U.S. Department of Justice
Oce of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Bureau of Justice Statistics · Statistical Tables
June 2021, NCJ 300381
Capital Punishment, 2019 –
Statistical Tables
Tracy L. Snell, BJS Statistician
A
t year-end 2019, a total of 29 states and
the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
held 2,570 prisoners under sentence of
death, which was 56 (2%) fewer than at year-end
2018. During 2019, the number of prisoners
under sentence of death declined for the
19thconsecutive year. California (28%), Florida
(13%), and Texas (8%) held about half of the
prisoners under sentence of death in the United
States on December 31, 2019. e BOP held
61prisoners under sentence of death at year-end.
Seven states executed a total of 22 prisoners
in 2019. Texas executed 9 prisoners, which
accounted for 41% of the executions carried out
in 2019.
is report presents statistics on persons who
were under sentence of death or were executed
in 2019, and on state and federal death penalty
laws. At year-end 2019, a total of 32 states and
the federal government authorized the death
penalty (map 1).
MAP 1
States with and without death penalty statutes, year-end 2019
Note: See table 2 for details on states that authorized the death penalty.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Had the death penalty as of December
31, 2019, and carried out an execution
in 2019
Had the death penalty as of December
31, 2019, but did not carry out an
execution in 2019
Had no death penalty as of December
31, 2019
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 2
Highlights
Eleven states and the BOP received a total of
31prisoners under sentence of death in 2019.
Twenty-one states and the BOP removed a total of 65
prisoners from under sentence of death by means other
than execution.
The New Hampshire legislature repealed the death
penalty provision of the capital murder statute, but
the repeal was prospective, leaving one male prisoner
under a previously imposed sentence of death.
The New Mexico Supreme Court declared the state
capital statute unconstitutional, and the two prisoners
under sentence of death were resentenced to life.
The largest decline in the number of prisoners under
sentence of death in 2019 occurred in California
(down 11 prisoners), followed by Pennsylvania
(down 8), Texas (down 7), and Tennessee (down 6).
FIGURE 1
Number of prisoners under sentence of death,
1953–2019
Number
4
,000
3
,500
3
,000
2
,500
2
,000
1
,500
1
,000
500
0
1953 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2019
Note: Data on the number of prisoners under sentence of death
at year-end have been collected since 1953. See appendix table 2
forcounts.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8), 1953–2019.
During 2019, the number of prisoners held under
sentence of death increased in three states: North
Carolina (up 3), Ohio (up 2), and South Carolina (up 1).
Ninety-eight percent of prisoners under sentence of
death were male.
Among prisoners under sentence of death at year-end
2019, about 56% were white and 41% were black.
Among prisoners under sentence of death at year-end
2019 with a known ethnicity, 15% were Hispanic.
As of December 31, 2019, prisoners under sentence
of death had been on death row for an average of
18.7years.
Prisoners executed during 2019 had been on death row
for an average of 22 years.
FIGURE 2
Admissions to and removals from under sentence of
death, 1973–2019
Number
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1973 1980 1990 2000 2010 2019
Removals
Admissions
Note: Removals can be due to any cause, including execution, other
death, or appeal. See appendix table 3 for counts.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8), 1973–2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 3
FIGURE 3
Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in
the United States, 1930–2019
Executions
200
150
100
50
0
Note: Excludes 160 executions carried out by military authorities from
1930 to 1961. See appendix table 4 for counts.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8), 1930–2019.
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2019
FIGURE 4
Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race,
1968–2019
Number
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
Note: Data on Hispanic origin was not collected prior to 1977. See
appendix table 5 for counts.
a
Includes persons of Hispanic origin.
b
Includes American Indians or Alaska Natives; Asians, Native Hawaiians,
or Other Pacic Islanders; and persons for whom only ethnicity
wasidentied.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8), 1968–2019.
Other
a,b
Black
a
White
a
1968 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2019
Terms and denitions
Aggravating factors—Specic elements of a crime Civil authorityThe state or federal entity responsible
dened by statute. When present, these factors may for implementation and enforcement of capital
allow a jury to impose a death sentence for a person punishment laws, excluding military authorities.
convicted of a capital oense. Sometimes these are also
Commutation—Reduction of a death sentence by
called aggravating circumstances.
the president (federal) or by a governor or a board of
Capital conviction—A formal declaration that a advisors empaneled to review sentences (state). Criteria
defendant is guilty of a capital oense, made by the for granting a commutation vary by state. The new
verdict of a jury, the decision of a judge, or a guilty plea sentence can be to life or a term of years.
by the defendant in a court of law.
Death rowA slang term that originally referred to
Capital oense—A criminal oense punishable by the area of a prison in which prisoners under sentence
death. Oenses that are eligible for a death sentence of death were housed. Usage of the term death row
are dened by statute in each jurisdiction that continues despite the fact that many states do not
authorizes capital punishment. The most common maintain a separate unit or facility for prisoners under
is rst-degree murder accompanied by at least one sentence of death.
aggravating factor.
Received under sentence of deathThe admission
Capital punishmentThe process of sentencing of a person to prison after being sentenced to death by
convicted oenders to death for the most serious a court.
crimes and carrying out that sentence. The specic
Removal from under sentence of deathThe removal
oenses and circumstances that determine whether
of a prisoner who was previously under sentence of
a crime is eligible for a death sentence are dened
death and is no longer included in the count of persons
by statute and are prescribed by Congress or a
under sentence of death. A prisoner can be relieved of
state legislature.
a death sentence by several methods: execution, death
Capital statutes—State or federal laws dictating by causes other than execution, commutation, or an
specic crimes that are eligible for a death sentence overturned capital conviction or sentence.
and specic procedures to be followed in carrying out
Sentence of deathA sentence imposed by a court for
such sentences.
a capital oense which authorizes the state to execute a
convicted oender.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 4
List of tables
TABLE 1. Status of the death penalty, December 31, 2019
TABLE 2. Capital oenses, by state, 2019
TABLE 10. Prisoners under sentence of death on December 31, 2019, by year of sentencing
TABLE 11. Prisoners removed from under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and method of
TABLE 3. Federal capital oenses, 2019
TABLE 4. Authorized method of execution, by state, 2019
TABLE 5. Prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2018 and 2019
TABLE 6. Demographic characteristics of prisoners under sentence of death, 2019
TABLE 7. Female prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2018 and 2019
TABLE 8. Hispanic prisoners under sentence of death, by region and jurisdiction, 2018 and 2019
TABLE 9. Criminal history of prisoners under sentence of death, by race or ethnicity, 2019
removal, 2019
TABLE 12. Average elapsed time between sentencing and execution, 1977–2019
TABLE 13. Number of prisoners executed, by race or ethnicity, 1977–2019
TABLE 14. Number of executions, by method and jurisdiction, 1977–2019
TABLE 15. Number of executions, by jurisdiction, 1930–2019 and 1977–2019
List of gures
MAP 1. States with and without death penalty statutes, year-end 2019
FIGURE 1. Number of prisoners under sentence of death, 1953–2019
FIGURE 2. Admissions to and removals from under sentence of death, 1973–2019
FIGURE 3. Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in the United States, 1930–2019
FIGURE 4. Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race, 1968–2019
FIGURE 5. Advance count of executions, January 1, 2020–December 31, 2020
Continued on next page
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 5
List of appendix tables
APPENDIX TABLE 1. Demographic characteristics for prisoners under sentence of death, 2019
APPENDIX TABLE 2. Counts for gure 1: Number of prisoners under sentence of death, 1953–2019
APPENDIX TABLE 3. Counts for gure 2: Admissions to and removals from under sentence of death,
1973–2019
APPENDIX TABLE 4. Counts for gure 3: Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in the
United States, 1930–2019
APPENDIX TABLE 5. Counts for gure 4: Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race,
1968–2019
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 6
Status of the death penalty in 2019
As of December 31, 2019, a total of 32 states and the
federal government authorized the death penalty
(tables 1, 2, and 3). While the Washington Supreme
Court declared the state death penalty statute
unconstitutional, as applied, on October 11, 2018 (State
v. Gregory, 192 Wash. 2d 1, 427 P.3d 621 (2018)), the
Washington state legislature has neither revised nor
repealed the statute. During 2019, one state repealed
its death penalty statute, one had its statute ruled
unconstitutional by the states highest court, and ve
revised statutes related to the death penalty.
In 2019, the New Hampshire legislature repealed
the death penalty (HB 455), eective May 30, 2019.
Because the repeal was prospective, it did not aect
the previously imposed death sentence of one
male prisoner.
e New Mexico Supreme Court invalidated the states
death penalty statute on June 28, 2019. e court found
in Fry v. Lopez (2019-NMSC-013, 447 P.3d 1086) that,
by allowing the death penalty for murders committed
prior to the enactment date but not for similar murders
committed aer the enactment date, imposition of
a death sentence conicted with the proportionality
provision of the same statute. e ruling eectively
removed the states two remaining prisoners from
under sentence of death.
During 2019, Alabama revised statutory provisions
relating to its death penalty. e legislature added
murder of any rst responder operating in an ocial
capacity (Ala. Code § 13A-5-40(a)(21)) to the list of
oenses eligible for the death penalty. It also added
two aggravating circumstances: the victim was a law
enforcement or correctional ocer murdered while on
duty or for reasons related to their job; and the victim
was a rst responder who was operating in an ocial
capacity (Ala. Code § 13A-5-49 (13), (14)). ese
changes became eective October 1, 2019.
Arizona amended the list of aggravating circumstances
required to make a murder eligible for the death
penalty (A.R.S. § 13-751(F)). e states legislature
removed elements from the statute: that the defendant
knowingly created a grave risk of death to persons
other than the murder victim (A.R.S. § 13-751(F)(3));
committed the oense in a cold, calculated manner
without pretense of moral or legal justication
(A.R.S. §13-751(F)(13)); or used a stun gun
(A.R.S. § 13-751(F)(14)). e changes resulted in a total
of 10 possible aggravating circumstances and became
eective on August 27, 2019.
Arkansas revised its code of criminal procedure to
prohibit disclosure of information or documents related
to the execution process and participants (Ark. Code
Ann. § 5-4-617), eective July 24, 2019.
e Oregon legislature revised several elements of the
statute related to the states death penalty (SB 1013
(2019)), which became eective September 29, 2019.
Oregon revised the denition of aggravated murder.
e changes allow for the death penalty in only the
following circumstances: murder of two or more
persons for the purpose of inuencing the public
or government through intimidation or coercion;
murder committed by an inmate or someone with a
prior conviction for aggravated murder; premeditated
murder of a child age 13 or younger; and murder of
police, correctional, probation, or parole ocers when
the murder was related to their ocial duties. e
changes also added a new oense: rst-degree murder,
which encompasses elements previously classied as
aggravated murder, which is punishable by life without
the possibility of parole.
Tennessee revised two statutory provisions related
to the death penalty. e specied aggravating
circumstances were amended to include knowingly
selling or distributing fentanyl or other opiates with
the intent to commit murder (Tenn. Code Ann.
§ 39-13-204(i)(18)). e state also revised the code of
criminal procedure to provide that when a judgment
has become nal in trial court, the conviction and the
sentence of death will be automatically reviewed by
the Tennessee Supreme Court instead of requiring the
defendant to le a direct appeal from the trial court
to the states Court of Criminal Appeals (Tenn. Code
Ann. § 39-13-206(a)-(c)). e changes became eective
July1, 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 7
TABLE 1
Status of the death penalty, December 31, 2019
Executions in 2019 Number of prisoners under sentence of death Jurisdictions with no death penalty (19)
Texas 9 California 724 Alaska
Alabama 3 Florida 340 Connecticut
Georgia 3 Texas 216 District of Columbia
Tennessee 3 Alabama 175 Hawaii
Florida 2 North Carolina 143 Illinois
Missouri 1 Ohio 139 Iowa
South Dakota 1 Pennsylvania 134 Maine
Arizona 116 Maryland
Nevada 71 Massachusetts
Louisiana 68 Michigan
Federal Bureau of Prisons 61 Minnesota
Tennessee 52 New Hampshire
Georgia 46 New Jersey
Oklahoma 46 New Mexico
Mississippi 40 North Dakota
South Carolina 36 Rhode Island
Arkansas 30 Vermont
Oregon 29 West Virginia
Kentucky 27 Wisconsin
Missouri 22
Nebraska 12
Kansas 10
Idaho 9
Indiana 8
Utah 7
Colorado 3
Virginia 2
Montana 2
New Hampshire
a
1
South Dakota 1
Total 22 Total
b
2,570
Note: While the Washington Supreme Court has declared the states death penalty statute unconstitutional as applied (State v. Gregory, 192 Wash.
2d 1, 427 P.3d 621 (2018)), no legislative action has been taken to revise or repeal the statute. The state continues to report that the death penalty is
authorized. See table 2 for information on statutes.
a
New Hampshire repealed its death penalty statute, eective May 30, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, one male prisoner remained under a previously
imposed sentence of death.
b
New York, Delaware, Washington, and Wyoming held no inmates under sentence of death on December 31, 2019.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 8
TABLE 2
Capital oenses, by state, 2019
State Oense
Alabama Intentional murder (Ala. Stat. Ann. § 13A-5-40(a)(1)-(21)) with 14 aggravating factors (Ala. Stat. Ann. § 13A-5-49).
Arizona First-degree murder, including premeditated murder and felony murder, accompanied by at least 1 of 10 aggravating
factors (A.R.S. § 13-703(F)).
Arkansas Capital murder (Ark. Code Ann. § 5-10-101) with a nding of at least 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances; and treason
(Ark. Code Ann. § 5-51-201).
California First-degree murder with special circumstances; military sabotage; train wreck causing death; treason; perjury resulting in
the execution of an innocent person; and fatal assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence.
Colorado First-degree murder with at least 1 of 17 aggravating factors; rst-degree kidnapping resulting in death; and treason.
Delaware
a
First-degree murder (11 Del. C. § 636) with at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance (11 Del. C. § 4209).
Florida First-degree murder with aggravating factors; felony murder; and capital drug-tracking felonies.
Georgia Murder with aggravating circumstances; rape, armed robbery, or kidnapping with bodily injury or ransom when the victim
dies; aircraft hijacking; and treason (O.C.G.A. § 17-10-30).
Idaho First-degree murder with aggravating factors; rst-degree kidnapping; and perjury resulting in the execution of an
innocent person.
Indiana Murder with 1 or more of 18 aggravating circumstances (I.C. 35-50-2-9).
Kansas Intentional and premeditated killing of a person in 1 or more of 7 dierent circumstances (K.S.A. 21-5401).
Kentucky Capital murder with the presence of at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance; and capital kidnapping (K.R.S. 532.025).
Louisiana First-degree murder with aggravating circumstances (La. R.S. 14:30); and treason (La. R.S. 14:113).
Mississippi Capital murder with aggravating circumstances (Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-19(2)); and aircraft piracy (Miss. Code Ann.
§ 97-25-55(1)).
Missouri First-degree murder with at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance (565.020 R.S.M.O. 2000).
Montana Deliberate homicide, including felony murder, with 1 of 9 aggravating circumstances (Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-303);
aggravated kidnapping resulting in death of victim or rescuer; attempted deliberate homicide; aggravated assault or
kidnapping while in detention; and capital sexual intercourse without consent (Mont. Code Ann. § 45-5-503).
Nebraska First-degree murder with a nding of 1 or more statutory aggravating circumstances.
Nevada First-degree murder with at least 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances (N.R.S. 200.030, 200.033, 200.035).
New York
b
First-degree murder with 1 of 13 aggravating factors (NY Penal Law § 125.27).
North Carolina First-degree murder (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-17) with the nding of at least 1 of 11 statutory aggravating circumstances
(N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-2000).
Ohio Aggravated murder with at least 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances (O.R.C. 2903.01, 2929.02, 2929.04).
Oklahoma First-degree murder (21 O.S. § 701.7) in conjunction with a nding of at least 1 of 8 statutorily dened aggravating
circumstances (21 O.S. § 701.12).
Oregon Aggravated murder (O.R.S. 163.095).
Pennsylvania First-degree murder (18 Pa.C.S.A § 2502(a)) with 18 aggravating circumstances (42 Pa.C.S.A § 9711).
South Carolina Murder with at least 1 of 12 aggravating circumstances (S.C. Code § 16-3-20(C)(a)).
South Dakota First-degree murder (S.D.C.L. 22-16-4) with 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances (S.D.C.L. 23A-27A-1).
Tennessee First-degree murder (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-202) with 1 of 18 aggravating circumstances (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204).
Texas Capital murder, dened as criminal homicide with 1 of 9 statutory aggravators (Tex. Penal Code § 19.03).
Utah Aggravated murder (Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-202).
Virginia Capital murder, dened as premeditated murder accompanied by 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances (VA Code
§ 18.2-31(A)(1-15)).
Washington
c
Aggravated rst-degree murder.
Wyoming First-degree murder, including premeditated murder and murder during the commission of sexual assault, sexual abuse of
a minor, arson, robbery, burglary, escape, resisting arrest, kidnapping, or abuse of a minor younger than age 16 (W.S.A. §
6-2-101(a)).
Note: New Hampshire repealed its death penalty eective May 30, 2019. One male prisoner remains under a previously imposed sentence of death.
a
The Delaware Supreme Court held that a portion of Delawares death penalty sentencing statute (11 Del. C. § 4209) was unconstitutional (Rauf v.
State, 145 A.3d 430 (Del. 2016)). No legislative action has been taken to amend the statute. As a result, capital cases are no longer pursued in Delaware.
b
The New York Court of Appeals held that a portion of New Yorks death penalty sentencing statute (C.P.L. 400.27) was unconstitutional (People v.
Taylor, 9 N.Y.3d 129 (2007)). No legislative action has been taken to amend the statute. As a result, capital cases are no longer pursued in New York.
c
The Washington Supreme Court has declared the states death penalty statute unconstitutional as applied (State v. Gregory, 192 Wash. 2d 1, 427 P.3d
621 (2018)). No legislative action has been taken to revise or repeal the statute.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 9
TABLE 3
Federal capital oenses, 2019
Federal statute Oense
8 U.S.C. § 1342 Murder related to the smuggling of aliens.
18 U.S.C. §§ 32-34 Destruction of aircraft, motor vehicles, or related facilities resulting in death.
18 U.S.C. § 36 Murder committed during a drug-related drive-by shooting.
18 U.S.C. § 37 Murder committed at an airport serving international civil aviation.
18 U.S.C. § 115(b)(3) [by cross-reference to Retaliatory murder of a member of the immediate family of law enforcement ocials.
18 U.S.C. § 1111]
18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 242, 245, 247 Civil rights oenses resulting in death.
18 U.S.C. § 351 [by cross-reference to 18 U.S.C. § 1111] Murder of a member of Congress, an important executive ocial, or a U.S. Supreme
Courtjustice.
18 U.S.C. § 794 Espionage.
18 U.S.C. §§ 844(d), (f ), (i) Death resulting from oenses involving transportation of explosives, destruction of
government property, or destruction of property related to foreign or interstate commerce.
18 U.S.C. § 924(i) Murder committed by the use of a rearm during a crime of violence or a
drug-trackingcrime.
18 U.S.C. § 930 Murder committed in a federal government facility.
18 U.S.C. § 1091 Genocide.
18 U.S.C. § 1111 First-degree murder.
18 U.S.C. § 1114 Murder of a federal judge or law enforcement ocial.
18 U.S.C. § 1116 Murder of a foreign ocial.
18 U.S.C. § 1118 Murder by a federal prisoner.
18 U.S.C. § 1119 Murder of a U.S. national in a foreign country.
18 U.S.C. § 1120 Murder by an escaped federal prisoner already sentenced to life imprisonment.
18 U.S.C. § 1121 Murder of a state or local law enforcement ocial or other person aiding in a federal
investigation; or murder of a state correctional ocer.
18 U.S.C. § 1201 Murder during a kidnapping.
18 U.S.C. § 1203 Murder during a hostage taking.
18 U.S.C. § 1503 Murder of a court ocer or juror.
18 U.S.C. § 1512 Murder with the intent of preventing testimony by a witness, a victim, or an informant.
18 U.S.C. § 1513 Retaliatory murder of a witness, a victim, or an informant.
18 U.S.C. § 1716 Mailing of injurious articles with intent to kill or resulting in death.
18 U.S.C. § 1751 [by cross-reference to Assassination or kidnapping resulting in the death of the U.S. president or U.S. vice president.
18 U.S.C. §1111]
18 U.S.C. § 1958 Murder for hire.
18 U.S.C. § 1959 Murder involved in a racketeering oense.
18 U.S.C. § 1992 Willful wrecking of a train resulting in death.
18 U.S.C. § 2113 Murder or kidnapping related to bank robbery.
18 U.S.C. § 2119 Murder related to a carjacking.
18 U.S.C. § 2245 Murder related to rape or child molestation.
18 U.S.C. § 2251 Murder related to sexual exploitation of children.
18 U.S.C. § 2280 Murder committed during an oense against maritime navigation.
18 U.S.C. § 2281 Murder committed during an oense against a maritime xed platform.
18 U.S.C. § 2332 Terrorist murder of a U.S. national in another country.
18 U.S.C. § 2332a Murder by the use of a weapon of mass destruction.
18 U.S.C. § 2340 Murder involving torture.
18 U.S.C. § 2381 Treason.
21 U.S.C. § 848(e) Murder related to a continuing criminal enterprise or related murder of a federal, state, or local
law enforcement ocer.
49 U.S.C. §§ 1472-1473 Death resulting from aircraft hijacking.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 10
Authorized methods of execution in 2019
sentencing. Five states authorized alternative methods
Methods of execution are dened by statute and vary
by jurisdiction. In 2019, all 32 states with a death
penalty statute authorized lethal injection as a method
of execution (table 4). Fieen states also authorized
an alternative method of execution: electrocution
(9states), lethal gas (3), hanging (2), ring squad (3),
and nitrogen hypoxia (3).
In states that authorized multiple methods of
execution, the condemned prisoner usually selected
the method. Five states (Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky,
Tennessee, and Utah) stipulated which method must
be used depending on the date of either the oense or
if lethal injection was ruled to be unconstitutional:
Delaware authorized hanging; Mississippi and
Oklahoma authorized electrocution, ring squad, or
nitrogen hypoxia; Utah authorized ring squad; and
Wyoming authorized lethal gas.
Federal prisoners are executed by lethal injection,
pursuant to 28 CFR Part 26. For oenses prosecuted
under the federal Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994, the law of the state in which
the conviction took place determines the method used
(18 U.S.C. § 3596).
Advance count of executions in 2020
The Bureau of Justice Statistics gathers information
following each execution to provide the most recent
data on capital punishment in advance of the annual
data collection. The data include the date, jurisdiction,
FIGURE 5
Advance count of executions, January 1, 2020–
December 31, 2020
and method of execution, and the race and Hispanic
Jurisdiction
origin for each person executed.
From January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, ve states
and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) executed
17prisoners, which was 5 fewer than the number
executed in 2019 (gure 5). The BOP executed the
largest number of prisoners (10) during this period,
followed by Texas (3).
Sixteen of the executions in 2020 were by lethal
injection, while 1 (in Tennessee) was by electrocution.
Ten of those executed were white, 5 were black, 1 was
Hispanic, and 1 was American Indian. No females were
executed during this period.
Complete data for 2020 will appear in Capital
Punishment, 2020. This annual report will consist of data
collected from state and federal correctional agencies.
The report will cover all persons under sentence of
death on December 31, 2020, as well as those removed
from under sentence of death during the year.
Total
Federal
Texas
Alabama
Georgia
Missouri
Tennessee
(17)
0 5 10 15 20
(10)
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Number of executions
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics
program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 11
TABLE 4
Authorized method of execution, by state, 2019
Jurisdiction Lethal injection
a
Electrocution Lethal gas Hanging
a
Firing squad Nitrogen hypoxia
Total 32 9 3 2 3 3
Alabama
Arizona
b
Arkansas
c
California
d
Colorado
Delaware
e
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
f
Louisiana
Mississippi
g
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
g
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
h
Tennessee
i
Texas
Utah
j
Virginia
Washington
Wyoming
k
Note: The method of execution of federal prisoners is lethal injection, pursuant to 28 C.F.R. Part 26. For oenses prosecuted under the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the execution method is that of the state in which the conviction took place (18 U.S.C. § 3596).
a
Counts exclude New Hampshire, which repealed the death penalty eective May 30, 2019. The one male prisoner remaining under sentence of death
is subject to execution by lethal injection or by hanging if lethal injection cannot be given.
b
Authorizes lethal injection for persons sentenced after November 23, 1992. Prisoners sentenced before that date may select lethal injection or gas.
c
Authorizes lethal injection for persons whose oense occurred on or after July 4, 1983. Prisoners whose oense occurred before that date may select
lethal injection or electrocution. Electrocution is the authorized method if lethal injection is invalidated by an unappealable court order.
d
Both lethal injection and lethal gas are authorized by statute (Cal. Pen. Code 3604). However, use of lethal gas was invalided by a federal court (Fierro
v. Terhune, 147 F.3d 1158, 1160 (9th Cir. 1998)).
e
Authorizes hanging if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction.
f
Authorizes lethal injection for persons sentenced on or after March 31, 1998. Prisoners sentenced before that date may select lethal injection
orelectrocution.
g
Authorizes nitrogen hypoxia if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional, electrocution if both lethal injection and nitrogen hypoxia are held to
be unconstitutional, and ring squad if all other methods are held to be unconstitutional.
h
Any person sentenced to death prior to July 1, 2017, may choose to be executed in the manner provided by South Dakota law at the time of the
persons conviction or sentence.
i
Authorizes lethal injection for persons whose capital oense occurred after December 31, 1998. Prisoners whose oense occurred before that date
may select electrocution by written waiver. Electrocution is the authorized method if a court or the commissioner of corrections determines that lethal
injection cannot be given. If both methods are ruled unconstitutional, state law allows for the use of any method that is constitutional.
j
Authorizes ring squad if lethal injection is held unconstitutional. Prisoners who selected execution by ring squad prior to May 3, 2004, may still be
entitled to execution by that method.
k
Authorizes lethal gas if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics Program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 12
Methodology
e Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collects
information about capital punishment each year
through the National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8). BJS collects this data series in two parts:
Data on persons under sentence of death are
obtained from the department of corrections in each
jurisdiction that authorizes capital punishment.
e status of death penalty statutes is obtained
from the Oce of the Attorney General in each of
the 50states, the Oce of the U.S. Attorney in the
District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of
Prisons for the federal government.
Data collection forms are available on the BJS website
at www.bjs.ojp.gov.
e NPS-8 covers all persons under sentence of
death at any time during the year who were held in a
state or federal nonmilitary correctional facility. is
includes capital oenders transferred from prison to
a mental institution and those who may have escaped
from custody. It excludes persons sentenced to death
under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and those
whose death sentences have been overturned by a
court or an executive action, regardless of their current
incarceration status.
Statistics in this report may dier from data collected
by other organizations for various reasons:
e NPS-8 adds prisoners to the population under
sentence of death at the time they are admitted to a
state or federal correctional facility, not at the time
they are sentenced.
If prisoners entered prison under a death sentence or
were reported as being relieved of a death sentence
in one year but the admission or removal occurred
in a previous year, counts are adjusted to reect the
actual date of sentence or removal.
NPS-8 counts are for the last day of the calendar year
and will dier from counts for more recent periods.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 13
TABLE 5
Prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2018 and 2019
Removed from death
Region and
jurisdiction
Prisoners under sentence
of death, 12/31/18
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
Received under sentence
of death, 2019
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
row (excluding
executions), 2019
a
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
Executed, 2019
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
Prisoners under sentence
of death, 12/31/19
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
U.S. total 2,626 1,470 1,091 31 20 11 65 32 31 22 15 7 2,570 1,443 1,064
Federal
d
61 35 25 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 61 35 25
State 2,565 1,435 1,066 30 20 10 64 32 30 22 15 7 2,509 1,408 1,039
Northeast 143 65 75 1 1 0 9 2 6 0 0 0 135 64 69
New Hampshire 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pennsylvania 142 65 74 1 1 0 9 2 6 0 0 0 134 64 68
Midwest 195 101 93 6 3 3 7 5 2 2 2 0 192 97 94
Indiana 9 7 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 6 2
Kansas 10 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 7 3
Missouri 25 18 7 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 22 15 7
Nebraska 12 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 9 3
Ohio 137 58 78 6 3 3 4 2 2 0 0 0 139 59 79
South Dakota 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0
South 1,248 652 578 21 14 7 28 10 17 20 13 7 1,221 643 561
Alabama 176 88 88 3 2 1 1 0 1 3 2 1 175 88 87
Arkansas 31 16 15 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 30 15 15
Delaware 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Florida 344 215 128 6 5 1 8 5 2 2 2 0 340 213 127
Georgia 50 23 27 1 0 1 2 0 2 3 0 3 46 23 23
Kentucky 30 25 5 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 0 0 27 24 3
Louisiana 69 23 46 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 68 23 45
Mississippi 43 18 24 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 0 0 40 17 22
North Carolina 140 56 77 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 143 58 78
Oklahoma 47 22 21 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 46 22 20
South Carolina 35 16 19 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 36 17 19
Tennessee 58 29 28 0 0 0 3 1 2 3 3 0 52 25 26
Texas 223 121 98 5 4 1 3 1 2 9 6 3 216 118 94
Virginia 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
West 979 617 320 2 2 0 20 15 5 0 0 0 961 604 315
Arizona 116 89 20 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 116 89 20
California 735 436 268 1 1 0 12 8 4 0 0 0 724 429 264
Colorado 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3
Idaho 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 0
Montana 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0
Nevada 74 46 26 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 71 44 25
New Mexico 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Oregon 30 27 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 29 26 2
Utah 8 6 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 5 1
Washington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wyoming 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Note: Some counts for year-end 2018 are revised from those reported in Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables (NCJ 254786, BJS, September 2020). The
revised counts include 3 prisoners who were either reported late to the National Prisoner Statistics program or were not in the custody of state correctional
authorities on December 31, 2018 (1 each in the Nebraska, Tennessee, and Nevada). The revised counts exclude 5 prisoners who were relieved of a death
sentence before December 31, 2018 (2 in Nevada and 1 each in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California).
a
Includes 15 deaths from natural causes (6 in California, 2 in Mississippi, and 1 each in Ohio, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, and Utah), 2deaths
by suicide (1 each in California and Nevada), and 3 deaths resulting from acute drug toxicity (2 in California and 1 in Oklahoma).
b
Includes American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Other Pacic Islanders.
c
Includes persons of Hispanic origin.
d
Excludes persons held under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Armed Forces with a military death sentence for murder.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 14
TABLE 6
Demographic characteristics of prisoners under sentence of death, 2019
Demographic characteristic Total, 12/31/19 Admissions Removals
Total 2,570 31 87
Sex
Male 98.0% 96.8% 98.9%
Female 2.0 3.2 1.1
Race
White
a
56.1% 64.5% 54.0%
Black
a
41.4 35.5 43.7
American Indian/
AlaskaNative
a
0.8 0.0 0.0
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacic Islander
a,b
1.6 0.0 2.3
Ethnicity
c
Hispanic 15.1% 11.1% 10.3%
Non-Hispanic 84.9 88.9 89.7
Age
18–19 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
20–24 0.1 0.0 0.0
25–29 1.4 19.4 0.0
30–34 4.7 22.6 1.1
35–39 8.4 32.3 8.0
40–44 13.7 9.7 10.3
45–49 16.8 9.7 25.3
50–54 16.5 3.2 12.6
55–59 15.9 3.2 12.6
60–64 11.3 0.0 9.2
65 or older 11.1 0.0 20.7
Average age
Mean 51 yrs. 36 yrs. 54 yrs.
Median 51 36 52
Education
d
8th grade or less 11.8% 31.3% 17.1%
9th–11th grade 34.8 18.8 27.6
High school graduate/GED 44.3 37.5 43.4
Any college 9.1 12.5 11.8
Median education level 12th grade 12th grade 12th grade
Marital status
e
Married 21.3% 22.2% 22.5%
Divorced/separated 19.6 27.8 17.5
Widowed 3.6 0.0 3.8
Never married 55.5 50.0 56.3
Note: Percentages are based on prisoners for whom data were reported. Details may not sum to totals due to
rounding. See appendix table 1 for counts.
a
Includes persons of Hispanic origin.
b
Includes 36 Asians and 6 Native Hawaiians or Other Pacic Islanders at year-end 2019. Two Asian prisoners were
removed during 2019.
c
Excludes 232 prisoners from total year-end, 4 admissions, and 9 removals because ethnicity was unknown.
d
Excludes 547 prisoners from total year-end, 15 admissions, and 11 removals because education level was
unknown.
e
Excludes 376 prisoners from total year-end, 13 admissions, and 7 removals because marital status was unknown.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 15
TABLE 7
Female prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2018 and 2019
Female prisoners Female prisoners
under sentence of Received under sentence under sentence of
death, 12/31/18
a
of death, 2019 Removed from death row, 2019 death, 12/31/19
Region and
jurisdiction Total
b
White
c
Black
c
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
Total
b
White
c
Black
c
U.S. total 52 39 10 1 0 1 1 1 0 52 38 11
Federal 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
State 51 38 10 1 0 1 1 1 0 51 37 11
Midwest 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Ohio 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
South 22 14 7 1 0 1 0 0 0 23 14 8
Alabama 5 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 4 1
Florida 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 2
Georgia 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
Kentucky 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Louisiana 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Mississippi 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
North Carolina 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1
Oklahoma 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Tennessee 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Texas 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 2
West 28 23 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 27 22 3
Arizona 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0
California 23 18 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 22 17 3
Idaho 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Oregon 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
a
Counts of female prisoners under sentence of death at year-end 2018 have been revised from those reported in Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical
Tables (NCJ 254786, BJS, September 2020). The revised counts exclude one female prisoner in Indiana who was relieved of a death sentence before
December 31, 2018.
b
Includes American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Other Pacic Islanders.
c
Includes persons of Hispanic origin.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 16
TABLE 8
Hispanic prisoners under sentence of death, by region and jurisdiction, 2018 and 2019
Hispanic prisoners Received under Removed from death
under sentence sentence row (excluding
Region and jurisdiction of death, 12/31/18 of death, 2019 executions), 2019 Executed, 2019
Hispanic prisoners
under sentence
of death, 12/31/19
U.S. total 359 3 7 1 354
Federal 7 0 0 0 7
State 352 3 7 1 347
Northeast 16 0 2 0 14
Pennsylvania 16 0 2 0 14
Midwest 10 0 0 0 10
Nebraska 6 0 0 0 6
Ohio 4 0 0 0 4
South 96 2 2 1 95
Alabama 1 0 0 0 1
Arkansas 1 0 1 0 0
Florida 22 0 0 0 22
Georgia 2 0 0 0 2
Louisiana 2 0 0 0 2
Mississippi 1 0 0 0 1
North Carolina 3 0 0 0 3
Oklahoma 1 0 0 0 1
South Carolina 1 0 0 0 1
Tennessee 1 0 0 0 1
Texas 61 2 1 1 61
West 230 1 3 0 228
Arizona 24 0 0 0 24
California 193 1 2 0 192
Idaho 1 0 0 0 1
Nevada 7 0 1 0 6
Oregon 3 0 0 0 3
Utah 2 0 0 0 2
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 17
TABLE 9
Criminal history of prisoners under sentence of death, by race or ethnicity, 2019
All prisoners
a
White
b
Black
b
Hispanic
U.S. total 100% 100% 100% 100%
Prior felony convictions
c
Yes 67.8% 64.0% 73.1% 65.4%
No 32.2 36.0 26.9 34.6
Prior homicide convictions
d
Yes 9.5% 9.4% 10.1% 9.1%
No 90.5 90.6 89.9 90.9
Legal status at time of capital oense
e
Charges pending 8.3% 9.9% 7.6% 5.9%
Probation 11.3 10.0 11.4 14.2
Parole 16.0 13.7 17.8 17.6
On escape 1.2 1.6 0.9 0.9
Incarcerated 4.4 5.8 3.5 3.4
Other status 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3
None 58.8 59.0 58.8 57.6
Note: Percentages are based on prisoners for whom data were reported. Details may not sum to totals due torounding.
a
Includes American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Other Pacic Islanders.
b
Excludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white refers to non-Hispanic whites and black refers to non-Hispanicblacks).
c
Excludes 202 prisoners because data were not reported.
d
Excludes 33 prisoners because data were not reported.
e
Excludes 296 prisoners because data were not reported.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 18
TABLE 10
Prisoners under sentence of death on December 31, 2019, by year of sentencing
Jurisdiction
1976–
1980
Year of sentence for prisoners under sentence of death, 12/31/2019
1981– 1985– 1989– 1993– 1997– 2001– 2005– 2009– 2013–
1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2017 2018 2019
Under sentence
of death,
12/31/19
Average years
under sentence of
death, 12/31/19
U.S. total 21 85 151 244 397 419 288 342 308 208 36 40 31 2,570 18.7
Florida 8 17 20 45 48 51 22 40 44 29 3 7 6 340 19.5
California 5 39 59 94 115 126 59 71 81 61 9 4 1 724 20.4
Texas 4 1 8 12 20 35 41 28 27 25 4 6 5 216 16.0
Nevada 1 7 8 3 17 10 3 6 6 5 4 1 0 71 21.0
Kentucky 1 4 4 1 3 7 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 27 24.4
Arizona 1 3 4 12 16 6 10 18 32 7 4 2 1 116 16.4
Arkansas 1 0 0 2 7 3 3 5 2 4 1 2 0 30 16.5
Ohio 0 3 14 14 19 19 19 13 13 14 1 4 6 139 18.2
Pennsylvania 0 2 11 15 23 19 15 17 17 11 2 1 1 134 18.9
Tennessee 0 2 5 9 8 9 7 3 6 2 0 1 0 52 21.4
Alabama 0 2 4 10 24 31 19 36 24 17 2 3 3 175 16.2
South Carolina 0 2 0 1 2 6 9 11 2 1 0 0 2 36 16.6
Missouri 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 11 2 3 0 1 0 22 14.4
Mississippi 0 1 0 4 6 5 8 3 7 3 1 2 0 40 16.8
Montana 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 :
Louisiana 0 0 4 4 12 22 8 6 8 3 0 1 0 68 19.2
Georgia 0 0 3 3 7 11 4 10 5 2 0 0 1 46 18.4
Utah 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 :
North Carolina 0 0 1 7 51 39 19 13 7 3 0 0 3 143 20.4
Idaho 0 0 1 2 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 :
Oklahoma 0 0 1 1 3 5 10 14 3 5 2 1 1 46 13.8
Oregon 0 0 0 2 6 7 3 4 7 0 0 0 0 29 17.8
Federal 0 0 0 0 3 5 17 18 7 6 2 2 1 61 13.3
Indiana 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 8 :
Nebraska 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 2 0 1 2 0 12 11.5
Colorado 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 :
Kansas 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 2 0 0 0 10 11.4
Virginia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 :
New Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 :
South Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 :
Note: For persons sentenced to death more than once, counts are based on the year of the most recent death sentence.
:Not calculated. A reliable average cannot be calculated from fewer than 10 cases.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 19
TABLE 11
Prisoners removed from under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and method of removal, 2019
Appeals court or higher court overturned—
Region and Sentence
jurisdiction Total Execution Other death* commuted
Capital Capital Death
statute conviction sentence
U.S. total 87 22 20 2 2 19 22
Federal 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
State 86 22 20 2 2 19 21
Northeast 9 0 0 0 0 1 8
Pennsylvania 9 0 0 0 0 1 8
Midwest 9 2 1 0 0 1 5
Indiana 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Missouri 3 1 0 0 0 0 2
Ohio 4 0 1 0 0 1 2
South Dakota 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
South 48 20 7 2 0 14 5
Alabama 4 3 0 0 0 1 0
Arkansas 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Florida 10 2 1 0 0 7 0
Georgia 5 3 0 0 0 0 2
Kentucky 3 0 0 2 0 1 0
Louisiana 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Mississippi 3 0 2 0 0 1 0
Oklahoma 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
South Carolina 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Tennessee 6 3 1 0 0 1 1
Texas 12 9 1 0 0 1 1
West 20 0 12 0 2 3 3
Arizona 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
California 12 0 9 0 0 1 2
Nevada 3 0 1 0 0 1 1
New Mexico 2 0 0 0 2 0 0
Oregon 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Utah 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
*In 2019, other deaths were due to natural causes, suicide, and acute drug toxicity.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 20
TABLE 12 TABLE 13
Average elapsed time between sentencing and Number of prisoners executed, by race or ethnicity,
execution, 1977–2019 1977–2019
Average elapsed time All
Year
a
Executions from sentence to execution
b
Year
a
executions White
b
Black
b
Hispanic Other
b,c
Total 1,512 146 mos. Total 1,512 850 515 133 14
1977 1 : 1977 1 1 0 0 0
1979 2 : 1979 2 2 0 0 0
1981 1 : 1981 1 1 0 0 0
1982 2 : 1982 2 1 1 0 0
1983 5 : 1983 5 4 1 0 0
1984 21 74 1984 21 13 8 0 0
1985 18 71 1985 18 9 7 2 0
1986 18 87 1986 18 9 7 2 0
1987 25 86 1987 25 11 11 3 0
1988 11 80 1988 11 6 5 0 0
1989 16 95 1989 16 6 8 2 0
1990 23 95 1990 23 16 7 0 0
1991 14 116 1991 14 6 7 1 0
1992 31 114 1992 31 17 11 2 1
1993 38 113 1993 38 19 14 4 1
1994 31 122 1994 31 19 11 1 0
1995 56 134 1995 56 31 22 2 1
1996 45 125 1996 45 29 14 2 0
1997 74 133 1997 74 41 26 5 2
1998 68 130 1998 68 40 18 8 2
1999 98 143 1999 98 53 33 9 3
2000 85 137 2000 85 43 35 6 1
2001 66 142 2001 66 45 17 3 1
2002 71 127 2002 71 47 18 6 0
2003 65 131 2003 65 41 20 3 1
2004 59 132 2004 59 36 19 3 1
2005 60 147 2005 60 38 19 3 0
2006 53 145 2006 53 25 20 8 0
2007 42 153 2007 42 22 14 6 0
2008 37 139 2008 37 17 17 3 0
2009 52 169 2009 52 24 21 7 0
2010 46 178 2010 46 28 13 5 0
2011 43 198 2011 43 22 16 5 0
2012 43 190 2012 43 25 11 7 0
2013 39 186 2013 39 23 13 3 0
2014 35 218 2014 35 12 18 5 0
2015 28 195 2015 28 11 10 7 0
2016 20 204 2016 20 16 2 2 0
2017 23 243 2017 23 13 8 2 0
2018 25 238 2018 25 14 6 5 0
2019 22 264 2019 22 14 7 1 0
Note: In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated capital punishment Note: In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated capital punishment
statutes in several states (Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972)), statutes in several states (Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972)),
eecting a moratorium on executions. Executions resumed in 1977 eecting a moratorium on executions. Executions resumed in 1977
when the court found that revisions to statutes in several states had when the court found that revisions to statutes in several states had
eectively addressed the matters previously held unconstitutional eectively addressed the matters previously held unconstitutional
(Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) and its companion cases). (Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) and its companion cases).
:Not calculated. A reliable average cannot be calculated from fewer than
a
No executions were carried out in 1978 or 1980.
10 cases.
b
Excludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white refers to
a
No executions were carried out in 1978 or 1980. non-Hispanic whites and black refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
b
Average time was calculated from the most recent sentencing date.
c
Includes American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians, Native
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
Hawaiians, or Other Pacic Islanders.
(NPS-8), 1977–2019. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8), 1977–2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 21
TABLE 14
Number of executions, by method and jurisdiction, 1977–2019
Jurisdiction All methods Lethal injection Electrocution Lethal gas Hanging Firing squad
U.S. total 1,512 1,333 162 11 3 3
Federal 3 3 0 0 0 0
Alabama 66 42 24 0 0 0
Arizona 37 35 0 2 0 0
Arkansas 31 30 1 0 0 0
California 13 11 0 2 0 0
Colorado 1 1 0 0 0 0
Connecticut 1 1 0 0 0 0
Delaware 16 15 0 0 1 0
Florida 99 55 44 0 0 0
Georgia 75 52 23 0 0 0
Idaho 3 3 0 0 0 0
Illinois 12 12 0 0 0 0
Indiana 20 17 3 0 0 0
Kentucky 3 2 1 0 0 0
Louisiana 28 8 20 0 0 0
Maryland 5 5 0 0 0 0
Mississippi 21 17 0 4 0 0
Missouri 89 89 0 0 0 0
Montana 3 3 0 0 0 0
Nebraska 4 1 3 0 0 0
Nevada 12 11 0 1 0 0
New Mexico 1 1 0 0 0 0
North Carolina 43 41 0 2 0 0
Ohio 56 56 0 0 0 0
Oklahoma 112 112 0 0 0 0
Oregon 2 2 0 0 0 0
Pennsylvania 3 3 0 0 0 0
South Carolina 43 36 7 0 0 0
South Dakota 5 5 0 0 0 0
Tennessee 12 7 5 0 0 0
Texas 567 567 0 0 0 0
Utah 7 4 0 0 0 3
Virginia 113 82 31 0 0 0
Washington 5 3 0 0 2 0
Wyoming 1 1 0 0 0 0
Note: In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated capital punishment statutes in several states (Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972)), eecting a
moratorium on executions. Executions resumed in 1977 when the court found that revisions to statutes in several states had eectively addressed the
matters previously held unconstitutional (Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) and its companion cases).
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1977–2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 22
TABLE 15
Number of executions, by jurisdiction, 1930–2019 and
1977–2019
Jurisdiction Since 1930 Since 1977
U.S. total 5,371 1,512
Texas 864 567
Georgia 441 75
New York 329 0
North Carolina 306 43
California 305 13
Florida 269 99
Ohio 228 56
Virginia 205 113
South Carolina 205 43
Alabama 201 66
Mississippi 175 21
Oklahoma 172 112
Louisiana 161 28
Pennsylvania 155 3
Missouri 151 89
Arkansas 149 31
Kentucky 106 3
Tennessee 105 12
Illinois 102 12
Arizona 75 37
New Jersey 74 0
Maryland 73 5
Indiana 61 20
Washington 52 5
Colorado 48 1
Nevada 41 12
District of Columbia 40 0
West Virginia 40 0
Federal 36 3
Delaware 28 16
Massachusetts 27 0
Connecticut 22 1
Oregon 21 2
Utah 20 7
Iowa 18 0
Kansas 15 0
Montana 9 3
New Mexico 9 1
Nebraska 8 4
Wyoming 8 1
South Dakota 6 5
Idaho 6 3
Vermont 4 0
New Hampshire 1 0
Note: Excludes 160 executions carried out by military authorities
between 1930 and 1961. The federal government has collected data on
executions under civil authority annually since 1930.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program
(NPS-8), 1930–2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 23
APPENDIX TABLE 1
Demographic characteristics for prisoners under sentence of death, 2019
Demographic characteristic Total, 12/31/19 Admissions Removals
Total
Sex
Male
Female
Race
White
Black
American Indian/
AlaskaNative
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacic Islander
Ethnicity
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
Unknown
Age
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65 or older
Education
8th grade or less
9th–11th grade
High school graduate/GED
Any college
Unknown
Marital status
Married
Divorced/separated
Widowed
Never married
Unknown
2,570
2,518
52
1,443
1,064
21
42
354
1,984
232
0
3
37
122
217
353
433
423
408
290
284
238
703
897
185
547
467
431
79
1,217
376
31 87
30 86
1 1
20 47
11 38
0 0
0 2
3 8
24 70
4 9
0 0
0 0
6 0
7 1
10 7
3 9
3 22
1 11
1 11
0 8
0 18
5 13
3 21
6 33
2 9
15 11
4 18
5 14
0 3
9 45
13 7
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 24
APPENDIX TABLE 2
Counts for gure 1: Number of prisoners under sentence of death, 1953–2019
Year Prisoners Year Prisoners Year Prisoners
1953 131 1976 420 1999 3,540
1954 147 1977 423 2000 3,601
1955 125 1978 482 2001 3,577
1956 146 1979 593 2002 3,562
1957 151 1980 692 2003 3,377
1958 147 1981 860 2004 3,320
1959 164 1982 1,066 2005 3,245
1960 212 1983 1,209 2006 3,233
1961 257 1984 1,420 2007 3,215
1962 267 1985 1,575 2008 3,210
1963 297 1986 1,800 2009 3,173
1964 315 1987 1,967 2010 3,139
1965 331 1988 2,117 2011 3,065
1966 406 1989 2,243 2012 3,011
1967 435 1990 2,346 2013 2,983
1968 517 1991 2,465 2014 2,942
1969 575 1992 2,580 2015 2,872
1970 631 1993 2,727 2016 2,797
1971 642 1994 2,905 2017 2,703
1972 334 1995 3,064 2018 2,626
1973 134 1996 3,242 2019 2,570
1974 244 1997 3,328
1975 488 1998 3,465
Note: Data on the number of prisoners under sentence of death at year-end have been collected since 1953.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1953–2019.
APPENDIX TABLE 3
Counts for gure 2: Admissions to and removals from under sentence of death, 1973–2019
Year Admissions Removals Year Admissions Removals Year Admissions Removals
1973 44 240 1989 275 149 2005 143 216
1974 161 55 1990 270 152 2006 126 146
1975 318 67 1991 284 159 2007 129 140
1976 249 317 1992 300 173 2008 122 137
1977 159 156 1993 299 162 2009 118 166
1978 211 150 1994 330 153 2010 116 143
1979 172 61 1995 325 171 2011 84 155
1980 202 101 1996 323 155 2012 85 124
1981 249 84 1997 282 187 2013 85 118
1982 287 79 1998 312 175 2014 70 116
1983 266 123 1999 287 220 2015 54 122
1984 306 90 2000 235 173 2016 33 99
1985 292 130 2001 164 194 2017 37 133
1986 319 109 2002 172 191 2018 41 117
1987 311 142 2003 157 348 2019 31 87
1988 317 165 2004 139 197
Note: Removals can be due to any cause, including execution, other death, or appeal.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1973–2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 25
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
APPENDIX TABLE 4
Counts for gure 3: Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in the United States, 1930–2019
Year Executions Year Executions Year Executions
155
56 23
1931 153
1961 42 1991 14
1932 140
1962 47 1992 31
1933 160
1963 21 1993 38
1934 168
1964 15 1994 31
199
7 56
1936 195
1966 1 1996 45
1937 147
1967 2 1997 74
1938 190
1968 0 1998 68
1939 160
1969 0 1999 98
124
0 85
1941 123
1971 0 2001 66
1942 147
1972 0 2002 71
1943 131
1973 0 2003 65
1944 120
1974 0 2004 59
117
0 60
1946 131
1976 0 2006 53
1947 153
1977 1 2007 42
1948 119
1978 0 2008 37
1949 119
1979 2 2009 52
82
0 46
1951 105
1981 1 2011 43
1952 83
1982 2 2012 43
1953 62
1983 5 2013 39
1954 81
1984 21 2014 35
76
18 28
1956 65
1986 18 2016 20
1957 65
1987 25 2017 23
1958 49
1988 11 2018 25
1959 49
1989 16 2019 22
Note: Excludes 160 executions carried out by military authorities from 1930 to 1961.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1930–2019.
Capital Punishment, 2019 – Statistical Tables | June 2021 26
APPENDIX TABLE 5
Counts for gure 4: Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race, 1968–2019
Year White
a
Black
a
Other
a,b
Year White
a
Black
a
Other
a,b
1968 243 271 3 1994 1,653 1,203 49
1969 263 310 2 1995 1,732 1,284 48
1970 293 335 3 1996 1,833 1,358 51
1971 306 332 4 1997 1,864 1,408 56
1972 167 166 1 1998 1,917 1,489 59
1973 64 68 2 1999 1,960 1,515 65
1974 110 128 6 2000 1,989 1,541 71
1975 218 262 8 2001 1,968 1,538 71
1976 225 195 0 2002 1,939 1,551 72
1977 229 192 2 2003 1,882 1,417 78
1978 281 197 4 2004 1,856 1,390 74
1979 354 236 3 2005 1,802 1,366 77
1980 424 264 4 2006 1,806 1,353 74
1981 499 353 8 2007 1,806 1,338 71
1982 613 441 12 2008 1,795 1,343 72
1983 692 505 12 2009 1,779 1,318 76
1984 806 598 16 2010 1,743 1,309 87
1985 896 664 15 2011 1,721 1,274 70
1986 1,013 762 25 2012 1,684 1,258 69
1987 1,128 813 26 2013 1,670 1,251 62
1988 1,235 848 34 2014 1,647 1,233 62
1989 1,308 898 37 2015 1,606 1,202 64
1990 1,368 940 38 2016 1,553 1,179 65
1991 1,449 979 37 2017 1,508 1,129 66
1992 1,511 1,031 38 2018 1,470 1,091 65
1993 1,575 1,111 41 2019 1,443 1,064 63
Note: Data on Hispanic origin was not collected prior to 1977.
a
Includes persons of Hispanic origin.
b
Includes American Indians or Alaska Natives; Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Other Pacic Islanders; and persons for whom only ethnicity was identied.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1968–2019.
Oce of Justice Programs
Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice
www.ojp.gov
e Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the
principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal
victimization, criminal oenders, 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.
is report was written by Tracy L. Snell. Todd D. Minton, Lauren G.
Beatty, and Stephanie Mueller veried the report.
Eric Hendrixson edited the report. Carrie Epps-Carey produced the report.
June 2021, NCJ 300381