U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

April 2019, NCJ 251774

Zhen Zeng, Ph.D., BJS Statistician

C

ounty and city jails in the United States
reported a total confned population
of 745,200 inmates at midyear 2017
(fgure 1). About 65% (482,000) of the confned
inmates were awaiting court action on a current
charge. Te remaining 35% (263,200) were
sentenced or convicted ofenders awaiting
sentencing. Te jail incarceration rate at midyear
2017 was 229 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents,
down from 259 per 100,000 at midyear 2007 and
237 per 100,000 at midyear 2012 (table 1).
Findings in this report are based on the Annual
Survey of Jails (ASJ), a nationally representative
survey of county or city jail jurisdictions and
regional jails in the country. Since 1982, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has conducted
the ASJ to track changes in the number and
characteristics of local jail inmates nationwide,
jail inmate turnover, jail capacity, and space
usage by other authorities.

FIGURE 1
Inmates confned in local jails at midyear, by
conviction status, 2005–2017
Number
800,000
Jail inmates
600,000

400,000

Unconvicted

200,000

Convicted

0

’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17

Note: Based on the number of inmates held on the last weekday
in June. Results may difer from previous reports in the series
due to data updates from jails. In 2015 and 2016, the Annual
Survey of Jails collected counts of convicted and unconvicted
inmates at year-end. Jails typically hold fewer inmates at yearend than at midyear. The 2015 and 2016 inmate populations
were adjusted for seasonal variation and represent estimated
midyear counts. See Methodology.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails,
2006–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

HIGHLIGHTS
„

County and city jails held 745,200 inmates
at midyear 2017, down from 780,200 at
midyear 2007.

„

The jail incarceration rate declined from
259 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents at
midyear 2007 to 229 per 100,000 at midyear
2017, a 12% decrease.

„

In 2017, males were incarcerated in jail at a
rate (394 per 100,000 male U.S. residents)
5.7 times that of females (69 per 100,000 female
U.S. residents).

„

In 2017, jails reported 10.6 million admissions, a
19% decline from 2007.

„

The estimated average time in jail in 2017 was
26 days.

„

The total rated capacity of county and city jails
was 915,100 beds at midyear 2017.

„

An estimated 81% of jail beds were occupied in
2017, down from 95% in 2005.

„

From 2005 to 2017, the jail incarceration rate for
whites increased 12%, while the rate for blacks
decreased 23%.

„

The male incarceration rate dropped from
448 per 100,000 male residents in 2005 to
394 per 100,000 in 2017, a 12% drop.

„

Jails employed 225,700 full-time staf at midyear
2017, and the inmate-to-correctional-ofcer ratio
was 4.2 to 1.

Bul l etin

Jail Inmates in 2017

TABLE 1
Inmates confned at midyear, average daily population, annual admissions, and incarceration rates, 2005–2017
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017*
Percent change
2007–2017
2016–2017

Confned inmatesa
747,500
765,800 †
780,200 †
785,500 †
767,400 †
748,700
735,600
744,500
731,200
744,600
727,400
740,700
745,200
-4.5%
0.6

ADPb
733,400
755,300
773,100 †
776,600 †
768,100 †
748,600
735,600
737,400
731,400
739,000
719,500 †
731,300
745,600
-3.6%
1.9

Annual admissionsc
12,100,000 †
12,200,000 †
13,100,000 †
13,600,000 †
12,800,000 †
12,900,000 †
11,800,000 †
11,600,000 †
11,700,000
11,400,000 †
10,700,000
10,600,000
10,600,000
-19.1%
0.0

Jail incarceration rated
253 †
256 †
259 †
258 †
250 †
242 †
236 †
237 †
231
234
227
229
229
-11.6%
-0.1

Note: Data are rounded to the nearest 100 for confned inmates and for average daily population (ADP) and to the nearest 100,000 for admissions. Results
may difer from previous reports in the series due to data updates from jails. See appendix table 1 for standard errors.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
aNumber of inmates held on the last weekday in June.
bThe ADP is the sum of all inmates in jail each day for one year, divided by the number of days in the year. The ADP for 2015 and 2016 was calculated for the
calendar year ending on December 31. The ADP for all other years was calculated for the 12-month period ending on June 30.
cAnnual admissions in 2005 and 2007–2014 were estimated based on admissions during a one-week period in June. The 2006, 2015, and 2016 annual
admissions were for the calendar year ending on December 31. The 2017 annual admissions were for the 12-month period ending on June 30, 2017.
dNumber of confned inmates in local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents at midyear.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017; Census of Jail Inmates, 2005; Mortality in Correctional Institutions (formerly Deaths
in Custody Reporting Program), 2006 (admissions only); and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United
States: January 1, 2005, to January 1, 2018.

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2

Terms and defnitions
Admissions—All persons booked into and housed in jail
facilities by formal legal document and the authority of
the courts or some other ofcial agency, including repeat
ofenders booked on new charges and persons sentenced
to weekend programs and entering the facility for the frst
time. They exclude inmates reentering the facility after an
escape, work release, medical appointment or treatment
facility appointment, and bail and court appearances.

Jail incarceration rate—The number of inmates held in
the custody of local jails, per 100,000 total U.S. residents.

Average daily population (ADP)—The sum of inmates in
jail each day for a year, divided by the number of days in
the year.

Midyear population—The number of inmates held in
custody on the last weekday in June.

Estimated average time in jail—The ADP divided by the
number of annual admissions, then multiplied by the
number of days in a year.
Jail—Confnement facilities operated under the authority
of a sherif, police chief, or city or county administrator.
Facilities include jails, detention centers, city or county
correctional centers, special jail facilities (such as medical or
treatment centers and pre-release centers), and temporary
holding or lockup facilities that are part of the jail’s
combined function. Jails are intended for adults but may
hold juveniles before or after their cases are adjudicated.
Inmates sentenced to jail facilities usually have a sentence
of one year or less. Jails—
„

receive individuals pending arraignment and hold
them awaiting trial, conviction, or sentencing

„

re-admit probation, parole, and bail bond violators and
absconders

„

temporarily detain juveniles pending their transfer to
juvenile authorities

„

hold mentally ill persons pending their movement to
appropriate mental health facilities

„

hold individuals for the military, protective custody,
contempt, and the courts as witnesses

„

release convicted inmates to the community on
completion of sentence

„

transfer inmates to federal, state, or other authorities

„

house inmates for federal, state, or other authorities
due to crowding of their facilities

„

operate community-based programs as alternatives
to incarceration.

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Jail jurisdiction—County (parish in Louisiana) or
municipal government that administers one or more local
jails and represents the entity responsible for managing
jail facilities under its authority. Most jail jurisdictions
consist of a single facility, but some have multiple
facilities or multiple facility operators.

Percent of capacity occupied at midyear—The jail
population at midyear, divided by the rated capacity.
Rated capacity—The number of beds or inmates
assigned by a rating ofcial to a facility, excluding
separate temporary holding areas.
Releases—Persons released after a period of confnement
(e.g., sentence completion, bail or bond releases, other
pre-trial releases, transfers to other jurisdictions, and
deaths). Releases include persons who have completed
their weekend program and who are leaving the facility
for the last time. They exclude temporary discharges,
such as work release, medical appointment or treatment
center, court appearance, furlough, day reporting, and
transfers to other facilities within the jail jurisdiction.
Under jail supervision but not confned—All persons in
community-based programs operated by a jail facility,
which include electronic monitoring, house arrest,
community service, day reporting, and work programs.
They exclude persons on pre-trial release who are not in
a community-based program run by the jail and persons
under supervision of probation, parole, or other agencies;
inmates on weekend programs; and inmates who
participate in work release programs and return to the jail
at night.
Weekly inmate turnover rate—The sum of weekly
admissions and releases, divided by the ADP.
Year-end population—The number of inmates held in
custody on December 31. The year-end population is
typically smaller than the midyear population.

3

Male incarceration rate dropped 12% from
2005 to 2017
In 2017, males were incarcerated in jail at a rate (394 per
100,000 male U.S. residents) nearly six times that of
females (69 per 100,000 female U.S. residents) (table 2).
From 2005 to 2017, the male incarceration rate decreased
by 12%, from 448 to 394 per 100,000 male residents,
while the female incarceration rate grew by 10%, from
63 to 69 per 100,000 female residents.
In 2017, whites were incarcerated in jail at a rate of
187 per 100,000 white U.S. residents, up 12% from
167 in 2005. From 2005 to 2017, the incarceration rate
of blacks declined 23%, from 803 to 616 per 100,000
black U.S. residents. As a result of those changes,
the black-to-white incarceration ratio decreased
from 4.8:1 to 3.3:1 from 2005 to 2017. Te Hispanic
incarceration rate in 2017 was almost identical to that of
whites. Te Asian incarceration rate was 11% as high as
the overall incarceration rate.

In 2005, the population of whites in local jails (331,000)
exceeded that of blacks (290,500) by 14% (fgure 2, table 3).
By 2017, whites (370,100) outnumbered blacks (250,100) by
almost 50%. From 2005 to 2017, the percentage of the jail
population that was white increased from 44% to 50%, while
the percentage that was black decreased from 39% to 34%
(table 4). Hispanics accounted for 15% of all jail inmates in
2017, the same as in 2005.
FIGURE 2
Jail population, by race/Hispanic origin, 2005–2017
Jail population
400,000
Non-Hispanic white
300,000

Non-Hispanic black

200,000
Hispanic
100,000

Half of jail inmates were white and a third were black
While the jail incarceration rate has dropped in recent
years, the inmate population has remained relatively
stable. Te composition of the jail population, however,
has changed with respect to sex, race, and Hispanic origin.

0

’05

’10

’15

’17

Note: Based on the number of inmates held on the last weekday in June.
Results may difer from previous reports in the series due to data updates
from jails.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017, and
Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

TABLE 2
Jail incarceration rates, by sex and race/Hispanic origin, 2005 and 2010–2017
Demographic characteristic
Totalb
Adultsc
Sexb
Male
Female
Race/Hispanic origin
Whited
Blackd
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Natived
Asiand
Otherd,e

2005
253 †
334 †

2010
242 †
315 †

2011
236 †
307 †

2012
237 †
308 †

2013
231
299

2014
233
302

2015a
226
292

2016a
229
295

2017*
229
295

448 †
63 †

431 †
59 †

419 †
59 †

418 †
62 †

404
64 †

405
67

394
64 †

398
66 †

394
69

167 †
803 †
263 †
339
40 †
34

167 †
745 †
235 †
426
31 †
26 †

167 †
721 †
219 †
410
32 †
26 †

173 †
709 †
212 †
401
30 †
34

174 †
668 †
199 †
437
28
33

178 †
667 †
200 †
443
32 †
24 †

178 †
640
184
378
30 †
36

180 †
633
196 †
379
30 †
40

187
616
185
366
26
39

Note: Number of confned inmates in local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents (for total) or per 100,000 U.S. residents of a given demographic group, at midyear.
Data are based on the inmate population confned on the last weekday in June. Results may difer from previous reports in the series due to data updates
from jails. See appendix table 2 for standard errors. See appendix table 3 for denominators (U.S. resident population by sex and race/Hispanic origin) used
for calculating incarceration rates.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
aIn 2015 and 2016, the Annual Survey of Jails collected demographic data on inmate population at year-end instead of midyear. Jails typically hold fewer
inmates at year-end than at midyear. In calculating midyear jail incarceration rates, the 2015 and 2016 inmate populations were adjusted for seasonal
variation. See Adjusting for seasonal variation in Methodology.
bIncludes both adults and juveniles.
cExcludes persons age 17 or younger.
dExcludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin (e.g., white refers to non-Hispanic whites and black refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
eIncludes Native Hawaiians, Other Pacifc Islanders, and persons of two or more races.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2010–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

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TABLE 3
Number of confned inmates in local jails, by characteristics, 2005 and 2010–2017
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Adults
Male
Female
Juvenilesb
Held as adultc
Held as juvenile
Race/Hispanic origin
Whited
Blackd
Hispanic
American Indian/
Alaska Natived
Asiand
Otherd,e
Conviction status
Convicted
Unconvicted
Most serious type of ofense
Felony
Misdemeanor
Otherf

2005
747,500

2010
748,700

2011
735,600

2012
744,500

2013
731,200

2014
744,600

2015a
727,400

2016a
740,700

2017*
745,200

653,000 †
94,600 †
740,800
646,800 †
94,000 †
6,800 †
5,800 †
1,000 †

656,400 †
92,400 †
741,200
649,300 †
91,900 †
7,600 †
5,600 †
1,900 †

642,300
93,300 †
729,700
636,900
92,800 †
5,900 †
4,600 †
1,400 †

645,900
98,600 †
739,100
640,900
98,100 †
5,400 †
4,600 †
900 †

628,900
102,400 †
726,600
624,700
101,900 †
4,600 †
3,500
1,100 †

635,500
109,100 †
740,400
631,600
108,800 †
4,200 †
3,700 †
500 †

623,600
103,800 †
723,800
620,300
103,500 †
3,600
3,200
400

633,100
107,600 †
736,800
629,700
107,100 †
3,900
3,200
700 †

631,500
113,700
741,600
628,200
113,400
3,600
3,200
300

331,000 †
290,500 †
111,900

331,600 †
283,200 †
118,100 †

329,400 †
276,400 †
113,900

341,100 †
274,600 †
112,700

344,900 †
261,500
107,900

352,800 †
263,800 †
110,600

351,600 †
255,200
103,900

356,100 †
254,600
112,700

370,100
250,100
108,400

7,600
4,900
1,500 †

9,900
4,400
1,500 †

9,400
4,800
1,600 †

9,300
4,700
2,200 †

10,200
4,500
2,200 †

10,400
5,400 †
1,700 †

9,000
5,200
2,500

9,000
5,200 †
2,900

8,800
4,800
2,900

284,400 †
463,200 †

291,300 †
457,400 †

289,600 †
446,000 †

293,100 †
451,400 †

278,000 †
453,200 †

277,100 †
467,500

273,000
454,400 †

258,500
482,100

263,200
482,000

494,100 †
193,100
40,200 †

516,400
188,000
36,300

516,800
194,700
33,600

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

Note: Data are based on the inmate population confned on the last weekday in June, unless specifed. Data are adjusted for non-response and rounded
to the nearest 100. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See table 6 in Jail Inmates at Midyear 2009 - Statistical Tables (NCJ 230122, BJS web,
June 2010) for data from 2006 to 2009. Results may difer from previous reports in the series due to data updates from jails. See appendix table 4 for
standard errors.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
...Not collected.
aIn 2015 and 2016, the Annual Survey of Jails collected demographic data on the inmate population at year-end instead of midyear. Jails typically hold
fewer inmates at year-end than at midyear. The 2015 and 2016 inmate populations were adjusted for seasonal variation and represent estimated midyear
counts. See Methodology for details on estimation procedures.
bPersons age 17 or younger.
cIncludes juveniles who were tried or awaiting trial as adults.
dExcludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin (e.g., white refers to non-Hispanic whites and black refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
eIncludes Native Hawaiians, Other Pacifc Islanders, and persons of two or more races.
fIncludes civil infractions and unknown ofenses.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2010–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

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5

From 2005 to 2017, the female jail population grew
by 20%, while the male population experienced a
small decline (3%). As a result, the percentage of
the jail population that was female increased from
12.6% to 15.2%.

In 2017, an estimated 65% of all jail inmates were
awaiting court action on a current charge, up from
62% in 2005. Seven in 10 inmates were held in jail for
felony charges.

TABLE 4
Characteristics of confned inmates in local jails, 2005 and 2010–2017
Characteristic
Sex
Male
Female
Adults
Male
Female
Juvenilesb
Held as adultc
Held as juvenile
Race/Hispanic origin
Whited
Blackd
Hispanic
American Indian/
Alaska Natived
Asiand
Otherd,e
Conviction status
Convicted
Unconvicted
Most serious type of ofense
Felony
Misdemeanor
Otherf

2005

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015a

2016a

2017*

87.3% †
12.7 †
99.1% †
86.5 †
12.6 †
0.9% †
0.8 †
0.1 †

87.7% †
12.3 †
99.0% †
86.7 †
12.3 †
1.0% †
0.8 †
0.3 †

87.3% †
12.7 †
99.2% †
86.6 †
12.6 †
0.8% †
0.6 †
0.2 †

86.8% †
13.2 †
99.3% †
86.1 †
13.2 †
0.7% †
0.6 †
0.1 †

86.0% †
14.0 †
99.4% †
85.4 †
13.9 †
0.6% †
0.5
0.1 †

85.3% †
14.7 †
99.4% †
84.8 †
14.6 †
0.6% †
0.5 †
0.1 †

85.7% †
14.3 †
99.5%
85.3 †
14.2 †
0.5%
0.4
0.1

85.5% †
14.5 †
99.5%
85.0 †
14.5 †
0.5%
0.4
0.1 †

84.7%
15.3
99.5%
84.3
15.2
0.5%
0.4
--

44.3% †
38.9 †
15.0

44.3% †
37.8 †
15.8 †

44.8% †
37.6 †
15.5 †

45.8% †
36.9 †
15.1

47.2% †
35.8 †
14.8

47.4% †
35.4 †
14.9

48.3% †
35.1 †
14.3

48.1% †
34.4
15.2

49.7%
33.6
14.5

1.0
0.7 †
0.2 †

1.3
0.6 †
0.2 †

1.3
0.7
0.2 †

1.2
0.7 †
0.3

1.2
0.7 †
0.4 †

1.2
0.6
0.4

38.0% †
62.0 †

38.9% †
61.1 †

39.4% †
60.6 †

39.4% †
60.6 †

38.0% †
62.0 †

37.2% †
62.8 †

37.5% †
62.5 †

34.9%
65.1

35.3%
64.7

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

67.8% †
26.5
5.5 †

69.7%
25.4
4.9

69.4%
26.1
4.5

1.2
0.6
0.3

1.4
0.6 †
0.3 †

1.4
0.7
0.2

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. Data for 2005, 2010–2014, and 2017 are based on the inmate population confned on the last
weekday in June. See table 7 in Jail Inmates at Midyear 2009 - Statistical Tables (NCJ 230122, BJS web, June 2010) for data from 2006 to 2009. Results may be
diferent from previous reports in the series due to data updates from jails. See appendix table 5 for standard errors.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
--Less than 0.05%.
...Not collected.
aBased on the inmate population confned on December 31. In 2015 and 2016, the Annual Survey of Jails collected demographic data on inmate
population at year-end instead of midyear.
bPersons age 17 or younger.
cJuveniles who were tried or awaiting trial as adults.
dExcludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin (e.g., white refers to non-Hispanic whites and black refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
eIncludes Native Hawaiians, Other Pacifc Islanders, and persons of two or more races.
fIncludes civil infractions and unknown ofenses.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2010–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

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6

The total rated capacity of jails was 915,100 beds
Tere were more than 2,800 local jail jurisdictions in the
United States in 2017 (table 5). Among these jurisdictions,
roughly a third (34%) held fewer than 50 inmates on an
average day. Tese smallest jails had a mean average daily
TABLE 5
Average daily jail population, by size of jurisdiction, 2017
Jail jurisdiction Jail jurisdictions
size (ADP)*
Number Percent
Total
2,828
100%
49 or fewer
972
34.4
50–99
516
18.3
100–249
677
24.0
250–499
305
10.8
500–999
205
7.2
1,000–2,499
121
4.3
2,500 or more
30
1.1

Total ADP*
Number Percent Mean ADP
745,600 100%
264
21,600
2.9
22
35,500
4.8
69
111,300 14.9
164
109,200 14.6
358
144,500 19.4
705
173,700 23.3
1,431
149,900 20.1
4,925

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 6
for standard errors.
*The average daily population (ADP) is the sum of all inmates in jail each
day for the 12-month period ending on June 30, divided by the number of
days in the 12-month period.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2017.

TABLE 6
Jail capacity, midyear population, and percent of
capacity occupied in local jails, 2005–2017
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017*

Jail capacitya
787,000
795,000
810,500
828,700
849,900
857,900
870,400
877,400
872,900
890,500
901,400
915,400
915,100

†
†
†
†
†
†
†
†
†

Midyear
Percent of capacity
populationb occupiedc
747,500
95.0% †
765,800 †
96.3 †
780,200 †
96.3 †
785,500 †
94.8 †
767,400 †
90.3 †
748,700
87.3 †
735,600
84.5 †
744,500
84.9 †
731,200
83.8 †
744,600
83.6 †
727,400
80.7
740,700
80.9
745,200
81.4

population (ADP) of 22 inmates. An estimated 151 jail
jurisdictions had an ADP of 1,000 or more inmates. Tese
large jails, representing just 5.3% of jail jurisdictions, held
43% of all jail inmates in 2017.
Te total rated capacity of local jails was 915,100 beds
in 2017, up from 787,000 in 2005 (fgure 3; table 6).
About 4 in 5 (81%) jail beds were occupied at midyear
2017, down from 95% in 2005. An estimated 20% of jail
FIGURE 3
Jail capacity, midyear population, and percent of
capacity occupied in local jails, 2005–2017
Number
1,000,000

Percent
100

Percent of capacity occupieda
Jail capacityb

800,000

80

Midyear population

c

600,000

60

400,000

40

200,000

20

0

’05

’10

’15

’17

0

Note: Results may difer from previous reports in the series due to data
updates from jails. See table 6 for estimates.
aThe midyear inmate population divided by the rated capacity.
bMaximum number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating ofcial to a
facility, excluding separate temporary holding areas.
cThe number of inmates held on the last weekday in June.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017, and
Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

Note: Results may difer from previous reports in the series due to data
updates from jails. See appendix table 7 for standard errors.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence
level.
aMaximum number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating ofcial to a
facility, excluding separate temporary holding areas.
bThe number of inmates held on the last weekday in June.
cThe midyear inmate population divided by the rated capacity.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017, and
Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

J A I L I N M AT E S I N 201 7 | A P R I L 2019

7

jurisdictions were operating at or above 100% of their
rated capacity at midyear 2017 (table 7), down from
26% in 2005 (not shown). Among jail jurisdictions with
an ADP between 250 and 499, the percentage of jail
jurisdictions operating at or above rated capacity was
30%, in comparison to 19% of jail jurisdictions with an
ADP of 1,000 to 2,499.

The estimated average time in jail was 26 days in 2017
In 2017, the overall weekly inmate turnover rate was
54%, and the estimated average time in jail was 26 days
(table 8). Smaller jails had higher weekly inmate turnover
rates and shorter lengths of stay than larger jails. On
average, jails with an ADP of 2,500 or more held inmates
about twice as long (34 days) as smaller jails with an ADP
of less than 100 (15 days).

TABLE 7
Percent of jail capacity occupied, by size of jurisdiction, 2017
Jail jurisdiction
size (ADP)
Total
49 or fewer
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more*

Midyear populationa
745,200
21,300
36,400
109,000
111,400
144,100
174,400
148,800

Rated capacityb
915,100
36,300
49,900
128,100
127,600
178,100
203,500
191,600

Percent of capacity
occupied at midyearc
81.4%
58.7 †
72.8
85.1 †
87.3 †
80.9 †
85.7 †
77.6

Percent of jail jurisdictions
operating at more than 100%
of rated capacity at midyear
20.0%
11.0
26.6
22.6
30.4 †
22.7 †
19.0
17.1

Note: Jail jurisdiction size is based on the average daily population (ADP). Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 8 for
standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Diference with comparison group is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
aThe number of inmates held on the last weekday in June.
bMaximum number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating ofcial to a facility, excluding separate temporary holding areas.
cThe midyear population divided by the rated capacity.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2017.

TABLE 8
Inmate turnover rate and estimated average time in jail, by size of
jurisdiction, 2017
Jail jurisdiction
size (ADP)
Total
49 or fewer
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more*

Average daily
populationa
745,600
21,600
35,500
111,300
109,200
144,500
173,700
149,900

Annual
admissions
10,570,300
684,300
726,200
1,899,400
1,543,000
2,022,100
2,086,200
1,609,000

Weekly inmate
turnover rateb
54.0%
120.9 †
77.2 †
65.0 †
53.7 †
53.1 †
46.0 †
40.7

Estimated average
time in jailc
25.7 days
11.5 †
17.8 †
21.4 †
25.8 †
26.1 †
30.4 †
34.0

Note: Jail jurisdiction size is based on the average daily population (ADP). Details may not sum
to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 9 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Diference with comparison group is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
aThe sum of all inmates in jail each day for the 12-month period ending on June 30, divided by
the number of days in the 12-month period.
bThe sum of weekly admissions and releases, divided by the ADP. Weekly admissions and
releases are calculated as the annual admissions and releases, divided by the number of weeks
in the 12-month period.
cThe ADP divided by the number of annual admissions, then multiplied by the number of days
in a year.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2017.

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8

55,900 persons were supervised outside jail
In addition to the confned jail population of 745,200
persons at midyear 2017, jail authorities supervised
55,900 persons in programs outside the jail, including
weekend programs, electronic monitoring, home
detention, day reporting, community service, alcohol or
drug treatment programs, and other pre-trial and work
programs (table 9). From 2008 to 2017, the number of
persons supervised outside jail decreased 23%, from
72,900 to 55,900.
TABLE 9
Persons under jail supervision, by confnement status,
2006–2017
Year
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015b
2016b
2017*

Total
826,000 †
848,400 †
858,400 †
837,600 †
809,400
798,400
808,600
790,600
808,100
782,300
794,900
801,100

Held in jail
765,800 †
780,200 †
785,500 †
767,400 †
748,700
735,600
744,500
731,200
744,600
727,400
740,700
745,200

Supervised outside
of a jail facilitya
60,200
68,200 †
72,900 †
70,200 †
60,600
62,800 †
64,100 †
59,400
63,500 †
54,900
54,200
55,900

Note: Based on the number of inmates supervised on the last weekday in
June, unless specifed. Data are rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not
sum to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 10 for standard errors.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
aExcludes persons supervised by a probation or parole agency. Includes
ofenders who serve their sentences of confnement on weekends only
(i.e., Friday to Sunday); persons under electronic monitoring; persons in
work release programs, work gangs, and other alternative work programs;
and persons in drug, alcohol, mental health, and other medical treatment.
bIn 2015 and 2016, the Annual Survey of Jails collected the number of
persons supervised outside of a jail facility on December 31.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017.

J A I L I N M AT E S I N 201 7 | A P R I L 2019

Local jail jurisdictions employed 225,700 full-time staf at
midyear 2017 (table 10). Similar to in 2016, an estimated
4 in 5 (80%) jail employees in 2017 were correctional
ofcers, including deputies, monitors, and other custody
staf who spend more than half of their time with the
incarcerated population. In 2017, an estimated 69% of
correctional ofcers and 44% of other staf were male.
Te inmate-to-correctional-ofcer ratio was 4.2:1 at
midyear 2017.
TABLE 10
Staf employed in local jails, by sex, year-end 2016 and
midyear 2017
Job function
Total
Correctional ofcersa
Male
Female
All other stafb
Male
Female

Number
2016
2017*
226,300 225,700
178,800 179,500
124,300 123,200
54,500 56,300
47,500 46,200
21,000 20,300
26,500
25,900

Percent
2016
2017*
100%
100%
79.0%
79.5%
54.9
54.6
24.1
25.0
21.0%
20.5%
9.3
9.0
11.7
11.5

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. Results may difer
from previous reports in the series due to data updates from jails. See
appendix table 11 for standard errors.
*Comparison year.
†Diference with comparison year is signifcant at the 95% confdence level.
aIncludes deputies, monitors, and other custody staf who spend more
than 50% of their time with the incarcerated population.
bIncludes administrators, clerical and maintenance staf, educational staf,
professional and technical staf, and other unspecifed staf who spend
more than 50% of their time in the facility.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2016 and 2017.

9

Methodology
In years between the complete censuses of jails, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) conducts the Annual
Survey of Jails (ASJ) to estimate the number and
characteristics of the jail population in the United
States. Te ASJ is a nationally representative survey of
all county or city jail jurisdictions and all regional jails
in the country. Te combined jail and prison systems in
Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island,
and Vermont are not covered. Tese are included in BJS’s
prison collection. However, Alaska’s 15 locally operated
jails are covered.
A jail jurisdiction is a county (parish in Louisiana) or
municipal government that administers one or more
local jails and represents the entity responsible for
managing jail facilities under its authority. Most jail
jurisdictions consist of a single facility, but some have
multiple facilities, or multiple facility operators, called
reporting units. For example, four reporting units in
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, represent a single jail
jurisdiction. Te ASJ sample is drawn at the jurisdiction
level. When a jail jurisdiction with multiple reporting
units is sampled, data are collected from all reporting
units within that jail jurisdiction.
Sampling design
Te ASJ uses a stratifed probability sampling design
based on jail population data collected through the most
recent Census of Jails (2013). Jails in the ASJ sample are
surveyed annually until the next sample refresh. Te
most recent sample refresh occurred in 2015. A sample
of 876 jail jurisdictions was selected to represent the
approximately 2,851 jail jurisdictions nationwide. In
selecting the jails, all jurisdictions were grouped into
10 strata based on their average daily population (ADP)
and presence of juveniles measured in the most recent
Census of Jails. In 8 of the 10 strata, a random sample
of jail jurisdictions was selected. Te remaining two
strata were certainty strata, where all jurisdictions were
selected with a probability of one. One certainty stratum
consisted of all jails that were operated jointly by two or
more jurisdictions (referred to as multi-jurisdictional
jails). Te other certainty stratum consisted of all jail
jurisdictions that—
„

„

held juvenile inmates at the time of the 2013 Census of
Jails and had an ADP of 500 or more inmates during
the 12 months ending on December 31, 2013
held only adult inmates and had an ADP of 750 or more

J A I L I N M AT E S I N 201 7 | A P R I L 2019

„

were known to be operating in 2015 and not included
in the 2013 Census of Jails

„

were located in California.

Te ASJ sample includes all California jail jurisdictions.
Tis sampling feature was introduced in 2013 in response
to the enactment of California Assembly Bill (AB) 109
and AB 117, aimed to reduce the number of inmates
housed in state prisons starting on October 1, 2011.
Afer the enactment of these two laws, the jail population
in California experienced an unusual increase that the
rest of the United States did not experience. For this
reason, the ASJ sampling design was modifed to include
all California jail jurisdictions in a certainty (selfrepresenting) stratum. (See Methodology in Jail Inmates
at Midyear 2014, NCJ 248629, BJS web, June 2015.)
Te inclusion of all California jail jurisdictions resulted
in an additional 21 jurisdictions (California has 65
jurisdictions in total). Te sample also includes in the
certainty stratum six new jail jurisdictions that were
known to be operating in 2015 and were not represented
in the sampling frame (2013 Census of Jails).
Response rate and non-response adjustment
ASJ data for 2017 were collected through a web-based
survey. Te sample consisted of 871 active jail
jurisdictions. Sixty jurisdictions did not respond to the
survey. Te response rate was 93%.
Non-response weighting adjustment
Non-response weighting was implemented to account
for unit non-response. Jurisdictions were grouped into
weighting classes based on sampling stratum and the
2013 inmate population. Using a simple weighting class
method, a non-response weighting adjustment factor was
calculated within each weighting class h as—

𝐹𝐹ℎ =

where—

𝑛𝑛

ℎ 𝑊𝑊 × 𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽
∑ 𝑖𝑖=1
ℎ𝑖𝑖
ℎ𝑖𝑖
𝑛𝑛

ℎ 𝑊𝑊 × 𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽
∑𝑖𝑖=1
ℎ𝑖𝑖
ℎ𝑖𝑖

nh = number of jurisdictions sampled in weighting
class h,
Whi = sampling weight for jurisdiction i in weighting
class h,
JURISAhi = active status indicator for jurisdiction i in
weighting class h (1 = active, 0 = out of scope), and
JURISRhi = response indicator of jurisdiction i in
weighting class h (1 = respondent, 0 = non-respondent).

10

Final weight
Te fnal weight FWhi for each jail jurisdiction is
calculated as the product of the sampling weight, the
weighting class adjustment within each weighting class,
and the jurisdiction’s response factor.
FWhi = Whi × Fh × JURISRhi
Item non-response imputation
Item response rates ranged from 94% to 100%. For
responding jail jurisdictions that were unable to provide
some requested items, a weighted sequential hot- or
cold-deck imputation procedure was used to impute
values. Tis procedure, implemented using the SUDAAN
sofware package, substitutes current-year respondent
and prior-year (2015 and 2016 ASJ, cold-deck) data for
missing values. Te donor for each missing item was
randomly selected from within a set of similar jails,
sorted by related previous-year population values. Te
resulting imputed values are generally similar to the
reported values of the previous year.
Adjusting for seasonal variation in jail population
Prior to 2015, the ASJ asked jails to report the total
and detailed inmate counts on the last weekday in June
(the midyear reference date). In 2015 and 2016, the

J A I L I N M AT E S I N 201 7 | A P R I L 2019

ASJ collected the total confned population at midyear
but detailed inmate counts by characteristics (i.e., sex,
race, Hispanic origin, age category, conviction status,
and most serious type of ofense) on December 31 (the
year-end reference date). Te 2017 ASJ reverted back to
the midyear reference. Comparisons of year-end data
with midyear data need to consider seasonal variations,
as jails typically hold fewer inmates at year-end than
at midyear.
To adjust for the seasonal variation, the numbers of jail
inmates by characteristic from 2015 and 2016
year-end collections in table 3 were multiplied by
the ratio of midyear confned population to year-end
confned population of the corresponding year. Te
standard errors for the 2015 and 2016 counts in appendix
table 3 were similarly adjusted. Te seasonally adjusted
jail populations were also used in the calculation of 2015
and 2016 jail incarceration rates in table 2.
Calculating weekly inmate turnover rates
Te weekly jail inmate turnover rate is the sum of the
average weekly admissions and releases, divided by the
ADP. Te inmate turnover rate is an indicator of the
fuctuation of the jail population.

11

APPENDIX TABLE 1
Standard errors for table 1: Inmates confned at midyear, average daily population, annual admissions, and
incarceration rates, 2005–2017
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Confned inmates
~
3,552
3,720
4,016
4,231
5,430
 6,009
7,684
8,042
8,382
7,188
5,943
6,614

Average daily population
~
3,230
3,549
3,883
4,109
5,359
5,879
7,769
7,943
8,430
7,112
5,788
7,431

Annual admissions
~
~
169,151
272,916
178,537
233,704
211,335
188,549
688,181
205,287
141,792
138,605
152,636

Jail incarceration rate
~
1.2
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.8
1.9
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.2
1.8
2.0

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2005 Census of Jail Inmates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017; Census of Jail Inmates, 2005; Mortality in Correctional Institutions (formerly Deaths
in Custody Reporting Program), 2006 (for admissions only); and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the
United States: January 1, 2005, to January 1, 2018.

APPENDIX TABLE 2
Standard errors for table 2: Jail incarceration rates, by sex and race/Hispanic origin, 2005 and 2010–2017
Demographic characteristic
Total
Adults
Sex
Male
Female
Race/Hispanic origin
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Other

2005
~
~

2010
1.8
2.3

2011
1.9
2.5

2012
2.5
3.2

2013
2.5
3.3

2014
2.6
3.3

2015
2.2
2.9

2016
1.9
2.4

2017
2.0
2.6

~
~

3.2
0.6

3.4
0.7

4.4
0.9

4.6
0.9

4.5
0.9

4.0
0.8

3.3
0.8

3.5
0.8

~
~
~
~
~
~

1.8
8.4
4.2
44.3
0.8
2.7

1.9
8.9
5.0
40.7
1.2
2.4

2.2
11.9
5.6
37.5
1.4
2.9

2.3
12.4
4.8
40.0
0.8
3.2

2.3
11.9
4.9
39.4
0.9
3.1

2.1
8.9
5.8
38.2
0.9
2.3

2.2
9.1
3.4
35.7
0.8
4.8

2.3
9.8
3.7
33.2
0.9
3.5

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2005 Census of Jail Inmates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2010–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

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12

APPENDIX TABLE 3
U.S. resident population, by sex and race/Hispanic origin at midyear, 2005 and 2010–2017
Characteristic
Total
Adultsa
Sex
Male
Female
Race/Hispanic origin
Whiteb
Blackb
Hispanic
American Indian/
Alaska Nativeb
Asianb
Otherb,c

2005
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
295,843,000 309,466,000 311,656,000 313,930,000 316,418,000 319,023,000 321,177,000 323,141,000 325,218,000
222,082,000 235,113,000 237,718,000 240,169,000 242,773,000 245,381,000 247,509,000 249,469,000 251,616,000
145,599,000 152,455,000 153,324,000 154,514,000 155,749,000 157,024,000 158,102,000 159,101,000 160,158,000
150,245,000 157,010,000 158,332,000 159,416,000 160,669,000 161,998,000 163,075,000 164,040,000 165,059,000
198,119,000 198,765,000 197,546,000 197,713,000 197,842,000 197,928,000 197,992,000 197,903,000 197,733,000
36,163,000 38,029,000 38,346,000 38,710,000 39,133,000 39,551,000 39,904,000 40,243,000 40,588,000
42,579,000 50,296,000 52,059,000 53,111,000 54,182,000 55,422,000 56,467,000 57,541,000 58,733,000
2,242,000 2,328,000 2,292,000 2,311,000 2,330,000 2,351,000 2,370,000 2,387,000 2,403,000
12,291,000 14,382,000 15,066,000 15,548,000 16,200,000 16,832,000 17,309,000 17,745,000 18,250,000
4,449,000 5,666,000 6,348,000 6,536,000 6,731,000 6,939,000 7,135,000 7,322,000 7,512,000

Note: The numbers of U.S. residents at midyear were interpolated from the U.S. Census Bureau's population projections for January 1, 2005, to
January 1, 2018. Rounded to the nearest thousand.
aIncludes persons ages 18 and older.
bExcludes persons of Hispanic/Latino origin (e.g., white refers to non-Hispanic whites and black refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
cIncludes Native Hawaiians, Other Pacifc Islanders, and persons of two or more races.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin for the United States: January 1, 2005, to January 1, 2018.

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13

APPENDIX TABLE 4
Standard errors for table 3: Number of confned inmates in local jails, by characteristics, 2005 and 2010–2017
Characteristic
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Adults
Male
Female
Juveniles
Held as adult
Held as juvenile
Race/Hispanic origin
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Other
Conviction status
Convicted
Unconvicted
Most serious type of ofense
Felony
Misdemeanor
Other

2005
~

2010
5,430

2011
6,009

2012
7,684

2013
8,042

2014
8,382

2015
7,198

2016
6,013

2017
6,614

~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

4,832
999
5,400
4,794
994
263
246
255

5,278
1,179
6,004
5,241
1,177
172
151
77

6,776
1,404
7,655
6,685
1,398
241
230
84

7,088
1,469
8,049
7,025
1,467
199
143
139

7,015
1,532
8,004
6,961
1,531
164
158
46

6,242
1,307
7,187
6,230
1,306
121
117
45

5,237
1,247
5,971
5,197
1,247
158
118
98

5,680
1,351
6,569
5,635
1,349
128
127
36

~
~
~
~
~
~

3,589
3,194
2,131
1,031
117
160

3,764
3,418
2,617
933
185
153

4,370
4,608
2,958
866
219
189

4,574
4,860
2,580
932
122
213

4,605
4,712
2,719
926
156
216

4,192
3,548
3,297
906
157
167

4,361
3,680
1,981
853
137
349

4,629
3,987
2,165
798
155
259

~
~

3,292
4,515

3,521
4,819

3,750
5,918

3,619
6,740

4,156
5,691

4,937
4,731

3,458
5,690

3,568
5,792

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

5,701
3,106
1,822

5,482
2,899
1,361

5,810
3,388
1,774

...Not collected.
~Not applicable. Data present a complete enumeration based on the 2005 Census of Jail Inmates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2010–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

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14

APPENDIX TABLE 5
Standard errors for table 4: Characteristics of confned inmates in local jails, 2005 and 2010–2017
Characteristic
Sex
Male
Female
Adults
Male
Female
Juveniles
Held as adult
Held as juvenile
Race/Hispanic origin
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Other
Conviction status
Convicted
Unconvicted
Most serious type of ofense
Felony
Misdemeanor
Other

2005

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

0.10%
0.10
0.04%
0.10
0.10
0.04%
0.03
0.03

0.12%
0.12
0.02%
0.12
0.12
0.02%
0.02
0.01

0.13%
0.13
0.03%
0.13
0.13
0.03%
0.03
0.01

0.14%
0.14
0.03%
0.14
0.14
0.03%
0.02
--

0.15%
0.15
0.02%
0.14
0.15
0.02%
0.02
0.01

0.11%
0.11
0.02%
0.11
0.11
0.02%
0.02
0.01

0.12%
0.12
0.02%
0.12
0.12
0.02%
0.02
0.01

0.12%
0.12
0.02%
0.12
0.12
0.02%
0.02
--

~
~
~
~
~
~

0.41%
0.40
0.30
0.17
0.02
0.03

0.43%
0.39
0.34
0.14
0.03
0.02

0.52%
0.47
0.38
0.13
0.03
0.03

0.55%
0.51
0.34
0.15
0.02
0.03

0.51%
0.48
0.34
0.14
0.02
0.03

0.46%
0.37
0.36
0.12
0.02
0.02

0.42%
0.38
0.25
0.11
0.02
0.05

0.45%
0.41
0.27
0.11
0.02
0.03

~
~

0.41%
0.41

0.42%
0.42

0.47%
0.47

0.52%
0.52

0.48%
0.48

0.47%
0.47

0.45%
0.45

0.43%
0.43

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

...
...
...

0.40%
0.36
0.24

0.39%
0.36
0.18

0.44%
0.41
0.23

--Less than 0.005%.
...Not collected.
~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2005 Census of Jail Inmates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2010–2017, and Census of Jail Inmates, 2005.

APPENDIX TABLE 6
Standard errors for table 5: Average daily jail population, by size of jurisdiction,
2017
Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)
Total
49 or fewer
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more

Jail jurisdictions
Number Percent
-~
46.3
1.64%
50.0
1.77
40.3
1.42
13.0
0.46
5.6
0.20
1.7
0.06
1.1
0.04

Total ADP
Number
Percent
7,431
~
2,099
0.28%
3,396
0.46
6,558
0.82
4,149
0.55
3,485
0.48
2,516
0.44
5,935
0.69

Mean ADP
2.6
1.7
1.5
3.9
4.4
4.9
8.9
94.4

--Less than 0.05%.
~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2017.

J A I L I N M AT E S I N 201 7 | A P R I L 2019

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APPENDIX TABLE 7
Standard errors for table 6: Jail capacity, midyear
population, and percent of capacity occupied in local
jails, 2005–2017
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Jail capacity
~
4,741
5,056
5,063
6,460
11,013
11,776
10,217
13,198
11,082
9,518
8,467
9,217

Midyear
population
~
3,552
3,720
4,016
4,231
5,430
6,009
7,684
8,042
8,382
7,188
5,943
6,614

Percent of
capacity occupied
~
0.41%
0.45
0.42
0.45
0.88
0.88
0.48
0.49
0.43
0.41
0.43
0.48

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the
2005 Census of Jail Inmates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017.

APPENDIX TABLE 8
Standard errors for table 7: Percent of jail capacity occupied, by size of
jurisdiction, 2017
Jurisdiction
size (ADP)
Total
49 or fewer
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more

Midyear
population
6,614
2,278
3,607
5,340
4,277
3,559
2,535
5,813

Rated
capacity
9,217
3,520
5,224
6,566
5,119
4,328
3,187
7,984

Percent of jail jurisdictions
Percent of capacity operating at more than 100%
occupied at midyear of rated capacity at midyear
0.48%
2.04%
4.23
4.08
3.69
6.05
1.75
3.45
1.25
3.00
0.66
1.55
0.50
0.82
0.64
1.46

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2017.

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APPENDIX TABLE 9
Standard errors for table 8: Inmate turnover rate and estimated average time in
jail, by size of jurisdiction, 2017
Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)
Total
49 or fewer
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999
1,000–2,499
2,500 or more

Average daily
population
7,431
2,099
3,396
6,558
4,149
3,485
2,516
5,935

Annual
admissions
152,636
80,616
92,678
116,296
71,802
67,482
36,009
61,973

Weekly inmate
turnover rate
0.73%
11.09
5.66
3.34
1.53
0.94
0.46
0.62

Estimated average
time in jail
0.35 days
1.06
1.33
1.10
0.73
0.46
0.30
0.53

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2017.

APPENDIX TABLE 10
Standard errors for table 9: Persons under jail
supervision, by confnement status, 2006–2017
Year
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Total
3,783
4,041
4,732
4,548
5,897
6,446
8,438
8,692
9,248
7,510
6,543
7,250

Held in jail
3,552
3,720
4,016
4,231
5,430
6,009
7,684
8,042
8,382
7,188
5,943
6,614

Supervised outside
of a jail facility
1,151
1,267
2,327
1,535
1,960
1,832
2,418
2,351
2,707
1,548
1,868
2,194

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2006–2017.

APPENDIX TABLE 11
Standard errors for table 10: Staf employed in local jails,
by sex, year-end 2016 and midyear 2017
Job function
Total
Correctional ofcers
Male
Female
All other staf
Male
Female

Number
2016
2017
3,368
3,903
2,881
3,408
1,817
2,142
1,238
1,445
1,065
915
534
627
535
498

Percent
2016
2017
~
~
0.38%
0.33%
0.32
0.29
0.30
0.32
0.38%
0.33%
0.23
0.19
0.21
0.21

~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2016 and 2017.

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17

Te Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the
principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal
victimization, criminal ofenders, victims of crime, correlates of
crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at
the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and
disseminates reliable statistics on crime and justice systems in the
United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal
justice information systems, and participates with national and
international organizations to develop and recommend national
standards for justice statistics. Jefrey H. Anderson is the director.
Tis report was written by Zhen Zeng. Todd Minton and Stephanie
Mueller verifed the report.
Eric Hendrixson and Jill Tomas edited the report. Pei Miller
produced the report.
April 2019, NCJ 251774

NCJ 251774

Ofce of Justice Programs
Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice
www.ojp.gov