per 100,000 people2002: 459 per 100,000 people2003: 461 per 100,000 people2004: 464 per 100,000 people2005: 472 per 100,000 people2006: 483 per 100,000 people2007: 477 per 100,000 people2008: 472 per 100,000 people2009: 460 per 100,000 people2010: 440 per 100,000 people2011: 393 per 100,000 people2012: 351 per 100,000 people2013: 352 per 100,000 people2014: 348 per 100,000 people2015: 330 per 100,000 people2016: 327 per 100,000 people2017: 329 per 100,000 people2018: 323 per 100,000 people2019: 310 per 100,000 people2020: 255 per 100,000 people2021: 259 per 100,000 people2022: 250 per 100,000 people2023: 246 per 100,000 people
per 100,000 people. Source: BJS, National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-02-20.
All 46 values
Periodper 100,000 people
2023246
2022250
2021259
2020255
2019310
2018323
2017329
2016327
2015330
2014348
2013352
2012351
2011393
2010440
2009460
2008472
2007477
2006483
2005472
2004464
2003461
2002459
2001456
2000472
1999479
1998482
1997470
1996446
1995416
1994386
1993370
1992340
1991323
1990314
1989289
1988259
1987233
1986213
1985183
1984161
1983150
1982135
1981115
198098
197991
197886

Compared with United States

Place2023
California246
United States360

Rankings

Definition

Sentenced prisoners (sentence of more than 1 year) under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities on December 31, per 100,000 residents of all ages. Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics, with Census Bureau resident population estimates for January 1 of the following year.

Counts only prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year, so it differs from the prison population rate used for other countries (prison_population_rate), which counts everyone held in prison, pre-trial detainees included. Prisoners are counted by the jurisdiction with legal authority over them, wherever they are held, on December 31. The national figure adds the federal system to the states. Local jails are not included, except in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont, which run one combined prison and jail system. Felons sentenced in the District of Columbia have been the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons since 2001, so the District has values only up to 2000.

How to cite

Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2026). National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables) (Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners), California, 1978 to 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables

MLA 9

National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables), Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners), California, 1978 to 2023. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 20 Feb. 2026, https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/imprisonment-rate/california. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2026. National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners), California, 1978 to 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/imprisonment-rate/california.

Harvard

Bureau of Justice Statistics (2026) National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables), Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners), California, 1978 to 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/imprisonment-rate/california (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_imprisonment_rate_sentenced_prisoners_2023,
  author = {{Bureau of Justice Statistics}},
  title = {{National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables): Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners), California, 1978 to 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/imprisonment-rate/california. Publisher attribution: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Bureau of Justice Statistics
TI  - National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables): Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners), California, 1978 to 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/20
PB  - Bureau of Justice Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/imprisonment-rate/california
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/imprisonment-rate/california.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

What is the imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) in California?

Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) in California was 246 per 100,000 people in 2023, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. That is down 4 pts from 2022. That is the 35th highest of 50 states in 2023.

Where does this figure come from?

Bureau of Justice Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: imprisonment rate of sentenced prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) in California?

483 per 100,000 people in 2006, the highest value since 1978 in this series.

Imprisonment rate (sentenced prisoners) elsewhere in United States

Related statistics for California

All statistics for California | California in figures