Federal Bureau of PrisonsFY2025 and FY2026 to date
How much does the US spend on federal prisons?
$9.1 billion in fiscal year 2025: 0.13% of all federal spending.That is about $27 per US resident. In FY2026 through August 2026 it spent $7.9 billion, down 3% on the same months of FY2025 ($8.2 billion). Treasury figures for the Federal Prison System (Bureau of Prisons).
By year
Federal prisons: $7.0 billion in FY2015, $9.1 billion in FY2025
Net outlays by fiscal year (October to September), nominal dollars ยท FY2026* = to August 2026
Every year as a table, with the share of federal outlays
| Fiscal year | Net outlays | Share of federal outlays |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 to Aug '26 | $7.9 billion | 0.12% |
| FY2025 | $9.1 billion | 0.13% |
| FY2024 | $9.1 billion | 0.13% |
| FY2023 | $8.4 billion | 0.14% |
| FY2022 | $7.5 billion | 0.12% |
| FY2021 | $7.7 billion | 0.11% |
| FY2020 | $7.8 billion | 0.12% |
| FY2019 | $7.1 billion | 0.16% |
| FY2018 | $6.8 billion | 0.17% |
| FY2017 | $7.0 billion | 0.18% |
| FY2016 | $6.9 billion | 0.18% |
| FY2015 | $7.0 billion | 0.19% |
U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 5.
By month
Largest month: August 2026, $1.0 billion
Net outlays in each month. Large one-month amounts are usually lump-sum transfers or accounting adjustments.
Monthly figures as a table
| Month | Outlays in the month | Fiscal year to date |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | $1.0 billion | $7.9 billion |
| July 2026 | $740.8 million | $6.9 billion |
| June 2026 | $733.8 million | $6.2 billion |
| May 2026 | $826.5 million | $5.4 billion |
| April 2026 | $540.4 million | $4.6 billion |
| March 2026 | $892.2 million | $4.1 billion |
| February 2026 | $652.3 million | $3.2 billion |
| January 2026 | $697.5 million | $2.5 billion |
| December 2025 | $763.0 million | $1.8 billion |
| November 2025 | $693.7 million | $1.1 billion |
| October 2025 | $362.3 million | $362.3 million |
| September 2025 | $980.3 million | $9.1 billion |
| August 2025 | $783.1 million | $8.2 billion |
| July 2025 | $743.3 million | $7.4 billion |
| June 2025 | $699.7 million | $6.6 billion |
| May 2025 | $798.0 million | $5.9 billion |
| April 2025 | $692.9 million | $5.1 billion |
| March 2025 | $927.1 million | $4.4 billion |
| February 2025 | $721.4 million | $3.5 billion |
| January 2025 | $729.0 million | $2.8 billion |
| December 2024 | $697.2 million | $2.1 billion |
| November 2024 | $698.5 million | $1.4 billion |
| October 2024 | $663.7 million | $663.7 million |
| September 2024 | $894.3 million | $9.1 billion |
U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 5.
Cost per inmate
From the Bureau of Prisons' annual Cost of Incarceration Fee notices. FY2019 and FY2020 count federal facilities only.
The Bureau of Prisons puts the average cost of holding one federal inmate at $47,162 a year in FY2024 ($129.21 a day), in its annual cost-of-incarceration notice in the Federal Register.
| Fiscal year | Average cost per inmate per year | Per day | Facilities counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $47,162 | $129.21 | Bureau or non-Bureau facility |
| FY2023 | $44,090 | $120.80 | Bureau or non-Bureau facility |
| FY2022 | $42,672 | $116.91 | Bureau or non-Bureau facility |
| FY2021 | $43,836 | $120.10 | Bureau or non-Bureau facility |
| FY2020 | $39,158 | $120.59 | Federal facility |
| FY2019 | $35,347 | $107.85 | Federal facility |
How many people are in federal prison
152,802 federal inmates (2026), down from a peak of 219,298 in 2013
Total federal inmates by year, Bureau of Prisons "past population totals" (BOP facilities, privately managed facilities and other facilities)
Population by year as a table
| Year | Federal inmates |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 152,802 |
| 2025 | 155,270 |
| 2024 | 158,864 |
| 2023 | 158,424 |
| 2022 | 159,090 |
| 2021 | 155,826 |
| 2020 | 155,562 |
| 2019 | 177,214 |
| 2018 | 181,698 |
| 2017 | 185,617 |
| 2016 | 192,170 |
| 2015 | 205,723 |
| 2014 | 214,149 |
| 2013 | 219,298 |
| 2012 | 218,687 |
| 2011 | 217,768 |
| 2010 | 210,227 |
| 2009 | 208,759 |
| 2008 | 201,668 |
| 2007 | 200,020 |
| 2006 | 192,584 |
| 2005 | 187,394 |
| 2004 | 179,895 |
| 2003 | 172,499 |
| 2002 | 163,436 |
| 2001 | 156,572 |
| 2000 | 145,125 |
| 1999 | 133,689 |
| 1998 | 122,316 |
| 1997 | 112,289 |
| 1996 | 105,443 |
| 1995 | 100,958 |
| 1994 | 95,162 |
| 1993 | 88,565 |
| 1992 | 79,678 |
| 1991 | 71,508 |
| 1990 | 64,936 |
Federal Bureau of Prisons, Population statistics.
Prisons and the rest of the Justice Department
Net outlays from the same Treasury table.
| Account | FY2015 | FY2025 | FY2026 so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Prisons | $7.0B | $9.1B | $7.9B |
| FBI | $8.2B | $11.2B | $9.7B |
| All of Justice | $26.9B | $44.9B | $41.3B |
On your tax bill
Federal spending is paid for by all taxes and borrowing together, so each dollar of federal income tax is split in proportion to spending. Federal prisons took 0.13% of it in FY2025.
| Income | Income tax | To federal prisons |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,620 | $3.41 |
| $60,000 | $5,020 | $6.54 |
| $75,000 | $7,670 | $9.99 |
| $100,000 | $13,170 | $17.16 |
| $150,000 | $24,734 | $32.23 |
What this counts
Outlays of the Federal Prison System, the Department of Justice account for the Federal Bureau of Prisons: running federal prisons, contracts for residential reentry centers and other facilities, and building and repairs. State prisons and local jails are paid for by states and localities and are not included.
Figures are net outlays: payments made, minus any offsetting collections credited to the same accounts, as printed in the Monthly Treasury Statement. They are not adjusted for inflation. In the budget-function view it falls under law enforcement, courts and prisons.
Questions and answers
- How much does the US spend on federal prisons a year?
- $9.1 billion in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), in net outlays recorded by the Treasury for the Federal Prison System (Bureau of Prisons). In FY2024 it was $9.1 billion.
- What share of the federal budget goes to federal prisons?
- 0.13% of all federal outlays in FY2025 ($9.1 billion of $7.01 trillion): about $1 of every $1,000 the government spent.
- How much does it cost to keep someone in federal prison?
- $47,162 a year ($129.21 a day) on average in FY2024, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
- How much is that per person?
- About $27 per US resident in FY2025, or $25.0 million a day.
- How much has been spent on federal prisons in 2026?
- In FY2026 through August 2026 it spent $7.9 billion, down 3% on the same months of FY2025 ($8.2 billion). Fiscal year 2026 ended on 30 September 2026; the September statement, published in mid-October, completes it.
- Has spending on federal prisons gone up?
- From $7.0 billion in FY2015 to $9.1 billion in FY2025, +30% in nominal dollars.
- Is this the budget or actual spending?
- Actual spending: outlays are what the Treasury paid out in each fiscal year. The budget Congress passes sets budget authority (what an agency may commit), which can be spent over several years, so appropriations in the news can differ from these figures.
Related
- Federal revenueby source
- Tariff revenueby month
- Federal deficitby year
- Spending as % of GDPsince 1930
- Immigration enforcementby year
- Customs and Border Protectionby year
- Disaster reliefby year
- Medical researchby year
Sources and notes
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 5: Outlays of the U.S. Government, line "Federal Prison System", every month from March 2015 to 2026-08-31, Fiscal Data API. Public domain.
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates, 50 states and DC.
- Tax on your bill: 2026 IRS brackets and standard deduction (Rev. Proc. 2025-32 as amended), as in our calculator.
- Bureau of Prisons past population totals; cost per inmate from the annual "Cost of Incarceration Fee" notices in the Federal Register (latest: 2025-12-15).