"• At midyear 2023, local jails housed 95,100 females, representing 14% of the total jail inmate population (display 2). The female jail population experienced a 37% drop from 2019 to 2020. However, by midyear 2023, the female jail population reached 86% of its 2019 level.
"• The number of incarcerated adults ages 65 and over incarcerated in local jails has grown more than other age groups since 2020, when BJS started collecting age group data through the Annual Survey of Jails. From 2020 to 2023, the number of persons aged 65 and over increased by 78%, while the population of those between ages 35 and 64 grew by 33% (display 3).
"• As of midyear 2023, individuals aged 17 or younger accounted for 0.3% of the incarcerated population in local jails (display 4). Their numbers declined by 56%, from 4,400 in 2013 to 2,000 in 2023.
"• Approximately 47% of incarcerated individuals were white, 36% were black, and 14% were Hispanic (display 5). Other racial and ethnic groups, including American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, Asian individuals, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander individuals, and those identifying with two or more races, collectively comprised 3% of the total jail population. The percentage of jail population that was black was the same in 2013 and 2023."
Zhen Zeng, PhD. Jail Inmates In 2023 - Statistical Tables. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. April 2025. NCJ 309965.
