Data / Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction / Kentucky

Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction in Kentucky

Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction in Kentucky was 19,175 in 2023, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. That is down 2.9% from 2022. That is the 21st highest of 50 states in 2023.

2023, count19,175
Change on 2022-2.9%
Rank21st of 50US states ranked
Series high23,5432017
Series low3,3901978

Next release: Saturday, 20 February 2027, estimated by Invokely from past publication dates (low confidence), not announced by the publisher. Release calendar

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Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction in Kentucky, 1978 to 2023

05,00010K15K20K25K19781985199219992006201320231978: 3,390 count1979: 3,691 count1980: 3,588 count1981: 3,993 count1982: 4,031 count1983: 4,773 count1984: 4,820 count1985: 4,981 count1986: 5,288 count1987: 6,437 count1988: 7,119 count1989: 8,289 count1990: 9,023 count1991: 9,799 count1992: 10,364 count1993: 10,440 count1994: 11,066 count1995: 12,060 count1996: 12,910 count1997: 14,600 count1998: 14,987 count1999: 15,317 count2000: 14,919 count2001: 15,424 count2002: 15,820 count2003: 16,622 count2004: 17,814 count2005: 19,662 count2006: 20,000 count2007: 22,457 count2008: 21,706 count2009: 21,638 count2010: 20,544 count2011: 21,545 count2012: 22,110 count2013: 21,030 count2014: 21,657 count2015: 21,701 count2016: 23,022 count2017: 23,543 count2018: 23,431 count2019: 23,082 count2020: 18,552 count2021: 18,560 count2022: 19,744 count2023: 19,175 count010K20K30K19781994201020231978: 3,390 count1979: 3,691 count1980: 3,588 count1981: 3,993 count1982: 4,031 count1983: 4,773 count1984: 4,820 count1985: 4,981 count1986: 5,288 count1987: 6,437 count1988: 7,119 count1989: 8,289 count1990: 9,023 count1991: 9,799 count1992: 10,364 count1993: 10,440 count1994: 11,066 count1995: 12,060 count1996: 12,910 count1997: 14,600 count1998: 14,987 count1999: 15,317 count2000: 14,919 count2001: 15,424 count2002: 15,820 count2003: 16,622 count2004: 17,814 count2005: 19,662 count2006: 20,000 count2007: 22,457 count2008: 21,706 count2009: 21,638 count2010: 20,544 count2011: 21,545 count2012: 22,110 count2013: 21,030 count2014: 21,657 count2015: 21,701 count2016: 23,022 count2017: 23,543 count2018: 23,431 count2019: 23,082 count2020: 18,552 count2021: 18,560 count2022: 19,744 count2023: 19,175 count
count. Source: BJS, National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-02-20.
All 46 values
Periodcount
202319,175
202219,744
202118,560
202018,552
201923,082
201823,431
201723,543
201623,022
201521,701
201421,657
201321,030
201222,110
201121,545
201020,544
200921,638
200821,706
200722,457
200620,000
200519,662
200417,814
200316,622
200215,820
200115,424
200014,919
199915,317
199814,987
199714,600
199612,910
199512,060
199411,066
199310,440
199210,364
19919,799
19909,023
19898,289
19887,119
19876,437
19865,288
19854,981
19844,820
19834,773
19824,031
19813,993
19803,588
19793,691
19783,390

Compared with United States

Place2023
Kentucky19,175
United States1,254,224

Kentucky compared with nearby places

Alabama: 27,181 countAlaska: 4,478 countArizona: 34,473 countArkansas: 18,503 countCalifornia: 95,962 countColorado: 17,459 countConnecticut: 11,099 countDelaware: 4,867 countFlorida: 87,207 countGeorgia: 50,425 countHawaii: 3,942 countIdaho: 9,829 countIllinois: 29,828 countIndiana: 25,088 countIowa: 8,831 countKansas: 9,125 countKentucky: 19,175 countLouisiana: 28,186 countMaine: 1,873 countMaryland: 16,236 countMassachusetts: 6,002 countMichigan: 32,986 countMinnesota: 8,725 countMississippi: 19,526 countMissouri: 24,223 countMontana: 4,985 countNebraska: 5,931 countNevada: 10,463 countNew Hampshire: 2,115 countNew Jersey: 11,675 countNew Mexico: 5,586 countNew York: 32,583 countNorth Carolina: 30,685 countNorth Dakota: 1,899 countOhio: 46,530 countOklahoma: 22,283 countOregon: 12,316 countPennsylvania: 38,860 countRhode Island: 2,519 countSouth Carolina: 16,453 countSouth Dakota: 3,764 countTennessee: 24,408 countTexas: 149,264 countUtah: 6,402 countVermont: 1,334 countVirginia: 27,442 countWashington: 14,441 countWest Virginia: 5,800 countWisconsin: 22,418 countWyoming: 2,212 count
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 24K
  • 24K to 32K
  • 32K and over
  • No data
Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, 2023, count. Kentucky is outlined. Same source and period for every area shown. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Rankings

Definition

Prisoners of any sentence status under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities on December 31. Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics.

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.

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How to cite

Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, 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: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables) (Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, Kentucky, 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: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables), Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, Kentucky, 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/prisoners-under-jurisdiction/kentucky. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2026. National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, Kentucky, 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/prisoners-under-jurisdiction/kentucky.

Harvard

Bureau of Justice Statistics (2026) National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables), Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, Kentucky, 1978 to 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisoners-2023-statistical-tables, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/prisoners-under-jurisdiction/kentucky (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_prisoners_under_state_or_2023,
  author = {{Bureau of Justice Statistics}},
  title = {{National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables): Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, Kentucky, 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/prisoners-under-jurisdiction/kentucky. Publisher attribution: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, 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: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables): Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction, Kentucky, 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/prisoners-under-jurisdiction/kentucky
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/prisoners-under-jurisdiction/kentucky.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, 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 prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction in Kentucky?

Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction in Kentucky was 19,175 in 2023, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics. That is down 2.9% from 2022. That is the 21st highest of 50 states in 2023.

Where does this figure come from?

Bureau of Justice Statistics. National Prisoner Statistics: prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, total (CSAT quick table and Prisoners in YYYY statistical tables). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction in Kentucky?

23,543 in 2017, the highest value since 1978 in this series.

Prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction elsewhere in United States

Related statistics for Kentucky

All statistics for Kentucky | Kentucky in figures