Key takeaways
- The Federal Bureau of Prisons is the largest prison system in the US, with 156,627 people under its jurisdiction at the end of 2023.
- Texas (149,264) and California (95,962) run the largest state prison systems, followed by Florida (87,207) and Georgia (50,425).
- State and federal prisons held 1,254,224 people at the end of 2023, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Six states — Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont — run combined prison and jail systems.
Largest prison systems
The federal system and every state ranked by the number of people under their jurisdiction on December 31, 2023, counting people the system is responsible for wherever they are held. Search by state.
Showing all 51 systems
| # | Prison system | Prisoners, end of 2023 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Federal Bureau of PrisonsFederal | 156,627 | BJS |
| 2 | TexasState department of corrections | 149,264 | BJS |
| 3 | CaliforniaState department of corrections | 95,962 | BJS |
| 4 | FloridaState department of corrections | 87,207 | BJS |
| 5 | GeorgiaState department of corrections | 50,425 | BJS |
| 6 | OhioState department of corrections | 46,530 | BJS |
| 7 | PennsylvaniaState department of corrections | 38,860 | BJS |
| 8 | ArizonaState department of corrections | 34,473 | BJS |
| 9 | MichiganState department of corrections | 32,986 | BJS |
| 10 | New YorkState department of corrections | 32,583 | BJS |
| 11 | North CarolinaState department of corrections | 30,685 | BJS |
| 12 | IllinoisState department of corrections | 29,828 | BJS |
| 13 | LouisianaState department of corrections | 28,186 | BJS |
| 14 | VirginiaState department of corrections | 27,442 | BJS |
| 15 | AlabamaState department of corrections | 27,181 | BJS |
| 16 | IndianaState department of corrections | 25,088 | BJS |
| 17 | TennesseeState department of corrections | 24,408 | BJS |
| 18 | MissouriState department of corrections | 24,223 | BJS |
| 19 | WisconsinState department of corrections | 22,418 | BJS |
| 20 | OklahomaState department of corrections | 22,283 | BJS |
| 21 | MississippiState department of corrections | 19,526 | BJS |
| 22 | KentuckyState department of corrections | 19,175 | BJS |
| 23 | ArkansasState department of corrections | 18,503 | BJS |
| 24 | ColoradoState department of corrections | 17,459 | BJS |
| 25 | South CarolinaState department of corrections | 16,453 | BJS |
| 26 | MarylandState department of corrections | 16,236 | BJS |
| 27 | WashingtonState department of corrections | 14,441 | BJS |
| 28 | OregonState department of corrections | 12,316 | BJS |
| 29 | New JerseyState department of corrections | 11,675 | BJS |
| 30 | ConnecticutState · combined prison and jail system | 11,099 | BJS |
| 31 | NevadaState department of corrections | 10,463 | BJS |
| 32 | IdahoState department of corrections | 9,829 | BJS |
| 33 | KansasState department of corrections | 9,125 | BJS |
| 34 | IowaState department of corrections | 8,831 | BJS |
| 35 | MinnesotaState department of corrections | 8,725 | BJS |
| 36 | UtahState department of corrections | 6,402 | BJS |
| 37 | MassachusettsState department of corrections | 6,002 | BJS |
| 38 | NebraskaState department of corrections | 5,931 | BJS |
| 39 | West VirginiaState department of corrections | 5,800 | BJS |
| 40 | New MexicoState department of corrections | 5,586 | BJS |
| 41 | MontanaState department of corrections | 4,985 | BJS |
| 42 | DelawareState · combined prison and jail system | 4,867 | BJS |
| 43 | AlaskaState · combined prison and jail system | 4,478 | BJS |
| 44 | HawaiiState · combined prison and jail system | 3,942 | BJS |
| 45 | South DakotaState department of corrections | 3,764 | BJS |
| 46 | Rhode IslandState · combined prison and jail system | 2,519 | BJS |
| 47 | WyomingState department of corrections | 2,212 | BJS |
| 48 | New HampshireState department of corrections | 2,115 | BJS |
| 49 | North DakotaState department of corrections | 1,899 | BJS |
| 50 | MaineState department of corrections | 1,873 | BJS |
| 51 | VermontState · combined prison and jail system | 1,334 | BJS |
What corrections spending looks like
- Corrections took 5.6% of state general fund spending in fiscal 2025, according to NASBO (NASBO via CSG Midwest).
- Local jails are separate: they are run by counties and cities and counted in BJS's jail statistics.
- See our largest state budgets for total state spending.
Selling to corrections agencies
Departments of corrections buy food service, health care, security and detection systems, communications, uniforms and supplies, facility maintenance, education and reentry programs, and offender management software.
- Expect long contracts. Food, health care and communications are often multi-year contracts awarded through formal RFPs.
- Plan for security reviews. Vendors and their staff usually need background checks and facility clearances.
- Reach both levels. Central procurement writes statewide contracts, but wardens and facility managers shape day-to-day needs.
- Watch the budget and the legislature. Prison closures, new facilities and staffing changes move through the state budget.
See selling food service, security systems and largest police departments.
Sources
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2023 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 310197, September 2025)
- BJS, jurisdiction notes
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