About 198,800 women and girls were behind bars in the United States as of the Prison Policy Initiative’s October 2026 count, up 4% since 2024. Roughly 87,000 are held in local jails and 81,000 in state prisons, and women make up about 1 in 10 people incarcerated nationwide.
Women’s Incarceration in America 2026
Women’s incarceration in the US show a population that is small next to men’s but large by any other measure. The Prison Policy Initiative counted 198,800 women and girls in confinement in its report released October 14, 2026. They sit in 446 state prisons, 27 federal prisons, 2,765 local jails, 1,277 juvenile facilities, 65 tribal jails, and 148 immigration detention facilities, plus military prisons, civil commitment centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Women make up about 10% of everyone behind bars.
The mix of facilities sets women apart. For the total incarcerated population, state and federal prisons hold twice as many people as jails. For women, jails hold more. Most women in local jails have not been convicted of a crime, and the population has grown since the pandemic low, faster than men’s. This article covers the confirmed women’s incarceration statistics in the US for 2026: where women are held, why, how they differ from men in the system, and how race, immigration status, and age shape the numbers.
Interesting Facts About Women’s Incarceration in the US 2026
| Interesting Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Women and girls incarcerated, 2026 | 198,800 |
| Change since the 2024 report | +4%, about 8,200 more women |
| Women in local jails (local jurisdiction) | About 87,000 |
| Women in state prisons | About 81,000, up 5% |
| Share of women in local jails not convicted | 61% |
| Imprisonment rate, state and federal (2023) | 51 per 100,000 women |
| Women and girls held for immigration reasons | 8,300 |
| Women on probation or parole | 819,400 |
| Women in prison who are mothers of minor children | 58% |
The table points to jails as the center of the story. About 44% of all incarcerated women are in local jails, a share computed from 87,000 of 198,800, and state prisons hold about 41%. Together they account for roughly 85% of the total. Because most women in local jails are awaiting trial, a large part of this population is held before any conviction, often because they cannot pay bail.
The 4% rise since 2024 comes with a caution from the researchers themselves. The report says its numbers are not built for year-to-year comparison, because data sources change and the group added a first-ever estimate of about 2,900 women in involuntary commitment. Even so, two growth areas stand out: state prison populations rose 5% (almost 3,900 more women), and local jail populations rose nearly 3% (about 2,400 more).
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 by Facility Type
The Prison Policy Initiative’s “whole pie” splits confinement by the system that holds each woman. Each slice has a different data source, which is why the totals are rounded.
Women and Girls Confined by System, 2026 (approximate)
Local jails (local authority) ████████████████████████████ 87,000
State prisons ██████████████████████████░░ 81,000
Federal, military, tribal, ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ~14,600 (computed remainder)
territorial
Immigration detention ███░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 8,300
Youth confinement ██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 5,000+
Involuntary commitment █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2,900
| System | Women and Girls Held |
|---|---|
| Local jails (under local jurisdiction) | About 87,000 |
| State prisons | About 81,000 (446 facilities) |
| Immigration detention (ICE and ORR) | 8,300 (148 facilities) |
| Youth confinement | More than 5,000 (1,277 facilities) |
| Involuntary commitment tied to criminal charges | About 2,900 (first estimate) |
| Total, all systems | 198,800 |
| Additional women held in jails for other authorities | About 7,600 |
Source: Prison Policy Initiative, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026, October 14, 2026.
The jail slice is larger than a first count suggests. State and federal agencies, ICE, and the U.S. Marshals Service pay local jails to hold about 7,600 more women, including roughly 2,900 held for ICE and the Marshals on a typical day. The report removes those women from the local-jurisdiction total to avoid counting anyone twice. Add them back and jails physically house closer to 95,000 women, which matches the 95,200 the Bureau of Justice Statistics counted at midyear 2024.
The remainder of about 14,600 is my own subtraction. It covers federal prisons and the Marshals Service, military confinement, territorial prisons, and tribal jails, none of which the report prices out individually in its text. The federal Bureau of Prisons and Marshals Service together held about 1,000 (6%) fewer women than at the last count. The report links that drop in part to early release: women made up about 7% of the federal prison population in 2023 but nearly 20% of those released after applying First Step Act time credits.
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 in State and Federal Prisons
State prisons hold about 81,000 women. Their numbers fell sharply during COVID-19 and have recovered faster than men’s.
Women's Imprisonment Rate per 100,000 Women (2023)
Idaho (highest) ██████████████████████████████ 152
National ██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 51
Rhode Island █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6
| Prison Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Women in state prisons, 2026 report | About 81,000, up 5% since 2024 |
| Imprisonment rate, state and federal, 2023 | 51 per 100,000 women |
| Highest state rate (Idaho) | 152 per 100,000 |
| Lowest state rate (Rhode Island) | 6 per 100,000 |
| State prison offenses, women (2022): violent / drug / property | 44.6% / 25.5% / 18.1% |
| State prison offenses, men (2022): violent / drug / property | 63.6% / 11.7% / 12.2% |
| Federal prison, women: drug offenses | 63.5% |
| Wisconsin women’s prisons over capacity | 78% (men’s: 30%) |
| Annual growth in women’s prison rates since 2021 | 3–4% (men’s: under 1.5%) |
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2023 (published September 2025); The Sentencing Project, Incarcerated Women and Girls; Prison Policy Initiative, 2026.
The offense mix differs from men’s in ways that matter for policy. Women in state prisons were convicted of drug offenses at more than twice the male share (25.5% against 11.7%), and of property offenses at a higher share too. Violent offenses account for 44.6% of women’s sentences against 63.6% of men’s. The Sentencing Project notes the drug share for women rose from 12% in 1986 to 26% in 2022. In federal prisons the drug share is higher still, at 63.5% of sentenced women.
Rates vary widely by state. Idaho imprisons women at 152 per 100,000, almost three times the national rate of 51 and twenty-five times Rhode Island’s 6. Several states have one prison for women, so the distance from home can reach hundreds of miles. The Prison Policy Initiative found that since 2021 women’s prison rates have grown 3–4% a year against under 1.5% for men. By December 2023 women’s prison populations had recovered 28% of their pandemic drop, against 15% for men.
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 in Local Jails
Local jails hold more women than any other system. The latest federal jail data cover midyear 2024.
Female Jail Population, Midyear
2014 ████████████████████████████ 107,200
2023 █████████████████████████░░░ 95,100
2024 █████████████████████████░░░ 95,200
| Jail Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Females held in local jails, midyear 2024 | 95,200 (14% of all inmates) |
| Change from 2014 | -11% (from 107,200) |
| Female jail incarceration rate vs male | 55 vs 335 per 100,000 |
| Female jail admissions, latest year | 1,885,000, down 22% from 2,430,000 |
| Women held under local authority who are unconvicted | 61% |
| Share of jail bookings that are women | About 25% |
| Convicted women held in jails vs all convicted people | 26% vs 8% |
| Average length of stay for women | 18.6 days |
| Growth in women’s jail rate since 2020 vs men’s | +31% vs +14% |
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Jail Inmates in 2024; Prison Policy Initiative, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026.
Jails turn over fast. Women’s average stay is 18.6 days, which is why 1,885,000 admissions a year coexist with a one-day count of 95,200. Admissions fell 22% over the period measured, from 2,430,000, and the one-day count is 11% below 2014. But the post-pandemic rebound is steeper for women: their jail rate is up 31% since 2020 against 14% for men, which erased more than half of women’s pandemic-era drop.
Pretrial detention drives the count. The Prison Policy Initiative estimates 61% of women under local jurisdiction are awaiting trial, and it ties that to bail affordability: women who cannot post bail had a median annual income of $11,071 in 2015 dollars. Failure-to-appear charges also weigh on bookings, at 8.2% of women’s jail bookings as a sole charge against 6.6% for men’s. Jails also cover convicted women, since 26% of convicted incarcerated women sit in jail against 8% of all convicted people, a gap the report attributes to women’s higher share of drug and property sentences and shorter terms.
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 in Immigration Detention and Involuntary Commitment
Two smaller slices of the “whole pie” are growing or newly measured: immigration detention and criminal-justice-related involuntary commitment.
Immigration Detention, Women and Girls
ICE (adults and girls) ███████████████████████████ ~7,700
ORR (unaccompanied girls) ██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ~600 (570)
Total 8,300
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Women and girls held by ICE | About 7,700 (up 1,800, or 31%, since 2024) |
| Women in ICE-only facilities / local jails / other federal | 6,808 / 860 / 10 |
| Unaccompanied girls in ORR custody, 2026 vs 2024 | 570 vs 3,100 |
| ORR average stay, FY2026 / FY2025 / FY2024 | 190 / 117 / 30 days |
| Women in immigration detention held in private facilities | 86% (men: 65%) |
| Women held by BOP or Marshals for immigration offenses | More than 1,200 |
| Women involuntarily committed (criminal charges) | About 2,900 |
| Women in civil commitment for sex-related crimes | At least 8 |
Source: Prison Policy Initiative, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026; ICE Detention Statistics FY2026 (July 20, 2026); Treatment Advocacy Center, 2024.
Total immigration-related confinement fell by about 760 since 2024, but the two systems moved in opposite directions. ICE holds 31% more women than two years ago. The Office of Refugee Resettlement holds a fraction of the unaccompanied girls it did in 2024 (570 against 3,100), yet stays have lengthened from 30 days to 190. The 8,300 total also counts girls held for ORR placement, who are not detained for any offense.
The 2,900 involuntary-commitment estimate is new in the 2026 report. The Prison Policy Initiative built it from the Treatment Advocacy Center’s national total of 18,948 forensic patients and a 15% female share seen in the few states that report by sex. The report calls it a rough estimate that should be used with caution. Only 8 women were identified in civil commitment for sex-related crimes, from 11 states that provided data.
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 Backgrounds, Health and Motherhood
Federal surveys of people in state prisons describe who incarcerated women are. The most recent national survey of prisoners dates to 2016, and researchers still rely on it.
Incarcerated Women in State Prisons: Selected Indicators
Indication of mental health problem ██████████████████████████████ 76%
Substance use disorder, prior year ███████████████████████░░░░░░░ 58%
Parents of minor children ███████████████████████░░░░░░░ 58%
Did not finish high school █████████████████████░░░░░░░░░ 53%
Jobless in month before arrest █████████████████████░░░░░░░░░ 53%
Disability reported ████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░ 50%
| Indicator (state prisons) | Women |
|---|---|
| Past or current mental health problem indicated | 76% |
| Received professional mental health care in prison | 43% |
| Substance use disorder in year before prison | 58% (treated: 47%) |
| Parents of minor children | 58% |
| Homeless in year before arrest | 16% (men: 10%) |
| Arrested by age 18 | 45% |
| Pregnant on entering prison | About 4% (more than 3,000 women) |
| Written up for a rule violation in past year | 58% |
| Jobless in month before arrest | 53% |
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, as analyzed by the Prison Policy Initiative.
Mental health and addiction need stand out. 76% of women show some indication of a past or current mental health problem, and 58% met criteria for a substance use disorder in the year before prison. Treatment lags: 47% of those with a substance use disorder and 43% of the group had received professional mental health care since entering prison. Half report a disability, and 58% were written up for a rule violation in the past year, most often a minor one.
Family is part of every figure. Prison Policy Initiative puts the share of women in prison who are mothers of minor children at 58%, and 80% for women in jails. The Sentencing Project reports 62% for women in state prisons, which uses the same survey with a different cut. About 4% of women, over 3,000, were pregnant when they entered prison, and 68% of them had no health insurance. Only 10 states and the federal government run prison nursery programs.
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 by Race and Ethnicity
Federal data on race for women cover prisons but not jails, so the “whole pie” cannot be split by race. Prison data show how the share of women in prison compares with the share of adult women.
Share of Women in Prison vs Adult Female Population
In prison (2023) Adult women (2025)
White ███████████████ 47% ██████████████████ 56%
Black ██████ 18% ████ 13%
Hispanic ██████ 19% ██████ 19%
Am. Indian/AK ███ 3% ░ 0.7%
Asian ░ 0.7% ██ 7%
| Group | Share of Women in Prison (2023) | Share of Adult Women (2025) | Imprisonment Rate (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 47% | 56% | 41 per 100,000 |
| Black | 18% | 13% | 68 per 100,000 |
| Hispanic | 19% | 19% | 51 per 100,000 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 3% | 0.7% | Not listed |
| Asian | 0.7% | 7% | Not listed |
| Other | 13% | 4% | Not listed |
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2023, Table 10; U.S. Census Bureau population estimates (July 1, 2025); The Sentencing Project, 2023 imprisonment rates.
Black women are imprisoned at 68 per 100,000, which is 1.7 times the white rate of 41. Hispanic women are imprisoned at 51, 1.2 times the white rate. The gap is smaller than in earlier years. Between 2000 and 2023 the imprisonment rate for Black women fell 67%, from 205 to 68, while the rate for white women rose from 34 to 41, an increase of 21%. American Indian and Alaska Native women make up 3% of women in prison and 0.7% of adult women, a ratio of about four to one.
The “other” category covers women reported as two or more races and groups the national table does not separate, so its 13% is not directly comparable with the population share. For a fuller view of racial composition across the whole prison system, including men, federal prisons, and state-by-state rates, see US Prison Race Statistics.
Girls’ Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026
The “whole pie” includes more than 5,000 young women and girls. Most are in the juvenile justice system, and many are held for low-level reasons.
Girls Confined, 2026 (more than 5,000)
Juvenile justice system ████████████████████████████ 85%
ORR (unaccompanied girls) ███░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ~600
Girls in adult jails █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ~220 (adult jails and prisons)
| Girls’ Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Girls held by the juvenile justice system | About 85% of 5,000+ |
| Girls in the youth system held for probation technical violations | 17% |
| Girls held for status offenses | 7% |
| Share of confined girls held for either | 24% (boys: about half that rate) |
| Black girls: share of girls in juvenile facilities vs population | 37% vs 16% |
| Girls in adult jails and prisons | About 220 (200 in jails) |
| Girls transferred to adult court (2023) | 292 (37% Black) |
| Girls’ placement rate (2023) | 11 per 100,000; Native girls 39, Black girls 29 |
| Girls as a share of youth in residential placement | 15% (4,349 of 29,314) |
Source: Prison Policy Initiative, 2026; The Sentencing Project, Incarcerated Women and Girls; OJJDP Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2023.
The numbers rose in the latest data: the Prison Policy Initiative reports 22% more girls (nearly 800) held by the juvenile system in 2023 than in 2021, though it calls that the first post-pandemic update and cautions against reading a trend into it. Girls account for 15% of youth in placement but 40% of those held for status offenses such as truancy and curfew violations. As a result, 24% of confined girls are held for technical probation violations or status offenses, while boys are held for them at half the rate.
Race and sexual orientation show up in the youth data. Black girls are 37% of girls in juvenile facilities and 16% of girls under 18, and the Sentencing Project puts the Native girls’ placement rate at 39 per 100,000, over four times that of white girls. The report cites 40% of girls in the juvenile system as lesbian, bisexual, or questioning and gender non-conforming, against just under 14% of boys. Broader youth trends are covered in Juvenile Crime Statistics in US.
Women’s Incarceration Statistics in the US 2026 on Probation, Parole and Reentry
Incarceration is the smaller part of women’s correctional control. Far more women are supervised in the community.
Women Under Correctional Control, 2026
On probation or parole ████████████████████████████████ 819,400 (82%)
Incarcerated ███████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 198,800 (18%)
| Supervision and Reentry Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Women on probation or parole | 819,400 (end of 2023) |
| On probation / on parole | 740,400 / 80,400 |
| Share of women under control who are on probation | 74% |
| Incarceration share of women’s correctional control | 18% (all people: 35%) |
| Women in state prisons on probation at time of arrest | 33% |
| Women released from jails and prisons yearly | About 1.94 million |
| Women admitted to jail for a violation only vs men | 9% vs 6% |
| Women on probation or parole affected by abortion travel limits | 82% |
| Women on probation earning under $20,000 a year | 70% |
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Correctional Populations in the United States, 2023; Prison Policy Initiative, Women’s Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026.
Probation is the main form of supervision for women. Three of every four women under correctional control (74%) are on probation, which is a larger share than for the total population, and 33% of women in state prisons were on probation when they were arrested. The Prison Policy Initiative argues that fees, reporting rules, and childcare demands can turn probation violations into jail time, and it notes women are more likely than men to be admitted to jail on a violation alone (9% against 6%). Those are the group’s findings, and they rest on a one-day jail roster snapshot.
Reentry volume is large because jail stays are short. About 53,440 women left state and federal prisons in 2023, and about 1,884,701 left jails in the year to June 30, 2024, which adds up to roughly 1.94 million releases. For outcomes after release, see Recidivism Statistics in US, which covers rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration rates by offense, age, and state.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many women are incarcerated in the US in 2026?
The Prison Policy Initiative counted 198,800 women and girls in confinement in its October 2026 report. That total covers prisons, jails, immigration detention, youth facilities, and involuntary commitment.
How many women are in state prisons?
About 81,000 women are in state prisons, up about 5% (almost 3,900 women) since the 2024 report, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.
How many women are in jail in the US?
Local jails held 95,200 women at midyear 2024, 14% of all jail inmates, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Women under local jurisdiction number about 87,000 in the 2026 report, and 61% of them are unconvicted.
What percent of prisoners are women?
Women are about 10% of all people incarcerated and about 7% of the federal prison population. In jails they are 14% of inmates.
What are women most often imprisoned for?
In state prisons in 2022, 44.6% of women were serving sentences for violent offenses, 25.5% for drug offenses, and 18.1% for property offenses. In federal prisons, 63.5% of sentenced women were held for drug offenses.
Which state has the highest women’s imprisonment rate?
Idaho, at 152 per 100,000 women in 2023. Rhode Island had the lowest rate at 6. The national rate was 51.
How many women are held by ICE?
About 7,700 women and girls were held by ICE as of July 2026, up 31% (about 1,800) since the 2024 report.
How many incarcerated women are mothers?
The Prison Policy Initiative reports 58% of women in prisons and 80% of women in jails are mothers. The Sentencing Project reports 62% of women in state prisons have a child under 18.
How many women are on probation or parole?
819,400 women were on probation or parole at the end of 2023, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. That is about 82% of women under any form of correctional control.
How has women’s incarceration changed since 1980?
The Sentencing Project reports 186,244 incarcerated women in 2023 against 26,326 in 1980, a rise of more than seven times. Women’s rates grew faster than men’s for decades before the pandemic.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
