U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Special Report

MARCH 2021 NCJ 255888

Impact of COVID-19 on the Local 

Jail Population, January-June 2020

Todd D. Minton, Zhen Zeng, Ph.D., and Laura M. Maruschak, BJS Statisticians

Local jails in the United States experienced a 

large decline (down 185,400 inmates) in their 

inmate populations from June 30, 2019 to 

June 30, 2020, which can be attributed mainly to the 

COVID-19 pandemic (figure 1 and table 1). The 

inmate population confined in local jails was 549,100 

at the end of June 2020, down from 734,500 at the end 

of June 2019. The midyear 2020 inmate population 

was the lowest since 1996, when 518,500 inmates were 

confined in local jails (not shown in tables).

The impact of COVID-19 on local jails began in March 

2020, with a drop of 18% in the inmate population 

between the end of February and the end of March, 

followed by an 11% drop by the end of April. By the 

last weekday in April 2020, the number of jail inmates 

dropped to a low of 519,500. By the end of May 2020, 

the population increased about 3% and was up another 

2% by the end of June 2020.

The decline in the inmate population since midyear 

2019 resulted from both a reduction in admissions 

to jails and expedited releases in response to the 

COVID-19 pandemic from March to June 2020. 

FIGURE 1

Number of inmates confined in local jails on the last 

weekday in June 2019 and the last weekday of each 

month from January to June 2020

Number

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

Jun ’19 Jan ’20 Feb ’20 Mar ’20 Apr ’20 May ’20 Jun ’20 //

Note: See table 1 for counts and appendix table 1 for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual 

Survey of Jails, 2020.

HIGHLIGHTS

 From March to June 2020, about 208,500 inmates

received expedited release in response to COVID-19.

 During the pandemic, jail facilities became less

crowded, as indicated by the decrease in occupied

bed space from 81% at midyear 2019 to 60% at 

midyear 2020. 

 The number of inmates held for a misdemeanor

declined about 45% since midyear 2019, outpacing

the decline in the number of inmates held for a felony 

(down 18%).

 The percentage of inmates held for a felony increased

from 70% at midyear 2019 to 77% at midyear 2020.

 From March to June 2020, jails conducted 215,360

inmate COVID-19 tests. More than 11% of these tests

were positive.

 Jails in counties with confirmed residential COVID-19

infection rates of 1% or more tested nearly 21%

of persons admitted to their jails from March to 

June 2020.

 From March to June 2020, nearly 5% (10,850) of all

local jail staff (233,220) tested positive for COVID-19.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 2

Local jails reported 8.7 million admissions during the 

12-month period ending June 30, 2020, which was 

about 16% lower than the 10.3 million admissions 

during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2019 

(appendix table 10).

Findings in this report are based on the 2019 Census 

of Jails (COJ) and the 2020 Annual Survey of Jails 

(ASJ). The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) periodically 

conducts the COJ, collecting a complete enumeration 

of local jail facilities. In the years between COJ 

administration, BJS conducts the ASJ, a national survey 

administered to a sample of 897 jail jurisdictions, 

to provide nationally representative statistics on the 

number and characteristics of local jails, inmates, and 

staff. See Methodology for the ASJ sample design.

This special report is the first of two that describe the 

impact of COVID-19 on the local jail population. BJS 

will release a final report that will include results from 

July to December 2020.

TablE 1

Number of inmates confined in local jails on the last 

weekday in June 2019 and the last weekday of each 

month from January to June 2020

Last weekday in— Number

June 2019* 734,500

January 2020 711,900†

February 2020 710,300†

March 2020 585,900†

April 2020 519,500†

May 2020 536,600†

June 2020 549,100†

Note: See appendix table 1 for standard errors.

*Comparison month.

†Difference with comparison month is significant at the 95% 

confidence level.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual 

Survey of Jails, 2020.

2020 Annual Survey of Jails Special Addendum on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, BJS added 

a special addendum to the 2020 and 2021 ASJ to 

measure the impact of this public health emergency 

on local jails. In designing the addendum, BJS solicited 

comments and suggestions from a correctional health 

expert and jail administrators regarding data availability 

and reporting capabilities; question design and order;

and estimated burden. 

Below is a summary of the questions from this survey. 

For the full questionnaire, go to https://www.bjs.gov/

index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=261#Questionnaires.

 Last weekday inmate counts for every month from 

January to May 2020.

 The number of inmates who received expedited 

release due to COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 to 

June 30, 2020.

 The number of COVID-19 tests conducted and the 

number of positive tests from January 1, 2020 to 

June 30, 2020.

 The number of unique individuals who tested 

positive for COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 to 

June 30, 2020.

 The number of staff who tested positive for COVID-19 

from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020.

 Total, confirmed, and suspected COVID-19 inmate 

deaths and staff deaths from March 1, 2020 to 

June 30, 2020.

 Number of total inmate and staff COVID-19 deaths 

that were based on a medical examiner’s or coroner’s 

evaluation (such as an autopsy, postmortem exam, or 

review of medical records).

Terms and definitions – COVID-19

Confirmed death—Deaths where COVID-19 was the 

cause of death or a significant contributor of death as 

determined by a positive test for coronavirus before or 

after death.

County residents’ confirmed infection rate—Countylevel confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of the 

county population.

COVID-19 test—A viral test for coronavirus disease. This 

is not a serology or antibody test.

Expedited releases—All inmates released to limit 

inmate risk and exposure, or due to coronavirus-related 

understaffing, court orders, and legislative mandates.

Suspected death—Deaths where coronavirus was the 

suspected cause of death or a significant contributor 

to the death, based on the person having symptoms of 

COVID-19 but no positive test for coronavirus.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 3

Terms and definitions – General

Admissions—All persons booked into and housed in jail 

facilities by a formal legal document and the authority 

of the courts or some other official agency, including 

repeat offenders booked on new charges and persons 

sentenced to weekend programs or entering the facility 

for the first time. They exclude inmates reentering 

the facility after an escape, work release, medical 

appointment, stay in a treatment facility, and bail or 

court appearance.

Average daily population (ADP)—The sum of inmates 

in jail each day for a year, divided by the number of days 

in the year.

Jail—A confinement facility generally operated under 

the authority of a sheriff, police chief, or county or city 

administrator. A small number of jails are privately 

operated. Regional jails include two or more jail 

jurisdictions with a formal agreement to operate a jail 

facility. Facilities include jails, detention centers, county 

or city 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 a facility’s combined function. Jails are intended for 

adults but can hold juveniles before or after their cases 

are adjudicated.

Jails—

 hold inmates sentenced to jail facilities who usually 

have a sentence of one year or less

 receive individuals pending arraignment and hold 

them as they await trial, conviction, or sentencing

 readmit probation, parole, and bail-bond violators 

and absconders

 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, for protective 

custody, as witnesses for courts, and for contempt 

of court

 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.

Jail incarceration rate—The number of inmates held in 

the custody of local jails, per 100,000 U.S. residents.

Jail jurisdiction—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.

Jail regions— Excludes the combined jail and prison 

systems in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii,

Rhode Island, and Vermont. Includes 15 locally operated 

jails in Alaska. 

Northeast: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. 

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,

South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

South: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,

North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina , Tennessee,

Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. 

West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,

Washington, and Wyoming.

Midyear population—The number of inmates held in 

custody on the last weekday in June.

Percent of capacity occupied at midyear—The jail 

population at midyear, divided by the rated capacity.

Persons under jail supervision but not confined—All 

persons in community-based programs operated by jail 

facilities, including electronic monitoring, house arrest,

community service, day reporting, and work programs. 

They exclude persons on pre-trial release who are not in 

community-based programs run by jails; persons under 

supervision of probation, parole, or other agencies;

inmates on weekend programs; and inmates who 

participate in work-release programs and return to jail 

at night.

Rated capacity—The number of beds or inmates 

assigned by a rating official to a facility, excluding 

separate temporary holding-areas.

Releases—Persons released after a period of 

confinement (e.g., sentence completions, 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 releases, medical 

appointments, stays in treatment centers, court 

appearances, furloughs, day reporting, and transfers to 

other facilities within the jail jurisdiction.

Reporting unit—Most jail jurisdictions consist of a 

single facility, but some have multiple facilities, or 

multiple facility operators, called reporting units.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 4

By midyear 2020, local jails cut the size of the 

midyear 2019 population by nearly a quarter

In January 2020, the local jail population represented 

97% of the midyear 2019 jail population (table 2). 

By midyear 2020, the size of the population declined 

to nearly 75% of the 2019 population. This decline 

is attributable to the pandemic-related reduction in 

admissions and expedited releases from March to June 

2020. Jails in the Midwest and West reported the largest 

drop from January 2020 (103% and 96% of the midyear 

2019 jail population, respectively) to June 2020 (76% 

and 68%, respectively) (figure 2); jails in the Northeast 

reported the lowest percentage (67%) of their midyear 

2019 population, similar to jails in the West.

By April 2020, the jail population declined 

below 70% of the midyear 2019 population in 

most regions

During the 6-month period from January to June 2020, 

the size of the local jail population in the Midwest 

dropped to a low during April (66% of the midyear 

2019 population), and increased in May (70%) and 

June (76%). Similarly, jails in the South experienced 

growth from April (75% of the 2019 population) 

to June (79% of the June 30, 2019 population). 

Among jails in the West and Northeast, the size of 

the population fell below 70% of the midyear 2019 

population from April to June 2020. By comparison, 

the jail population in the West and Northeast remained 

stable during this 3-month period.

TablE 2

Local jail population as a percentage of the June 2019 jail population, by region, January-June 2020

Region June 2019* January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020

U.S. total 100% 96.9% † 96.7% † 79.8% † 70.7% † 73.1% † 74.8% †

Midwest 100% 103.4 102.7 75.8 † 66.2 † 70.2 † 75.5 †

South 100% 96.2 † 95.8 † 81.9 † 74.6 † 77.4 † 78.6 †

West 100% 95.7 96.6 78.4 † 66.7 † 67.6 † 67.9 †

Northeast 100% 92.0 91.5 78.3 † 66.3 † 65.9 † 67.0 †

Note: Data are based on the inmate population confined on the last weekday of each month. See appendix table 2 for standard errors.

*Comparison month.

†Difference with comparison month is significant at the 95% confidence level.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.

FIGURE 2

Local jail population as a percentage of the June 2019 

jail population, by region, January-June 2020

Percentage

Northeast West South Midwest

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

June

2020

May

2020

April

2020

March

2020

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2020

Note: Data are based on the inmate population confined on the last 

weekday each month. See table 2 for percentages and appendix table 2 

for standard errors.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual 

Survey of Jails, 2020.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 5

Jails expedited inmate releases in response to the 

COVID-19 pandemic

From March to June 2020, nearly 9% (208,500) of 

all persons admitted to local jails received expedited 

release in response to COVID-19 (table 3).

1 Expedited 

releases were granted to limit inmate risk and 

exposure, or due to coronavirus-related understaffing, 

court orders, and legislative mandates.

About 12% (50,000) of all persons admitted to jails 

in counties with confirmed residential COVID-19 

infection rates of less than 0.2% received an expedited 

release from jail from March to June 2020.

Around 16% (18,800) of all persons admitted to jails 

in the Northeast received expedited release from jail. 

About 8% of all persons admitted to jails in the South 

(89,200) and West (40,600) received expedited release 

in response to COVID-19.

Smaller jail jurisdictions (holding less than 

250 inmates) reported the largest percentage of inmates 

receiving expedited release (11%, or 88,900 inmates). 

Nearly 7% (20,800 inmates) of persons admitted to jails 

in the largest jail jurisdictions (holding 2,500 or more 

inmates) received expedited release.

1The number of admissions from March 2020 to June 2020 was 

used as the best estimate of the number of jail inmates who could 

have received expedited release. Because turnover is high in jails, 

the one-day count of the jail population at the end of February 2020 

was not factored into this pool of inmates as the expedited release 

response to COVID-19 was not widespread until March 2020.

TablE 3

Admissions and expedited releases, by size of jail 

jurisdiction, region, and county COVID-19 infection 

rate, March 1-June 30, 2020

Number of 

admissionsa

Expedited releasesb

Number As percentage of admissions

Total 2,387,000 208,500 8.7%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)c

Less than 50 inmates 183,000 20,000 11.0%

50-99 182,000 24,900 13.7

100-249 425,000 44,000 10.4 †

250-499 392,000 25,900 6.6

500-999 447,000 36,600 8.2 †

1,000-2,499 439,000 36,200 8.3 †

2,500 or more* 320,000 20,800 6.5

Region

Midwest* 551,000 59,900 10.9%

South 1,193,000 89,200 7.5

West 521,000 40,600 7.8

Northeast 121,000 18,800 15.5 †

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020d

Less than 0.2%* 430,000 50,000 11.6%

0.2%-0.39% 524,000 33,000 6.3 †

0.4%-0.59% 515,000 51,300 10.0

0.6%-0.99% 552,000 43,200 7.8

1% or more 366,000 30,900 8.5

Note: See appendix table 3 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% 

confidence level.

aAdmissions from March 2020 to June 2020 were estimated based on 

reported annual admissions from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, and on 

the confined population on the last weekday in June 2019 and from 

January 2020 to June 2020. See Methodology. bExpedited releases were granted to limit inmate risk and exposure,

or due to coronavirus-related understaffing, court orders, and 

legislative mandates.

cBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2019 to 

June 2020.

dCounty-level cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of 

the county population through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and 

USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 6

The highest inmate COVID-19 testing rate was 

in jails located in counties with the highest 

confirmed residential COVID-19 infection rates

During the 4-month period from March to June 2020, 

nearly 2.4 million persons were admitted to local jails 

(table 4). Over the same period, local jails conducted 

about 215,360 COVID-19 tests, equivalent to 9% of all 

admissions. More than 11% (or 24,550) of these tests 

were positive for COVID-19. Of these positive tests, 

about 23,020 were from unique individuals.2,3

2Multiple positive results for the same individual were counted once.

3The number of admissions from March 2020 to June 2020 was 

used as a best estimate of the number of jail inmates who could 

have been tested for COVID-19 over the same period. Because 

turnover is high in jails, the one-day count of the jail population at 

the end of February 2020 was not factored into this pool of inmates, 

as testing was not prevalent until March 2020.

Jails located in counties with confirmed residential 

COVID-19 infection rates of 1% or higher reported 

that nearly 21% of persons admitted to their jails 

were tested. This group of jails reported that about 

14% of their tests were positive. Among jails located 

in counties with less than 0.2% confirmed residential 

infection rates, about 4% of persons admitted to 

their jails from March to June 2020 were tested. This 

group of jails reported that less than 2% of their tests 

were positive.

Jails in the South accounted for the largest number of 

admissions to jails from March to June 2020. Over 7% 

of persons admitted to jails in the South were tested for 

COVID-19, and about 12% of those tests were positive. 

Jails located in the Northeast tested 21% of all persons 

admitted to their jails from March to June 2020, 

followed by jails in the West (14%), South (7%), and 

TablE 4

COVID-19 testing and positive cases among local jail inmates, by size of jail jurisdiction, region, and county 

infection rate, March 1-June 30, 2020

Admissionsa Total tests conductedb

Number of 

positive testsb

Number of 

persons who 

tested positivec

Percent of 

admissions that 

were tested

Percent of

tests that

were positive

Total 2,387,000 215,360 24,550 23,020 9.0% 11.4%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)d

Less than 50 inmates 183,000 4,220 320 320 2.3% † 7.5% †

50-99 182,000 6,570 250 250 3.6 † 3.7 †

100-249 425,000 14,240 1,330 1,320 3.4 † 9.3 †

250-499 392,000 23,910 2,420 2,240 6.1 † 10.1 †

500-999 447,000 42,080 3,660 3,250 9.4 † 8.7 †

1,000-2,499 439,000 53,610 6,630 5,950 12.2 † 12.4 †

2,500 or more* 320,000 70,720 9,960 9,690 22.1 14.1

Region

Midwest* 551,000 31,480 2,650 2,440 5.7% 8.4%

South 1,193,000 88,740 10,990 10,380 7.4 † 12.4 †

West 521,000 70,200 7,970 7,260 13.5 † 11.3 †

Northeast 121,000 24,940 2,950 2,940 20.6 † 11.8 †

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020e

Less than 0.2%* 430,000 16,780 270 260 3.9% 1.6%

0.2%-0.39% 524,000 40,360 3,830 3,580 7.7 † 9.5 †

0.4%-0.59% 515,000 31,560 3,690 3,300 6.1 † 11.7 †

0.6%-0.99% 552,000 51,060 6,200 5,690 9.2 † 12.1 †

1% or more 366,000 75,590 10,560 10,190 20.7 † 14.0 †

Note: See appendix table 4 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aAdmissions from March 2020 to June 2020 were estimated based on reported annual admissions from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 and on the 

confined population on the last weekday in June 2019 and from January 2020 to June 2020. See Methodology. bInmates may be tested more than once and may account for multiple positive tests.

cIndividuals may test positive for COVID-19 multiple times. Multiple positive results for the same individual were counted only once.

dBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2019 to June 2020.

eCounty-level cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of the county population through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 7

jails in the Midwest (6%). Similar to jails in the South, 

about 12% of tests in the Northeast were positive, 

followed by jails in the West (11%) and jails in the 

Midwest (8%). 

The largest jail jurisdictions tested a higher 

proportion of their inmates than small jails

The largest jail jurisdictions (those holding 2,500 or 

more inmates) tested about 22% of persons admitted 

to their facilities from March to June 2020. Of the 

70,720 tests conducted among these jail jurisdictions, 

nearly 14% (9,960 tests) were positive for COVID-19. 

The smallest jail jurisdictions (those holding less than 

50 inmates) tested about 2% of persons admitted to 

their facilities during this period. This group of jails 

reported that about 8% of their tests were positive.

The 50 largest jail jurisdictions accounted for 

more than half of positive COVID-19 tests of 

inmates in jails nationwide

The 50 largest jail jurisdictions tested nearly 

19% (88,900) of all persons admitted to their 

jails from March to June 2020 (table 5).

4

4Data were estimated for six of the largest 50 jail jurisdictions that 

did not report data on inmate COVID-19 testing.

 This 

group of jails accounted for 41% of all inmate 

COVID-19 tests in jails nationwide and 52% of all 

positive tests nationwide.

Of the 44 largest jail jurisdictions reporting data on 

inmate COVID-19 testing, five (City of Philadelphia in 

Pennsylvania, Denver County in Colorado, Delaware 

County in Pennsylvania, Los Angeles County in 

California, and Cook County in Illinois tested more 

than 50% of all persons admitted to their jails from 

March to June 2020. In total, 23 of the 44 largest jail 

jurisdictions exceeded the national jail-testing rate 

(9%) for COVID-19.

In 26 of the 44 reporting jurisdictions, the rate of 

positive COVID-19 tests exceeded the national rate 

(11.4% of all tests). From March to June 2020, 2 of the 

44 jail jurisdictions that tested inmates (York County 

in Pennsylvania and El Paso County in Colorado) 

reported no positive tests. However, El Paso County 

(0.3%) tested a small portion of persons admitted to 

their facilities from March to June 2020.

TablE 5

Inmate population change and inmate and staff COVID-19 testing and cases in the 50 largest local jail jurisdictions,

March-June 2020

Inmates in custodya Inmate testsb Staff testsc

Total tests 

conducted

Percent of 

admissions that 

were tested

Number of 

positive tests

Percent of

tests that

were positive

Number 

who tested 

positive

Percent 

who tested 

positive

Number 

in 2019

Number 

in 2020

Percent 

change

U.S. totald 734,500 549,100 -25.2% 215,360 9.0% 24,550 11.4 % 10,850 4.7%

50 largest local jail 

jurisdictions

Estimatedd 180,700 134,200 -25.7% 88,900 18.7% 12,670 14.3 % 4,570 6.7%

Reported 173,966 125,949 : 77,087 : 11,471 : 4,277 :

Los Angeles County, CA 17,385 12,045 -30.7 13,197 57.8 2,640 20.0 292 6.3

Harris County, TX 8,883 8,517 -4.1 4,401 22.4 1,120 25.4 366 6.9

Maricopa County, AZ 7,873 4,501 -42.8 2,837 13.3 804 28.3 131 5.5

New York City, NY 7,341 3,927 -46.5 / / / / 1,432 14.7

San Diego County, CA 5,959 3,650 -38.7 1,681 9.3 18 1.1 12 0.6

Cook County, IL 5,666 4,617 -18.5 7,477 56.6 776 10.4 382 10.4

San Bernardino

County, CA 5,623 4,553 -19.0 409 2.0 159 38.9 33 2.5

Orange County, CA 5,480 3,070 -44.0 2,113 18.4 403 19.1 30 2.0

Dallas County, TX 4,817 5,125 6.4 1,058 6.1 563 53.2 6 0.3

Shelby County, TN 4,776 3,429 -28.2 1,504 17.5 280 18.6 153 12.3

Philadelphia City, PA 4,670 3,872 -17.1 4,540 76.6 229 5.0 199 10.1

Miami-Dade County, FL 4,302 3,271 -24.0 746 5.8 262 35.1 210 7.4

Tarrant County, TX 4,144 4,008 -3.3 565 3.8 215 38.1 67 7.0

Bexar County, TX 3,963 3,620 -8.7 4,164 25.5 518 12.4 86 8.7

Riverside County, CA 3,796 3,140 -17.3 3,418 24.0 271 7.9 / /

Continued on next page
TablE 5 (continued)

Inmate population change and inmate and staff COVID-19 testing and cases in the 50 largest local jail jurisdictions,

March-June 2020

Inmates in custodya Inmate testsb Staff testsc

Total tests 

conducted

Percent of 

admissions that 

were tested

Number of 

positive tests

Percent of

tests that

were positive

Number 

who tested 

positive

Percent 

who tested 

positive

Number 

in 2019

Number 

in 2020

Percent 

change

Broward County, FL 3,758 2,878 -23.4 294 3.5 56 19.0 13 0.9

Clark County, NV 3,749 2,464 -34.3 5,227 26.1 93 1.8 36 2.9

Sacramento County, CA 3,546 2,515 -29.1 1,182 9.8 9 0.8 14 2.0

Hillsborough County, FLe 3,302 / / / / / / / /

Santa Clara County, CA 3,200 2,102 -34.3 2,036 33.5 40 2.0 16 1.6

Jacksonville City, FL 3,199 2,791 -12.8 / / / / / /

Fresno County, CA 3,090 2,191 -29.1 1,948 26.6 598 30.7 42 7.1

Pinellas County, FL 3,019 2,144 -29.0 63 0.7 15 23.8 28 2.6

Fulton County, GAe 2,945 / / / / / / / /

Allegheny County, PA 2,720 1,996 -26.6 205 6.0 46 22.4 17 2.1

Polk County, FLe,f / / / / / / / / /

Gwinnett County, GA 2,603 1,872 -28.1 312 4.1 18 5.8 12 1.3

Orange County, FL 2,530 2,149 -15.1 881 8.9 8 0.9 47 2.9

Alameda County, CA 2,458 1,733 -29.5 1,409 15.6 65 4.6 37 8.5

El Paso County, TX 2,279 2,030 -10.9 215 2.6 79 36.7 13 2.0

Marion County, IN 2,204 1,756 -20.3 755 10.8 177 23.4 11 1.4

Southwest Virginia 

Regional Jail

Authority, VA 2,181 1,703 -21.9 0 0.0 0 / 0 0.0

Cuyahoga County, OH 2,179 1,161 -46.7 1,464 23.1 162 11.1 40 5.4

Davidson County, TN 2,168 1,743 -19.6 981 12.8 218 22.2 40 5.1

Salt Lake County, UT 2,153 1,179 -45.2 147 2.1 23 15.6 34 4.6

Franklin County, OH 2,124 1,673 -21.2 130 2.0 29 22.3 33 5.4

Travis County, TX 2,057 1,778 -13.6 340 3.9 9 2.6 29 2.8

Clayton County, GA 2,055 1,998 -2.8 200 3.0 40 20.0 21 11.5

King County, WAf / 1,312 / 235 3.3 8 3.4 16 2.3

Palm Beach County, FL 2,045 1,580 -22.7 207 2.6 58 28.0 36 4.1

Denver County, CO 2,044 974 -52.3 4,692 65.9 648 13.8 58 8.2

Milwaukee County, WI 2,027 1,362 -32.8 1,761 22.0 139 7.9 15 2.6

Cobb County, GAe 2,022 / / / / / / / /

Essex County, NJ 2,021 1,778 -12.0 2,422 48.2 499 20.6 102 15.0

El Paso County, CO 2,020 1,316 -34.9 16 0.3 0 0.0 7 1.5

York County, PA 2,013 1,214 -39.7 151 7.1 0 0.0 0 0.0

Dekalb County, GAf / 1,217 / 117 1.6 25 21.4 44 8.4

Kern County, CA 1,892 1,769 -6.5 145 1.9 23 15.9 24 5.6

Chatham County, GA 1,857 1,207 -35.0 370 11.0 4 1.1 4 1.0

Delaware County, PA 1,828 1,019 -44.3 1,072 57.8 124 11.6 89 18.6

Note: Jail jurisdictions are listed in order of their confined inmate population at midyear 2019. Data were estimated for jail jurisdictions that did not 

respond in 2019. Most jail jurisdictions consist of a single facility, but some have multiple facilities, or multiple facility operators, called reporting units 

(RU). If at least one RU responded, the jail jurisdiction is counted as a responding jail jurisdiction and data were estimated for the non-responding RU 

in that jail jurisdiction. For 2020, data were estimated for one RU in Marion County, IN, Davidson County, TN, and Franklin County, OH, that did not 

report on the number of confined inmates at midyear 2020, the number of inmates tested for COVID-19 and positive tests, or the number of staff 

that tested positive for COVID-19. Data were estimated for one RU in Sacramento County, CA, that did not report on the number of staff that tested 

positive for COVID-19. For 2019, data were estimated for one RU in El Paso County, TX, Gwinnett County, GA, and Milwaukee County, WI, that did not 

report on the number of confined inmates at midyear 2019.

/Not reported.

:Not calculated because the numerator and denominator are not based on the same jail jurisdictions.

aNumber of inmates confined on the last weekday in June.

bInmates may be tested more than once and may account for multiple positive tests.

cIncludes deputies, monitors, and other custody staff who spend more than 50% of their time with the incarcerated population, and administrators,

clerical and maintenance staff, educational staff, professional and technical staff, and other unspecified staff who spend more than 50% of their time 

in the facility. Multiple positive results for the same employee were counted only once. The 2020 Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) did not capture the 

number of staff who were tested for COVID-19, due to potential employee testing practices (i.e., tests conducted in jail versus employees who tested 

during their personal time).

dData were adjusted for survey and item non-response. See Methodology for non-response estimation procedures. Imputed values were used to 

calculate aggregate statistics but are not displayed for individual jail jurisdictions in this table.

eDid not respond or provide complete data to the 2020 ASJ.

f

Did not respond to the 2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 9

From March to June 2020, nearly 5% of jail staff 

tested positive for COVID-19

During the 4-month period from March to June 2020, 

nearly 5% (10,850) of the 233,220 staff employed in 

local jails tested positive for COVID-19 (table 6).

5

During this period, nearly 8% of staff employed in 

jails located in counties with the highest (1% or more) 

confirmed residential COVID-19 infection rates were 

more likely to test positive than staff (1%) in jails 

located in counties with the lowest (less than 0.2%) 

confirmed residential infection rates.

Staff employed in jails located in the Northeast (7%) 

were nearly three times as likely to test positive for 

COVID-19 as staff in Midwest jails (3%). Jails located 

in the South (4%) and West (5%) also reported staff 

positivity rates higher than jails in the Midwest from 

March to June 2020. 

The largest jail jurisdictions reported the highest 

percentage of staff who tested positive for 

COVID-19 from March to June 2020

The largest jail jurisdictions (those holding 2,500 or 

more inmates) accounted for 1% of all jails nationwide 

in 2020 and reported the most staff (3,960) who tested 

positive for COVID-19 and the highest percentage of 

positive tests (7%). Jail jurisdictions holding fewer than 

500 inmates had 2,500 positive staff tests, about 3% 

of their staff. This group of jails accounted for nearly 

90% of all jail jurisdictions nationwide (not shown 

in tables).

From March to June 2020, the 50 largest jail 

jurisdictions accounted for about 42% of all jail 

staff (4,570 of 10,850) who tested positive for 

COVID-19 nationwide.6 The percentage of staff who 

tested positive for COVID-19 exceeded the national 

rate (4.7%) in 21 of the 44 largest jail jurisdictions 

that reported data on staff COVID-19 cases. Among 

these 21 jail jurisdictions, seven (Delaware County 

in Pennsylvania, Essex County in New Jersey, New 

York City in New York, Shelby County in Tennessee, 

Clayton County in Georgia, Cook County in Illinois, 

and the City of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania) reported 

staff positivity rates that were more than twice the 

national average.

5The survey did not capture the number of staff who were tested 

for COVID-19, due to potential difficulties in measuring employeetesting practices (i.e., tests conducted in jail versus employees who 

tested during their personal time).

6Data were estimated for six of the 50 largest jail jurisdictions that 

did not report data on staff COVID-19 testing.

TablE 6

COVID-19 positive tests among local jail staff, by size 

of jail jurisdiction, region, and county infection rate,

March 1-June 30, 2020

Number of

staff at

midyear 2020a

Staff positive testsb

Number Percent

Total 233,220 10,850 4.7%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)c

Less than 50 inmates 15,090 320 2.1% †

50-99 13,390 420 3.1 †

100-249 29,740 860 2.9 †

250-499 31,670 900 2.8 †

500-999 46,090 2,270 4.9 †

1,000-2,499 43,680 2,120 4.9 †

2,500 or more* 53,550 3,960 7.4

Region

Midwest* 41,370 1,090 2.6%

South 105,330 4,560 4.3 †

West 43,590 2,170 5.0 †

Northeast 42,930 3,020 7.0 †

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020d

Less than 0.2%* 32,360 440 1.3%

0.2%-0.39% 39,670 1,110 2.8 †

0.4%-0.59% 42,270 2,040 4.8 †

0.6%-0.99% 53,850 2,180 4.1 †

1% or more 65,060 5,080 7.8 †

Note: See appendix table 5 for standard errors.

*Comparison group.

†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% 

confidence level.

aIncludes deputies, monitors, and other custody staff who spend 

more than 50% of their time with the incarcerated population, and 

administrators, clerical and maintenance staff, educational staff,

professional and technical staff, and other unspecified staff who spend 

more than 50% of their time in the facility.

bMultiple positive results for the same employee were counted only 

once. The 2020 Annual Survey of Jails did not capture the number of 

staff who were tested for COVID-19, due to potential employee testing 

practices (i.e., tests conducted in jail versus employees who tested 

during their personal time).

cBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2019 to 

June 2020.

dCounty-level cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of 

the county population through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and 

USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 10

Inmate and staff COVID-19-related deaths

During the 4-month period from March to June 2020,

about 89% (841 reporting units) of the 943 jail reporting 

units sampled in the Annual Survey of Jails (ASJ) 

reported data on the number of deaths among inmates 

and staff that were related to COVID-19. These reports 

were based on a medical examiner’s or coroner’s 

evaluation (such as an autopsy, a postmortem exam, or 

a review of medical records).7 These 841 jail reporting 

units accounted for about 69% (376,500) of the total 

inmate population and nearly 68% (160,500) of all staff 

employed in local jails at midyear 2020 (table 7). The 

Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) did not estimate the 

number of inmate or staff deaths for jails that did not 

respond to the survey or for jails that were not selected 

to participate in the ASJ.

Inmate deaths

Among the 841 jail reporting units that provided BJS 

with data on inmate deaths, 22 reported a total of 

43 inmates under their supervision from March to 

June 2020 who died from COVID-19. Thirty-three of 

those deaths were reported as confirmed deaths from 

COVID-19 or deaths where COVID-19 was a significant 

contributor as determined by a positive test before 

or after death. The other 10 deaths were reported as 

suspected deaths from COVID-19 or deaths where 

COVID-19 was a significant contributor based on the 

person having symptoms of COVID-19 before death 

but no positive test to confirm COVID-19. Among all 

43 inmate deaths, about 70% (30) were reported as 

COVID-19 deaths based on a medical examiner’s or 

coroner’s evaluation.

The 43 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 deaths of 

inmates were isolated to 22 jail reporting units. About 

67% of all reported inmate deaths were from eight jail 

reporting units that each reported multiple deaths 

from COVID-19, either confirmed or suspected (not 

shown in tables). One jail reporting unit reported that 

seven inmates died from COVID-19 while under its 

supervision from March to June 2020. Two others each 

reported six inmate deaths, and five reported two 

deaths each. Fourteen jail reporting units each reported 

a single inmate death from COVID-19, either confirmed 

or suspected.

Staff deaths

A total of 40 staff employed in local jails died from 

COVID-19 from March to June 2020, among the 841 jail 

reporting units that provided BJS with data on staff 

deaths. Thirty-two of those deaths were reported as 

confirmed deaths from COVID-19 or deaths where 

COVID-19 was a significant contributor as determined 

by a positive test before or after death. The other 

eight deaths were reported as suspected deaths from 

COVID-19 or deaths where COVID-19 was a significant 

contributor based on the person having symptoms of 

COVID-19 before death but no positive test to confirm 

COVID-19. Among all 40 staff deaths, about 68% (27) 

were reported as COVID-19 deaths based on a medical 

examiner’s or coroner’s evaluation.

The 40 confirmed or suspected staff deaths from 

COVID-19 were isolated to staff employed in 30 jail 

reporting units (not shown in tables). About 35% (14) 

of all reported staff deaths were from four jail reporting 

units that each reported multiple staff deaths from 

COVID-19, either confirmed or suspected. One 

jail reporting unit reported that five employees 

died from COVID-19 from March to June 2020. 

Twenty-six jail reporting units each reported one staff 

death from COVID-19, either confirmed or suspected.

7Most jail jurisdictions consist of a single facility, but some 

have multiple facilities, or multiple facility operators, called 

reporting units.

TablE 7

COVID-19 deaths among local jail inmates and staff,

March 1-June 30, 2020

Inmates Staffa

COVID-19 deaths in responding jailsb

Total deaths 43 40

Confirmedc 33 32

Suspectedd 10 8

Deaths based on medical 

examiner’s or coroner’s 

evaluation 30 27

Inmate and staff population at 

midyear 2020 in jails that

reported on COVID-19 deaths

Number of inmates and staff 376,500 160,500

As percentage of inmate population 

and staff employed in all jails 68.6% 67.8% aIncludes deputies, monitors, and other custody staff who spend 

more than 50% of their time with the incarcerated population, and 

administrators, clerical and maintenance staff, educational staff,

professional and technical staff, and other unspecified staff who 

spend more than 50% of their time in the facility.

bUnweighted and unadjusted for item non-response. The number 

of deaths are based on 841 jail reporting units that reported data on 

inmate and staff deaths from March 1 to June 30, 2020, out of a total 

of 943 jail reporting units that were selected for the 2020 Annual 

Survey of Jails.

cCOVID-19 was a significant contributor as determined by a positive 

test for COVID-19 before or after death.

dCOVID-19 was a significant contributor based on the person having 

symptoms of COVID-19 before death but no positive test to confirm 

COVID-19.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 11

Jails in counties with higher confirmed COVID-19 

infection rates reported the largest declines in 

their inmate population since midyear 2019

Jails located in counties with the highest (1% or more) 

confirmed residential COVID-19 infection rates 

experienced the largest percentage decline in their 

inmate population (down 30%, or 49,400 inmates) 

from midyear 2019 to midyear 2020 (table 8). In 

comparison, jails located in counties with the lowest 

(less than 0.2%) confirmed residential infection 

rates experienced a smaller decline in their inmate 

population (down 19%, or 19,500 inmates) since 

midyear 2019.

From midyear 2019 to midyear 2020, the inmate 

population in jails located in the Northeast and 

West declined the most, by over 32%, followed by 

jails in the Midwest (down 25%) and jails in the 

South (down 21%). Jail jurisdictions holding 250 to 

2,499 inmates reported the largest decline (down 27%) 

in their inmate population since midyear 2019. Jail 

jurisdictions holding 2,500 or more inmates reported 

the smallest decline (down 21%).

Although the jail confinement population declined 

across all jail categories since midyear 2019, jail 

authorities reported an increase in the number of 

persons who were not confined in jail but were under 

their supervision in programs outside of jail (up 

11,400 persons, or 29%) (appendix table 12). The 

percentage of jail jurisdictions supervising persons 

outside of their jail also increased, from nearly 15% of

all jails at midyear 2019 to about 19% at midyear 2020

A number of jail authorities reported that unconfined 

populations were higher in their jail jurisdiction due 

to COVID-19-related efforts to reduce the confined 

population by increasing the population under 

unconfined supervision.

TablE 8

Number of inmates confined in local jails, by size of jail 

jurisdiction, region, and county COVID-19 infection 

rate, midyear 2019 and midyear 2020

Inmates in custodya Change

2019* 2020 Number Percent

Total 734,500 549,100 † -185,400 -25.2%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)b

Less than 50 inmates 19,300 14,800 † -4,500 -23.3%

50-99 35,500 27,300 † -8,200 -23.1

100-249 100,100 75,900 † -24,200 -24.2

250-499 118,700 87,200 † -31,500 -26.6

500-999 150,400 109,800 † -40,600 -27.0

1,000-2,499 178,400 130,000 † -48,400 -27.1

2,500 or more 132,200 104,200 † -28,000 -21.2

Region

Midwest 125,300 94,600 † -30,700 -24.5%

South 386,800 304,200 † -82,600 -21.4

West 148,800 101,100 † -47,700 -32.1

Northeast 73,600 49,300 † -24,300 -33.0

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020c

Less than 0.2% 101,900 82,400 † -19,500 -19.1%

0.2%-0.39% 154,600 113,700 † -40,800 -26.4

0.4%-0.59% 131,300 107,100 † -24,200 -18.4

0.6%-0.99% 183,100 131,700 † -51,400 -28.1

1% or more 163,500 114,100 † -49,500 -30.2

Note: See appendix table 6 for standard errors.

*Comparison year.

†Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% 

confidence level.

aNumber of inmates confined on the last weekday in June.

bBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2018 to 

June 2019 to compare change in size category since 2019.

cCounty-level cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of 

. the county population through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey 

of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 12

4 in 10 jail beds were unoccupied at midyear 2020

While the jail population declined about 25% since 

midyear 2019, the rated capacity remained relatively 

stable (table 9). As a result, the jail occupancy 

rate declined from 81% at midyear 2019 to 60% at 

midyear 2020. The percentage of jails operating above 

their rated capacity declined from 15% of all jails at 

midyear 2019 to 7% at midyear 2020.

Jails located in counties with the highest (1% or 

more) confirmed residential COVID-19 infection 

rates were the least occupied (54% of rated capacity) 

at midyear 2020, down from about 73% at midyear 

2019. In comparison, jails located in counties with 

the lowest (less than 0.2%) confirmed residential 

COVID-19 infection rates were the most occupied 

(66% of rated capacity) at midyear 2020, down from 

about 86% at midyear 2019. Bed space in jails located 

in the Northeast was the least occupied (47% of rated 

capacity) at midyear 2020, followed by jails in the 

West (55%), Midwest (57%), and South (66%).

Combined, about 6 in 10 beds were occupied in 

jail jurisdictions holding 100 or more inmates. In 

comparison, about 4 in 10 beds in the smallest jails 

(holding less than 50 inmates) were occupied at 

midyear 2020.

TablE 9

Jail capacity, by size of jail jurisdiction, region, and county COVID-19 infection rate, midyear 2019 and midyear 2020

Rated capacitya Percent of capacity occupied at midyearb

Percent of jail jurisdictions 

operating at more than 

100% of rated capacity at midyear

2019* 2020

Percentage 

point changec 2019* 2020

Percentage 

2019* 2020 point change

Total 907,700 913,700 80.9% 60.1% † -20.8% 15.0% 7.0% † -7.9%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)d

Less than 50 inmates 33,700 36,800 57.2% 40.2% † -17.0% 5.4% 3.7% -1.7%

50-99 49,200 49,800 72.0 54.7 † -17.3 12.9 8.7 -4.2

100-249 122,100 122,700 82.0 61.8 † -20.2 22.6 9.0 † -13.6

250-499 138,400 136,300 85.8 63.9 † -21.8 24.4 10.6 † -13.8

500-999 180,100 182,300 83.5 60.2 † -23.3 25.2 9.8 † -15.4

1,000-2,499 219,800 215,800 81.2 60.3 † -20.9 16.5 3.4 † -13.1

2,500 or more 164,400 169,900 80.4 61.3 † -19.1 19.3 0.0 -19.3

Region

Midwest 156,800 165,700 79.9% 57.1% † -22.8% 12.9% 7.2% † -5.7%

South 460,400 461,200 84.0 66.0 † -18.1 19.6 8.2 † -11.4

West 180,500 182,400 82.4 55.4 † -27.0 9.0 3.0 † -6.0

Northeast 110,100 104,500 66.9 47.1 † -19.7 5.1 5.8 0.7

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020e

Less than 0.2% 118,000 124,900 86.4% 66.0% † -20.4% 14.0% 9.3% † -4.8%

0.2%-0.39% 182,200 182,800 84.9 62.2 † -22.6 17.9 9.1 † -8.8

0.4%-0.59% 157,200 177,100 † 83.5 60.5 † -23.0 15.9 2.4 † -13.5

0.6%-0.99% 226,800 217,600 80.7 60.5 † -20.2 16.3 3.3 † -13.0

1% or more 223,400 211,200 73.2 54.0 † -19.2 10.0 7.0 -2.9

Note: See appendix table 7 for standard errors.

*Comparison year.

†Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level. 

aMaximum number of beds or inmates assigned by a rating official to a facility, excluding separate temporary holding-areas.

bThe midyear population in table 8, divided by the rated capacity. cThe numerical difference between two percentages.

dBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2018 to June 2019, to compare change in size category since 2019. eCounty-level cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of the county population through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 13

From midyear 2019 to midyear 2020, the 

number of inmates held for a misdemeanor 

dropped by 45%

The overall decline in the jail inmate population 

from midyear 2019 to midyear 2020—attributable to 

pandemic-related reductions in admissions to jails 

and expedited releases—is reflected in declines seen in 

populations with specific characteristics. The greatest 

change was in the composition of the female inmate 

population and the population of the most serious 

type of offense. After steady increases during the past 

decade, the female portion of the total jail inmate 

population declined from a high of nearly 16% at 

midyear 2018 (not shown in tables) to about 13% at 

midyear 2020, the lowest level since 2011 (table 10). 

The female population saw a greater decline (down 

37%) than the male population (23%) from midyear 

2019 to midyear 2020.

The number of inmates held for a misdemeanor 

declined nearly 45% since midyear 2019, outpacing 

the decline in the number of inmates held for a felony 

(down 18%). As a result, the percentage of inmates 

held for a misdemeanor declined from about 23% at 

midyear 2019 to about 17% at midyear 2020, and the 

percentage of inmates held for a felony increased from 

70% to nearly 77% during the same period.

The distribution of inmates by conviction status also 

changed. The decline in the convicted population 

(down 34%) outpaced the decline in the unconvicted 

population (down 21%). As a result, the percentage 

of unconvicted inmates increased from about 65% 

at midyear 2019 to about 69% at midyear 2020. The 

percentage of convicted inmates decreased from about 

35% to nearly 31% during the same period.

TablE 10

Number and percent of confined inmates in local jails, by characteristics, midyear 2019 and midyear 2020

2019* 2020 Change

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total 734,500 100% 549,100 † 100% -185,400 -25.2%

Sex

Male 623,700 84.9% 479,300 † 87.3% † -144,400 -23.2%

Female 110,700 15.1 69,800 † 12.7 † -41,000 -37.0

Race/ethnicity

Whitea 362,900 49.4% 262,100 † 47.7% † -100,800 -27.8%

Blacka 247,100 33.6 192,600 † 35.1 † -54,400 -22.0

Hispanic 106,900 14.6 81,900 † 14.9 -25,000 -23.4

American Indian/Alaska Nativea 10,200 1.4 6,700 † 1.2 -3,600 -34.9

Asiana 4,700 0.6 3,700 † 0.7 † -1,000 -21.1

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islandera 800 0.1 600 † 0.1 -100 -16.4

Two or more racesa 1,900 0.3 1,500 † 0.3 -400 -20.7

Conviction status

Convicted 253,700 34.5% 168,400 † 30.7% † -85,300 -33.6%

Unconvicted 480,700 65.5 380,700 † 69.3 † -100,000 -20.8

Most serious type of offense

Felony 513,900 70.0% 421,200 † 76.7% † -92,600 -18.0%

Misdemeanor 170,300 23.2 94,000 † 17.1 † -76,300 -44.8

Otherb 50,300 6.8 33,800 † 6.2 † -16,400 -32.7

Note: Data are based on the number of inmates confined on the last weekday in June. Data were adjusted for non-response and rounded to the 

nearest 100. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 8 for standard errors.

*Comparison year.

†Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).

bIncludes civil infractions and unknown offenses.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 14

The jail incarceration rate at midyear 2020 was 

the lowest since 1990

Due to the decline in the jail inmate population since 

midyear 2019 (attributable to pandemic-related 

reductions in admissions to jails and expedited 

releases) and the increase in the U.S. residential 

population, the nationwide rate of incarceration 

in local jails was at a historic low at midyear 2020. 

Compared to a peak rate of 259 inmates per 100,000 

U.S. residents in 2007 (not shown in tables), 

about 167 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents were 

incarcerated in local jails nationwide at midyear 2020, 

down from 224 inmates per 100,000 in 2019 (table 11). 

This was the lowest jail incarceration rate since 1990, 

when 163 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents were 

incarcerated in local jails nationwide (not shown 

in tables).

Males were jailed at a rate of 295 per 100,000 male U.S. 

residents in 2020. Females were jailed at a rate of 42 per 

100,000 female U.S. residents in 2020.

Blacks were jailed at a rate of 465 per 100,000 black 

U.S. residents at midyear 2020. American Indians 

and Alaska Natives (AIANs) had a jail incarceration 

rate of 274 per 100,000 AIAN U.S. residents. Whites 

(133 per 100,000 white U.S. residents) and Hispanics 

(134 per 100,000 Hispanic U.S. residents) were jailed 

at similar rates. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander (NHOPI) had a jail incarceration rate of 

104 per 100,000 NHOPI U.S. residents. Asians (19 per 

100,000 Asian U.S. residents) and persons identified 

as two or more races (19 per 100,000 two or more race 

U.S. residents) were jailed at similar rates.

Since midyear 2019, the overall jail incarceration rate 

decreased about 26%. The male incarceration rate 

fell about 23% from midyear 2019 to midyear 2020, 

declining from 386 to 295 inmates per 100,000 male 

U.S. residents. The female incarceration rate fell about 

37% since 2019, declining from 66 to 42 inmates per 

100,000 female U.S. residents. The jail incarceration 

rate fell 35% for AIANs (from 420 to 274 per 100,000); 

28% for whites (from 184 to 133 per 100,000); 24% for 

Hispanics (from 176 to 134 per 100,000) and persons 

identified as two or more races (from 25 to 19 per 

100,000); 23% for blacks (from 600 to 465 per 100,000) 

and Asians (from 25 to 19 per 100,000); and 19% for 

NHOPIs (from 129 to 104 per 100,000).

TablE 11

Local jail incarceration rates, by sex and race or ethnicity, midyear 2019 and midyear 2020

Number per 100,000 U.S. residents

Change

Characteristic Number per 100,000 2019 U.S. residents Percent a* 2020b

Total 224 167 † -57 -25.5%

Sex

Male 386 295 † -90 -23.4%

Female 66 42 † -25 -37.2

Race/ethnicity

Whitec 184 133 † -51 -27.6%

Blackc 600 465 † -135 -22.6

Hispanic 176 134 † -43 -24.3

American Indian/Alaska Nativec 420 274 † -146 -34.8

Asianc 25 19 † -6 -22.9

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanderc 129 104 † -24 -18.7

Two or more racesc 25 19 † -6 -23.7

Note: Rates are based on the number of confined inmates at midyear in local jails per 100,000 U.S. residents (for total) or per 100,000 U.S. residents of 

a given demographic group. Data are based on the inmate population confined on the last weekday in June and include both adults and juveniles,

unless otherwise specified. See appendix table 9 for standard errors.

*Comparison year.

†Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aThe population of U.S. residents in 2019 is based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimation for July 1, 2019.

bThe population of U.S. residents in 2020 is based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimation for July 1, 2020. cExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 15

Methodology

Findings in this report are based on the 2019 Census 

of Jails (COJ) and the 2020 Annual Survey of Jails 

(ASJ). The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) uses the 

COJ to periodically conduct a complete enumeration 

of local jail facilities and Federal Bureau of Prisons 

(BOP) detention facilities to collect data on inmate 

population and jail programs. The 2019 COJ was the 

eleventh collection in this series since 1970. In the 

years between complete enumerations of jails, BJS 

conducts the ASJ, a survey administered to a sample of 

approximately one-third of the nation’s jails, to provide 

national estimates of the size and characteristics of the 

jail inmate population. The COJ and ASJ collections are 

currently conducted through web-based surveys.

Numerous jurisdictions nationwide released 

inmates from jails in an effort to lessen the spread of 

COVID-19. BJS added a special addendum to the 2020 

and 2021 ASJ to gather data on these pandemic-related 

releases. See “2020 Annual Survey of Jails Special 

Addendum on Coronavirus (COVID-19),” page 2, 

for details. In June 2020, BJS met with the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) to finalize the 

addendum questionnaire and received OMB approval 

on June 19, 2020.

The universe of the Census of Jails and the Annual 

Survey of Jails

The COJ and ASJ gather data from jails that hold 

inmates beyond arraignment, usually for a period 

exceeding 72 hours. Jail facilities are intended to hold 

adults, but some also hold juveniles (persons age 17 or 

younger). The universe of the COJ consists of all local 

jail jurisdictions (including county, city, regional, and 

privately operated jail facilities) and BOP detention 

facilities that function as jails.8 The universe of the ASJ 

includes all local jail jurisdictions but excludes BOP 

detention facilities. In this report, BOP data are excluded.

The universe of the COJ and ASJ excludes separate 

temporary holding facilities (such as drunk tanks and 

police lockups) that do not hold persons after they have 

been formally charged in court, unless the temporary 

holding facilities are operated as part of a local jail. 

Also excluded are combined jail and prison systems in 

Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, 

and Vermont. These combined systems are operated by 

state departments of corrections and included in BJS’s 

National Prisoner Statistics program. However, there 

are 15 independently operated jails in Alaska that are 

included in the universe of the COJ and ASJ.

8Regional jail jurisdictions are created by two or more local 

governing bodies through cooperative agreements.

Sample Design for 2020 Annual Survey of Jails

Stratum

Number of 

jurisdictions 

in census

Number of 

sampled 

jurisdictions Active sampled jurisdictions Active sampled reporting units Design weight

1 Large jailsa (certainty stratum) 258 258 258 292 1.000

Jails holding at least one juvenile on June 28, 2019 

and a confined population of 

2 264-499 73 29 29 29 2.517

3 141-263 69 17 17 17 4.059

4 69-140 60 10 10 10 6.000

5 0-68 48 4 4 4 12.000

Jails holding adults only on June 28, 2019 and a 

confined population of

6 227-749 359 275 275 287 1.305

7 103-226 452 100 99 99 4.520

8 40-102 580 65 64 64 8.923

9 0-39 883 73 73 73 12.096

10 Regional jailsb (certainty stratum) 68 68 68 69 1.000

Total 2,850 899 897 943 aLarge jails are those that held at least one juvenile inmate and 500 or more inmates, or 750 or more adult inmates on June 28, 2019.

bRegional jail jurisdictions are created by two or more local governing bodies through cooperative agreements.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 16

Jail jurisdictions and reporting units

A jail jurisdiction is a legal entity that has responsibility 

for managing jail facilities. Jail jurisdictions typically 

operate at the county level, with a sheriff ’s office or jail 

administrator managing the local facilities. Most jail 

jurisdictions consist of a single facility, but some have 

multiple facilities, or multiple facility operators, called 

reporting units. For example, three reporting units in 

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, represent a single 

jail jurisdiction.

Sampling design of the Annual Survey of Jails

The ASJ uses a stratified probability sampling design 

based on jail population data collected through the 

most recent COJ. Jails in the ASJ sample are surveyed 

annually until the next sample is drawn. The ASJ 

sample is drawn at the jail jurisdiction level. When a 

jail jurisdiction with multiple jail operators or facilities 

is sampled, data are collected from all reporting units 

within that jail jurisdiction.

The most recent sample refresh occurred in the 2020 

ASJ, where a sample of 899 jail jurisdictions was 

selected to represent the approximately 2,850 jail 

jurisdictions nationwide. In selecting jails, all 

jurisdictions were grouped into 10 strata based on their 

inmate population and the presence of juveniles at 

midyear 2019. In 8 of the 10 strata, a random sample of 

jail jurisdictions was selected. The remaining two strata 

were certainty strata, where all jail jurisdictions were 

selected. One certainty stratum consisted of all jails 

that were operated jointly by two or more jurisdictions. 

The other certainty stratum consisted of large jail 

jurisdictions that—

 held at least one juvenile inmate and a total of 500 or 

more inmates on June 28, 2019 or

 held 750 or more adult inmates on June 28, 2019.

Response rate and non-response adjustment

The 2019 Census of Jails 

Because the 2019 COJ represents a complete 

enumeration of local jails in the U.S., the results 

are not subject to sampling error. However, the 

results were affected by unit and item non-response, 

and adjustments were made to account for such 

non-response. The 2019 COJ had a response rate of 

94%; 183 jail jurisdictions did not respond to the 

census. To reduce non-response bias, non-response 

weighting was implemented. To calculate the 

non-response weight, missing data were first imputed 

for two variables (confined inmate population and 

number of juveniles) using a last observation carried 

forward (LOCF) procedure. The missing data were 

replaced with the most recent prior-year data that the 

same jail jurisdictions reported to BJS’s 2016, 2017, 

or 2018 ASJ or Mortality in Correctional Institutions 

(MCI) jail collection. For cases with no prior-year 

data, a weighted sequential hot-deck (WSHD) 

procedure was implemented to impute missing data, 

where the donor for each missing item was randomly 

selected from a set of similar jails, sorted by related 

auxiliary population values (e.g., jail size, inmate sex 

distribution, state or region, and county classification). 

Next, all jail jurisdictions were classified into 10 strata 

based on their reported or imputed values of confined 

population, the presence of juveniles, and whether the 

jail jurisdictions were operated as regional jails per the 

2019 COJ. The non-response weight was calculated 

as the total confined population of all active jail 

jurisdictions in each state and stratum, divided by the 

sum of the confined population of all jail jurisdictions 

in each state and stratum that responded to the 

2019 COJ:

h = ∑ =1 × sshii

∑ sshii

ssh

=1 × sshii

ssh

sshii

where—

nsh = number of jail jurisdictions in state s and 

stratum h,

pshi = confined population for jail jurisdiction i in state 

s and stratum h,

Ashi = active status indicator for jurisdiction i in state s

and stratum h (1 = active, 0 = out of scope), and

Rshi = response indicator of jurisdiction i in state s and 

stratum h (1 = respondent, 0 = non-respondent).

The 2020 Annual Survey of Jails

The 2020 ASJ sample consisted of 897 active jail 

jurisdictions, represented by 943 reporting units. Two 

of the sampled jail jurisdictions were out-of-scope due 

to closure. The survey achieved a response rate of 94%. 

Non-response weighting was implemented to account 
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 17

for unit non-response. Jurisdictions were grouped 

into weighting classes based on sampling stratum and 

inmate population at midyear 2019. The non-response 

weighting adjustment factor was calculated for jails in 

each weighting class h as—

wwwwh = ∑ pppphiiii × AAAAhiiii

nnnnh

iiii=1

∑ pppphiiii

nnnnh

iiii=1 × RRRRhiiii

where—

nh = number of jurisdictions sampled in weighting 

class h,

phi = sampling weight for jurisdiction i in weighting 

class h,

Ahi = active status indicator for jurisdiction i in 

weighting class h (1 = active, 0 = out-of-scope), and

Rhi = response indicator of jurisdiction i in weighting 

class h (1 = respondent, 0 = non-respondent).

Item non-response imputation

The 2019 Census of Jails

Item response rates ranged from 90% to 100% in the 

2019 COJ. Key population items (including one-day 

counts of the confined population, population by sex 

and juvenile status, population by race or ethnicity, 

admissions by sex, average daily population (ADP) 

by sex, and rated capacity) had item response rates of 

more than 95%. For responding jail jurisdictions that 

were unable to provide some requested items, a LOCF 

procedure was used to replace missing values with 

prior-year (2016, 2017, or 2018) ASJ or MCI data from 

the same jails, adjusted for year-to-year difference in 

the jail’s confined population. 

For cases with no prior-year data, a WSHD procedure 

was implemented to impute missing data, where the 

donor for each missing item was randomly selected 

from a set of similar jails, sorted by related auxiliary 

population values. Donor pools, also referred to as 

imputation classes, are formed by state, ADP category, 

and regional jail indicator. Within each imputation 

class, jails are sorted by confined jail population at 

midyear 2019.

The 2020 Annual Survey of Jails

Item response rates ranged from 95% to 100% for 

the 2020 ASJ. For responding jail jurisdictions that 

were unable to provide some requested items, missing 

data were imputed using LOCF or WSHD. In LOCF, 

missing values were substituted by last-observed values 

(i.e., data that the same jail jurisdictions submitted to 

the 2019 COJ). Specifically, missing values in rated 

capacity and inmate population supervised outside 

of jail were replaced with 2019 values without any 

adjustment, while missing values in inmate population 

counts, admissions, and ADP were replaced with 

2019 values after adjustment for average year-to-year 

change. The average year-to-year adjustment factor was 

calculated, for each sampling stratum, as the ratio of 

the weighted sum of data reported in 2020 to that in 

2019. Only data from jails that provided data in both 

years were included in the calculation. By applying the 

average year-to-year adjustment factor, BJS assumed 

that jails with missing items experienced the average 

year-to-year percentage change as other jails in the 

same sampling stratum. 

In the scenario where no prior-year data were available, 

a WSHD procedure was used to impute missing values. 

This applies to missing values in variables that were 

not collected in 2019 (for example, the COVID-19 

variables) and missing values for jails that did not 

respond, or provide valid data, to the 2019 COJ. In 

the WSHD procedure, the donor for each missing 

item was randomly selected from a group of similar 

jails (called the imputation class), sorted by related 

auxiliary population values. The imputation class 

and sorting variables differed by the variable being 

imputed. For variables in the COVID-19 module, 

including expedited releases, COVID-19 tests, and 

positive tests, and the number of staff tested positive, 

the imputation class was formed by the sampling 

stratum and the number of confirmed COVID-19 

cases in the county (0-99, 100-1,399, 400-1,499, and 

1,500 or more). Within each imputation class, jails 

were sorted by confined inmate population at midyear 

2020 (for imputing expedited releases and COVID-19 

tests), total number of staff (for imputing the number 

of staff tested positive), or the number of positive tests 

(for imputing the number of inmates tested positive). 

Missing values in COVID-19-related death counts 

were not imputed. 

Missing COVID-19 variables for New York City 

Department of Corrections (including expedited 

release count, number of COVID tests conducted, 

number of positive tests, and number of inmates tested 

positive) were imputed using a series of regression 

models instead of the WSHD procedure described 

above. This is because no suitable single donor 

could be found for New York City due to its unique 
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 18

experience during the first wave of the COVID-19 

pandemic, coupled with a rapidly declining inmate 

population. The models used Poisson regressions to 

predict counts (e.g., releases or tests) based on annual 

admissions and releases, inmate population at the end 

of February, 2020, and at midyear 2020, occupancy 

rate at the end of February, 2020, staff positive rate and 

county COVID-19 positive rate category as of midyear 

2020, jail size category (measured by ADP), and region. 

Missing values for New York City were then imputed 

using the regression results.

Estimating admissions from March 2020 to 

June 2020

Admissions from March 1, 2020 to June, 30, 2020 

were estimated in two steps. In step 1, monthly ADP 

was estimated for the 12 months from July 2019 to 

June 2020 as the average number of inmates held 

on the last weekday of the month and prior month. 

For example, the March ADP was estimated as the 

average number of inmates held on the last weekdays 

of February and March. The COVID-19 addendum 

to the 2020 ASJ collected inmate counts held on 

the last weekday of each month from January 2020 

to June 2020. For the months when inmate counts 

were unavailable (i.e., July through December 2019), 

end-of-month inmate counts were interpolated from 

inmate counts on the last weekday of June 2019 and 

January 2020. In step 2, admissions from March 2020 

to June 2020 were estimated as the reported annual 

admissions from July 2019 to June 2020, divided by the 

sum of estimated monthly ADP for the year, and then 

multiplied by the sum of estimated monthly ADP from 

March 2020 to June 2020.

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

The infection rate was calculated as the cumulative 

number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county, 

through June 30, 2020, as a percentage of the county 

population. Data were downloaded from https://

usafacts.org/visualizations/coronavirus-covid-19-

spread-map/. For a detailed methodology of how 

USAFacts collects county COVID-19 data, see 

https://usafacts.org/articles/detailed-methodologycovid-19-data/.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 19

A

Last weekday in— Number

June 2019 ~

January 2020 6,242

February 2020 6,227

March 2020 5,467

April 2020 4,863

May 2020 5,076

June 2020 5,116

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 

2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual 

Survey of Jails, 2020.

A

June 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020

U.S. total ~ 0.85% 0.85% 0.74% 0.66% 0.69% 0.70%

Midwest ~ 4.53 4.48 3.36 2.87 3.06 3.34

South ~ 1.88 1.86 1.58 1.44 1.53 1.56

West ~ 4.18 4.18 3.42 2.94 3.02 3.03

Northeast ~ 5.02 5.04 4.21 3.63 3.68 3.75

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2019 Census of Jails. 

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.

A

Expedited releases

Number of 

admissions Number As percentage of admissions

Total 29,843 13,550 0.57%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates 17,165 6,799 3.53%

50-99 19,634 9,495 5.08

100-249 21,649 6,484 1.51

250-499 13,538 2,209 0.55

500-999 10,498 1,949 0.39

1,000-2,499 8,388 2,321 0.51

2,500 or more 14,771 1,541 0.48

Region

Midwest 28,802 11,021 1.86%

South 31,385 8,441 0.70

West 22,506 2,276 0.41

Northeast 8,470 1,525 1.26

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

by June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% 27,272 11,602 2.57%

0.2%-0.39% 22,656 3,592 0.63

0.4%-0.59% 25,336 5,014 0.91

0.6%-0.99% 20,986 4,400 0.73

1% or more 18,707 3,508 0.95

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020;

and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 20

A

Admissions

Total tests

conducted

Number of

positive tests

Number of

persons who

tested positive

Percent of

admissions that

were tested

Percent of

tests that

were positive

Total 29,843 6,262 986 960 0.26% 0.27%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates 17,165 1,249 148 148 0.64% 3.22%

50-99 19,634 1,925 104 104 0.99 1.10

100-249 21,649 2,640 452 452 0.59 1.95

250-499 13,538 2,122 316 275 0.53 0.87

500-999 10,498 1,287 178 163 0.30 0.31

1,000-2,499 8,388 2,544 327 288 0.55 0.28

2,500 or more 14,771 4,362 751 746 0.94 0.49

Region

Midwest 28,802 2,580 245 239 0.46% 0.44%

South 31,385 3,733 627 617 0.30 0.43

West 22,506 4,646 740 708 0.81 0.54

Northeast 8,470 1,766 238 238 1.52 0.59

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% 27,272 2,176 75 74 0.48% 0.34%

0.2%-0.39% 22,656 2,938 416 411 0.52 0.55

0.4%-0.59% 25,336 1,775 270 241 0.35 0.55

0.6%-0.99% 20,986 2,537 393 370 0.44 0.57

1% or more 18,707 4,796 810 794 1.16 0.44

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 21

A

Number of staff 

at midyear 2020

Staff positive tests

Number Percent

Total 3,679 495 0.17%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates 1,105 143 0.90%

50-99 1,314 151 1.08

100-249 1,756 194 0.58

250-499 1,149 83 0.26

500-999 1,076 167 0.36

1,000-2,499 892 71 0.13

2,500 or more 3,178 369 0.34

Region

Midwest 1,981 163 0.36%

South 2,477 218 0.17

West 1,901 207 0.44

Northeast 3,284 380 0.55

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% 1,876 161 0.49%

0.2%-0.39% 1,615 87 0.21

0.4%-0.59% 2,056 197 0.44

0.6%-0.99% 2,104 143 0.19

1% or more 3,244 411 0.34

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, 2020;

and USAFacts.org.

A

Inmates in custody Change

2019 2020 Number Percent

Total ~ 5,116 5,116 0.70%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates ~ 1,434 1,434 7.43%

50-99 ~ 2,274 2,274 6.42

100-249 ~ 2,806 2,806 2.80

250-499 ~ 2,572 2,572 2.17

500-999 ~ 2,810 2,810 1.87

1,000-2,499 ~ 1,674 1,674 0.94

2,500 or more ~ 4,765 4,765 3.61

Region

Midwest ~ 4,192 4,192 3.34%

South ~ 6,044 6,044 1.56

West ~ 4,505 4,505 3.03

Northeast ~ 2,761 2,761 3.75

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% ~ 4,192 4,192 4.11%

0.2%-0.39% ~ 4,095 4,095 2.65

0.4%-0.59% ~ 4,117 4,117 3.14

0.6%-0.99% ~ 4,249 4,249 2.32

1% or more ~ 4,958 4,958 3.03

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 

2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey 

of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 22

A

Rated capacity Percent of capacity occupied at midyear

Percent of jail jurisdictions 

operating at more than 100% of 

rated capacity at midyear

2019 2020

Percentage 

point change 2019 2020

Percentage 

2019 2020 point change

Total ~ 9,206 ~ 0.43% 0.43% ~ 1.11% 1.11%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates ~ 3,287 ~ 3.11% 3.11% ~ 1.96% 1.96%

50-99 ~ 4,287 ~ 2.98 2.98 ~ 3.62 3.62

100-249 ~ 4,874 ~ 1.91 1.91 ~ 2.37 2.37

250-499 ~ 4,135 ~ 1.04 1.04 ~ 1.67 1.67

500-999 ~ 5,202 ~ 0.68 0.68 ~ 0.76 0.76

1,000-2,499 ~ 2,864 ~ 0.40 0.40 ~ 0.27 0.27

2,500 or more ~ 7,869 ~ 0.55 0.55 ~

Region

Midwest ~ 7,825 ~ 1.21% 1.21% ~ 2.13% 2.13%

South ~ 9,427 ~ 0.55 0.55 ~ 1.46 1.46

West ~ 8,006 ~ 0.73 0.73 ~ 2.81 2.81

Northeast ~ 6,394 ~ 1.07 1.07 ~ 4.66 4.66

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% ~ 6,786 ~ 1.67% 1.67% ~ 2.30% 2.30%

0.2%-0.39% ~ 7,231 ~ 0.92 0.92 ~ 2.72 2.72

0.4%-0.59% ~ 7,400 ~ 0.97 0.97 ~ 0.43 0.43

0.6%-0.99% ~ 6,949 ~ 0.71 0.71 ~ 1.27 1.27

1% or more ~ 9,037 ~ 0.82 0.82 ~ 2.87 2.87

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 23

A

2019 2020 Change

Characteristic Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total ~ ~ 5,116 ... 5,116 0.70%

Sex

Male ~ ~ 4,545 0.14% 4,545 0.73%

Female ~ ~ 999 0.14 999 0.90

Race/ethnicity

White ~ ~ 3,004 0.45% 3,004 0.83%

Black ~ ~ 2,895 0.39 2,895 1.17

Hispanic ~ ~ 2,362 0.36 2,362 2.21

American Indian/Alaska Native ~ ~ 701 0.13 701 6.86

Asian ~ ~ 116 0.02 116 2.45

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 52 0.01 52 6.79

Two or more races ~ ~ 141 0.02 141 7.60

Conviction status

Convicted ~ ~ 2,798 0.44% 2,798 1.10%

Unconvicted ~ ~ 4,394 0.44 4,394 0.91

Most serious type of offense

Felony ~ ~ 5,019 0.41% 5,019 0.98%

Misdemeanor ~ ~ 1,751 0.32 1,751 1.03

Other ~ ~ 1,613 0.29 1,613 3.21

...Not applicable.

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.

A

Number per 100,000 U.S. residents

Change

Characteristic Number per 100,000 2019 2020 U.S. residents Percent

Total ~ 1.6 1.6 0.69%

Sex

Male ~ 2.8 2.8 0.73%

Female ~ 0.6 0.6 0.90

Race/ethnicity

White ~ 1.5 1.5 0.83%

Black ~ 7.0 7.0 1.16

Hispanic ~ 3.9 3.9 2.18

American Indian/Alaska Native ~ 28.8 28.8 6.86

Asian ~ 0.6 0.6 2.39

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ~ 8.5 8.5 6.60

Two or more races ~ 1.9 1.9 7.31

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; and Annual Survey of Jails, 2020.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 24

A

Annual admissionsa Change

2019* 2020 Number Percent

Total 10,323,000 8,652,000 † -1,670,000 -16.2%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)b

Less than 50 inmates 713,000 553,000 † -159,000 -22.3%

50-99 713,000 673,000 -41,000 -5.7

100-249 1,670,000 1,453,000 † -217,000 -13.0

250-499 1,696,000 1,381,000 † -316,000 -18.6

500-999 1,911,000 1,557,000 † -354,000 -18.5

1,000-2,499 2,254,000 1,831,000 † -423,000 -18.8

2,500 or more 1,366,000 1,205,000 † -160,000 -11.7

Region

Midwest 2,334,000 2,108,000 † -226,000 -9.7%

South 5,008,000 4,160,000 † -847,000 -16.9

West 2,376,000 1,934,000 † -442,000 -18.6

Northeast 605,000 451,000 † -154,000 -25.5

County residents’ confirmed 

infection rate through 

June 30, 2020c

Less than 0.2% 1,654,000 1,580,000 -74,000 -4.5%

0.2%-0.39% 2,375,000 1,915,000 † -460,000 -19.4

0.4%-0.59% 1,985,000 1,869,000 -117,000 -5.9

0.6%-0.99% 2,582,000 1,954,000 † -629,000 -24.4

1% or more 1,726,000 1,335,000 † -391,000 -22.7

Note: See appendix table 11 for standard errors.

*Comparison year.

†Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aAdmissions for the 12-month period ending on June 30.

bBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2018 to June 2019 to compare change in size category since 2019. 

cCounty-level cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as a percentage of the county population through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 25

A

Annual admissions Change

2019 2020 Number Percent

Total ~ 105,516 105,516 1.02%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates ~ 54,186 54,186 7.60%

50-99 ~ 61,769 61,769 8.66

100-249 ~ 71,262 71,262 4.27

250-499 ~ 50,121 50,121 2.95

500-999 ~ 46,139 46,139 2.41

1,000-2,499 ~ 27,308 27,308 1.21

2,500 or more ~ 51,383 51,383 3.76

Region

Midwest ~ 108,299 108,299 4.64%

South ~ 109,833 109,833 2.19

West ~ 83,220 83,220 3.50

Northeast ~ 31,516 31,516 5.21

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% ~ 99,270 99,270 6.00%

0.2%-0.39% ~ 83,394 83,394 3.51

0.4%-0.59% ~ 92,933 92,933 4.68

0.6%-0.99% ~ 74,776 74,776 2.90

1% or more ~ 67,689 67,689 3.92

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 26

A

Percent of jail jurisdictions that 

supervised persons outside of a jaila Persons supervised outside of jaila Change

2019* 2020 2019* 2020 Number Percent

Total 14.6% 19.2% † 38,700 50,100 † 11,400 29.5%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)b

Less than 50 inmates 5.1% 13.7% † 400 800 400 101.0%

50-99 11.4 17.0 500 1,200 700 129.3

100-249 15.7 15.7 2,300 1,600 -700 -29.9

250-499 21.4 25.8 † 5,300 5,500 200 3.6

500-999 29.3 29.3 5,900 8,300 † 2,400 40.3

1,000-2,499 44.9 45.6 9,700 14,500 † 4,700 48.7

2,500 or more 61.3 59.3 14,500 18,100 † 3,600 25.1

Region

Midwest 12.6% 15.8% 6,100 8,300 † 2,200 35.5%

South 11.6 15.8 17,000 24,500 † 7,500 44.2

West 23.8 33.3 13,300 14,300 900 7.0

Northeast 26.4 35.8 2,300 3,000 800 34.7

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020c

Less than 0.2% 12.6% 20.1% † 3,700 3,200 -500 -12.8%

0.2%-0.39% 13.9 15.4 5,100 5,000 -100 -2.9

0.4%-0.59% 15.5 16.7 5,500 8,400 † 3,000 53.9

0.6%-0.99% 18.4 20.9 17,300 21,700 † 4,400 25.7

1% or more 15.8 23.9 7,100 11,700 † 4,600 64.8

Note: See appendix table 13 for standard errors.

*Comparison year.

†Difference with comparison year is significant at the 95% confidence level.

aIncludes unconfined persons on the last weekday in June who were under jail supervision in programs outside of jail, including electronic 

monitoring, home detention, day reporting, community service, alcohol or drug treatment programs, and other pre-trial supervision and work 

programs. Excludes persons supervised by a probation or parole agency.

bBased on the average daily population (ADP) from July 2018 to June 2019 to compare change in size category since 2019. 

cConfirmed COVID-19 cases per 100 county residents through June 30, 2020.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LOCAL JAIL POPULATION, JANUARY-JUNE 2020 | MARCH 2021 27

A

Percent of jail jurisdictions that 

supervised persons outside of a jail Persons supervised outside of a jail Change

2019 2020 2019 2020 Number Percent

Total ~ 1.70% ~ 2,263 2,263 5.85%

Jail jurisdiction size (ADP)

Less than 50 inmates ~ 3.67% ~ 367 367 87.09%

50-99 ~ 4.92 ~ 553 553 101.63

100-249 ~ 2.94 ~ 530 530 23.14

250-499 ~ 2.11 ~ 954 954 18.09

500-999 ~ 1.46 ~ 643 643 10.88

1,000-2,499 ~ 1.01 ~ 728 728 7.47

2,500 or more ~ 2.11 ~ 1,656 1,656 11.43

Region

Midwest ~ 3.16% ~ 919 919 15.10%

South ~ 2.14 ~ 1,684 1,684 9.91

West ~ 5.46 ~ 1,124 1,124 8.43

Northeast ~ 7.62 ~ 678 678 30.06

County residents’ confirmed infection rate 

through June 30, 2020

Less than 0.2% ~ 3.52% ~ 648 648 17.61%

0.2%-0.39% ~ 3.01 ~ 844 844 16.55

0.4%-0.59% ~ 3.00 ~ 699 699 12.76

0.6%-0.99% ~ 4.18 ~ 1,586 1,586 9.18

1% or more ~ 4.58 ~ 1,133 1,133 15.91

~Not applicable. Data represent a complete enumeration based on the 2019 Census of Jails.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Census of Jails, 2019; Annual Survey of Jails, 2020; and USAFacts.org.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the 

principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal 

victimization, criminal offenders, 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. Doris J. James is the 

acting director.

This report was written by Todd D. Minton, Zhen Zeng, and Laura M. 

Maruschak. E. Ann Carson, Emily Buehler, and Danielle Kaeble verified 

the report.

David Fialkoff and Edrienne Su edited the report. Carrie Epps-Carey 

produced the report.

March 2021, NCJ 255888

Office of Justice Programs

Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice

www.ojp.gov