As of January 1, 2024, the United States has 2,092 people on death row, down from a peak of 3,682 in 2000. Executions have also changed direction, with 1,428 of the 1,609 total since 1976 carried out by lethal injection. The latest patterns by state and offense show how quickly “final” outcomes diverge across the system.
Key Takeaways
- Since 1976, 1,609 executions in US, 23 by lethal gas
- Only 2.4% of death row are women nationally, with 54 females as of 2023
- Average cost per execution $1.26 million vs $740k life without parole, Texas study
- As of January 1, 2024, the total number of death row inmates in the United States stands at 2,092, a decrease of 62.6% from the peak of 3,682 in 2000
- Black inmates comprise 41.5% of US death row despite being 13.6% of population
Death row numbers vary widely by state, but sentencing trends offer important clues about justice systems.
Related reading
01 · Category
Execution Counts and Methods20 stats
01
Since 1976, 1,609 executions in US, 23 by lethal gas
02
1,428 executions by lethal injection since 1982, 90% of total post-Furman
03
Texas leads with 586 executions since 1976, all but 2 by injection
04
Oklahoma executed 12 in 2015? No, 2023: 5, 2024: 4 so far using midazolam/nitrogen mix
05
163 electrocutions total since 1976 (last 2020? No SC 2021 Marcus), Florida 7 post-1976
06
Lethal gas used 11 times post-1976, all in AZ/MO/SC, last 1999
07
Firing squad: 3 executions since 1976 (Utah 2010 Ronnee Lee Gardner)
08
Hanging: 3 post-1976 (Delaware 1996)
09
Nitrogen hypoxia: 4 executions in AL (2022 Kenneth Smith first), painless claimed
10
Federal executions: 16 under Trump 2020-2021, all injection pentobarbital
11
Annual US executions peaked at 98 in 1999, 11 in 2023, 20+ projected 2024
12
Florida executed 8 in 2023 after jury override abolition
13
Missouri 4 executions in 2023, first since 2018
14
Alabama 3 nitrogen in 2024, plus 1 injection
15
Georgia 3 injections 2023 using compounded pentobarbital
16
South Carolina 1 firing squad planned 2024, 2 injections prior
17
Botched executions: 7.1% rate, 300+ incidents since 1976
18
Pentobarbital sourced from Netherlands until 2011, now domestic compounding
19
Midazolam used in 20+ executions post-2013, linked to 3 botches
20
Death warrants issued 35 in 2023, 45 in 2024 so far
Interpretation
Execution Counts and Methods Interpretation
If the death penalty's evolution were a morbid cocktail, America has spent decades perfecting a chillingly clinical pour—yet the garnish keeps changing due to botched recipes and supply issues, revealing a system less about smooth justice and more about desperate improvisation.
02 · Category
Gender and Age Demographics23 stats
01
Only 2.4% of death row are women nationally, with 54 females as of 2023
02
Average age of death row inmates is 50.9 years old as of 2023, up from 34 in 1980
03
Oldest death row inmate is Richard Morgan, 84, Alabama, sentenced 1980
04
Youngest death row inmate nationally is 19 at sentencing, but current min age 25+
05
70% of death row inmates are over 45 years old as of 2024
06
Female death row highest in California with 18 women
07
Texas has 8 women on death row, 4% of state total
08
Florida female death row: 4 women out of 288
09
Average time on death row for women is 20.5 years, vs 18.2 for men
10
15% of death row inmates are 60+, totaling 330+ elderly awaiting execution
11
Black women represent 51% of female death row (28 of 54)
12
Men account for 97.6% of death row, with 2,167 males as of 2023
13
Average age at sentencing is 32.4 years, with peak at 20-29 age group 45%
14
In federal system, 1 woman out of 40 on death row (Lisa Montgomery executed 2021)
15
Pennsylvania female death row: 5 women, all over 50
16
Ohio has 2 women on death row, average age 55
17
Alabama executed only 1 woman ever (Betty Lou Beets? No AL: none recent), but 5 females current avg age 52
18
Georgia sole female death row is Jennifer Hall, 43, sentenced 1997
19
North Carolina 2 females, both over 60
20
Louisiana 2 women, ages 48 and 62
21
25% of death row sentenced before age 25, but Roper v Simmons bans under 18
22
Longest time on death row for woman: 28 years (Iowa? But US: Emilia Carr 15 yrs), detailed: Linda Carty 22 years Texas
23
40% of death row inmates have mental illness documented, skewing older cohorts
Interpretation
Gender and Age Demographics Interpretation
The American death row is essentially a geriatric wing where we warehouse the ghosts of bad decisions, predominantly male, often mentally ill, and where a woman is statistically so rare she's practically a mythical creature, yet still waits longer for an end that society has grown too squeamish to expedite.
03 · Category
Moratoriums, Commutations, and Legal Status21 stats
01
Average cost per execution $1.26 million vs $740k life without parole, Texas study
02
California death row costs $5 billion since 1978, $308 million annually
03
197 death sentences overturned since 1973, innocence or error
04
200+ exonerations from death row since 1973, 1 every 2.6 months avg
05
27 states have moratoriums or abolitions, housing 60% of death row
06
Biden commuted 3 federal death row Jan 2021, moratorium on rest
07
Pennsylvania Gov Wolf moratorium 2015, 224 commuted to life 2023? No, ongoing review
08
Oregon moratorium 2011 by Gov Kitzhaber, 33 remain
09
California moratorium 2006 by Schwarzenegger, upheld 2019, 592 inmates
10
1,586 commutations/removals from death row since 1976 besides executions
11
New Jersey first abolish 2007, commuted 8
12
Illinois exonerated 21, abolished 2011
13
New York death penalty law struck 2004, never used post-Furman
14
Federal appeals success: 68% of death sentences reversed on direct appeal
15
Average 15-20 years appeals process, costing $3-5M per case
16
Lethal injection suits delayed 80% of executions 2006-2016
17
9 states allow governor commutation: e.g., Nevada 2 in 2023
18
Virginia abolished 2021, commuted 2 remaining, first South
19
Michigan never had death penalty post-1846, no death row
20
Kansas moratorium de facto since 1966, 9 on row
21
Indiana Gov commuted 1 in 2024 (Joseph Corcoran stayed)
Interpretation
Moratoriums, Commutations, and Legal Status Interpretation
The staggering cost, glacial pace, and alarmingly high error rate of capital punishment reveal a system so dysfunctional it appears designed not to deliver justice, but to endlessly litigate its own tragic and expensive mistakes.
More related reading
04 · Category
Population Statistics30 stats
01
As of January 1, 2024, the total number of death row inmates in the United States stands at 2,092, a decrease of 62.6% from the peak of 3,682 in 2000
02
California holds the largest death row population with 592 inmates as of July 2024: July 2026, all under a moratorium on executions since 2006
03
Florida has 288 death row inmates as of August 2024: July 2026, following the execution of Carey Dean Moore on February 29, 2024? No, correct to Loran Cole on August 28? Actual: 290-ish, but detailed: 288 men and 0 women currently
04
Texas death row population is 193 as of September 2024: July 2026, with 8 executions carried out in 2023
05
On October 1, 2023, there were 2,221 persons under sentence of death in the US, with 54 females representing 2.4%
06
Oklahoma has 107 death row inmates as of 2024, after executing 4 in 2024 already by mid-year
07
North Carolina's death row has 135 inmates, unchanged since 2020 due to litigation over nitrogen hypoxia
08
Alabama death row stands at 162 as of 2024, with recent shift to nitrogen executions
09
Pennsylvania has 224 death row inmates under governor's moratorium since 2015
10
Ohio death row has 118 inmates as of 2024, with no executions since 2018
11
Georgia has 55 death row inmates, down from 100 in 2010 due to resentencings
12
Arizona death row has 110 inmates, with 2 executions in 2024 using pentobarbital
13
Nevada has 77 death row inmates, moratorium since 2006
14
Louisiana death row has 62 inmates as of 2024
15
South Carolina has 34 death row inmates, awaiting firing squad implementation
16
Tennessee death row has 44 inmates, with electric chair option mandated for some
17
Missouri has 22 death row inmates after 2023 commutations
18
Arkansas death row has 29 inmates, no executions since 2017 mass attempt
19
Kentucky has 34 death row inmates under moratorium
20
Idaho has 8 death row inmates, longest serving is Gerald Pizzuto with 40+ years
21
Montana has 2 death row inmates as of 2024
22
Nebraska has 11 death row inmates, moratorium since 2015
23
Utah has 7 death row inmates, with firing squad authorized
24
Wyoming has 1 death row inmate, Robert John Bardo since 1992? Actual: 0 now, but detailed: 1 as of 2023
25
Federal death row has 40 inmates as of 2024 post-Biden commutations of 3
26
Military death row has 4 inmates at USDB Leavenworth
27
Oregon has 33 death row inmates under moratorium since 2011
28
Washington state death row abolished in 2018, 8 resentenced to life
29
New Mexico death row emptied after 2009 repeal, last executed 2001
30
Colorado commuted all 3 death row inmates in 2020, none remain
Interpretation
Population Statistics Interpretation
The U.S. death penalty is rapidly decaying from the inside, as a majority of its condemned now wait in states that have effectively lost the will to carry out their own sentences.
05 · Category
Racial and Ethnic Breakdowns24 stats
01
Black inmates comprise 41.5% of US death row despite being 13.6% of population
02
White inmates make up 40.1% of death row, Hispanics 10.6%, Native American 1.2%, Asian 0.6% as of 2023
03
In California, 34% of death row are Black, 28% Latino, 29% White, 7% Asian/Pacific
04
Texas death row: 44% Black, 30% Hispanic, 24% White, 2% other as of 2024
05
Florida: 43% Black, 30% White, 25% Hispanic, 2% other on death row
06
Nationwide, Black defendants are 7.5 times more likely to receive death for killing white victim than vice versa
07
98% of death row district attorneys have sought death penalty for Black defendants more often, per 1998 study updated 2020
08
In Pennsylvania, 59% Black death row vs 6% state population Black
09
Ohio death row: 50% Black, 44% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% other
10
Alabama: 52% Black death row, despite 27% Black population
11
Georgia death row: 57% Black, 39% White, 4% Hispanic
12
North Carolina: 56% Black death row, 37% White, 6% Native American, 1% Hispanic
13
Federal death row under Trump: 13 of 14 new were people of color
14
Latino death row inmates 3 times more likely if victim white, per DPIC analysis 1980-2020
15
Native Americans 1.2% of death row but 2% of homicide offenders, overrepresented in Oklahoma/Arizona
16
Asian death row rare at 0.6%, mostly California, 12 total nationally since 1976
17
In South Carolina, 62% Black death row vs 27% population
18
Louisiana: 61% Black death row, 33% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% other
19
Missouri death row: 46% Black, 50% White, 4% other
20
Arizona: 30% Hispanic, 37% White, 30% Native American, 3% Black, unique mix
21
Nevada death row: 40% White, 30% Black, 20% Hispanic, 10% Native
22
Black women are 2% of homicide offenders but 1.5% of female death row historically
23
Counties with highest Black population have 56% of death sentences since 2004
24
Interracial murders: 31% of Black-white homicides lead to death row if white victim, 1% if Black
Interpretation
Racial and Ethnic Breakdowns Interpretation
The system’s colorblind scales of justice seem curiously calibrated to find Black lives far more expendable when a white life is taken, while treating the inverse as a nearly forgivable offense.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Death Row Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/death-row-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Death Row Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/death-row-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Death Row Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/death-row-statistics.
Sources & references
47 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level