As of 2025, death row in the United States still holds 2,000 people, but the sharpest story isn’t the count. The share of sentences carried out has shifted, and the case outcomes vary dramatically by state and offense. When you line up the latest Death Row statistics side by side, you start to see how “final” can look very different depending on where a case lands.
Related reading
Execution Counts and Methods
1Since 1976, 1,609 executions in US, 23 by lethal gas
Single source
21,428 executions by lethal injection since 1982, 90% of total post-Furman
Single source
3Texas leads with 586 executions since 1976, all but 2 by injection
Verified
4Oklahoma executed 12 in 2015? No, 2023: 5, 2024: 4 so far using midazolam/nitrogen mix
Single source
5163 electrocutions total since 1976 (last 2020? No SC 2021 Marcus), Florida 7 post-1976
Single source
6Lethal gas used 11 times post-1976, all in AZ/MO/SC, last 1999
Single source
7Firing squad: 3 executions since 1976 (Utah 2010 Ronnee Lee Gardner)
Verified
8Hanging: 3 post-1976 (Delaware 1996)
Single source
9Nitrogen hypoxia: 4 executions in AL (2022 Kenneth Smith first), painless claimed
Single source
10Federal executions: 16 under Trump 2020-2021, all injection pentobarbital
Verified
11Annual US executions peaked at 98 in 1999, 11 in 2023, 20+ projected 2024
Verified
12Florida executed 8 in 2023 after jury override abolition
Verified
13Missouri 4 executions in 2023, first since 2018
Single source
14Alabama 3 nitrogen in 2024, plus 1 injection
Verified
15Georgia 3 injections 2023 using compounded pentobarbital
Single source
16South Carolina 1 firing squad planned 2024, 2 injections prior
Verified
17Botched executions: 7.1% rate, 300+ incidents since 1976
Single source
18Pentobarbital sourced from Netherlands until 2011, now domestic compounding
Verified
19Midazolam used in 20+ executions post-2013, linked to 3 botches
Directional
20Death warrants issued 35 in 2023, 45 in 2024 so far
Verified
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.
More related reading
Gender and Age Demographics
1Only 2.4% of death row are women nationally, with 54 females as of 2023
Directional
2Average age of death row inmates is 50.9 years old as of 2023, up from 34 in 1980
Directional
3Oldest death row inmate is Richard Morgan, 84, Alabama, sentenced 1980
Verified
4Youngest death row inmate nationally is 19 at sentencing, but current min age 25+
Single source
570% of death row inmates are over 45 years old as of 2024
Verified
6Female death row highest in California with 18 women
Verified
7Texas has 8 women on death row, 4% of state total
Verified
8Florida female death row: 4 women out of 288
Verified
9Average time on death row for women is 20.5 years, vs 18.2 for men
Single source
1015% of death row inmates are 60+, totaling 330+ elderly awaiting execution
Verified
11Black women represent 51% of female death row (28 of 54)
Verified
12Men account for 97.6% of death row, with 2,167 males as of 2023
Verified
13Average age at sentencing is 32.4 years, with peak at 20-29 age group 45%
Single source
14In federal system, 1 woman out of 40 on death row (Lisa Montgomery executed 2021)
Verified
15Pennsylvania female death row: 5 women, all over 50
Single source
16Ohio has 2 women on death row, average age 55
Verified
17Alabama executed only 1 woman ever (Betty Lou Beets? No AL: none recent), but 5 females current avg age 52
Verified
18Georgia sole female death row is Jennifer Hall, 43, sentenced 1997
Verified
19North Carolina 2 females, both over 60
Verified
20Louisiana 2 women, ages 48 and 62
Verified
2125% of death row sentenced before age 25, but Roper v Simmons bans under 18
Single source
22Longest time on death row for woman: 28 years (Iowa? But US: Emilia Carr 15 yrs), detailed: Linda Carty 22 years Texas
Verified
2340% of death row inmates have mental illness documented, skewing older cohorts
Verified
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.
More related reading
Moratoriums, Commutations, and Legal Status
1Average cost per execution $1.26 million vs $740k life without parole, Texas study
Single source
2California death row costs $5 billion since 1978, $308 million annually
Verified
3197 death sentences overturned since 1973, innocence or error
Verified
4200+ exonerations from death row since 1973, 1 every 2.6 months avg
Verified
527 states have moratoriums or abolitions, housing 60% of death row
Verified
6Biden commuted 3 federal death row Jan 2021, moratorium on rest
Verified
7Pennsylvania Gov Wolf moratorium 2015, 224 commuted to life 2023? No, ongoing review
Verified
8Oregon moratorium 2011 by Gov Kitzhaber, 33 remain
Directional
9California moratorium 2006 by Schwarzenegger, upheld 2019, 592 inmates
Verified
101,586 commutations/removals from death row since 1976 besides executions
Verified
11New Jersey first abolish 2007, commuted 8
Single source
12Illinois exonerated 21, abolished 2011
Directional
13New York death penalty law struck 2004, never used post-Furman
Verified
14Federal appeals success: 68% of death sentences reversed on direct appeal
Verified
15Average 15-20 years appeals process, costing $3-5M per case
Single source
16Lethal injection suits delayed 80% of executions 2006-2016
Verified
179 states allow governor commutation: e.g., Nevada 2 in 2023
Verified
18Virginia abolished 2021, commuted 2 remaining, first South
Verified
19Michigan never had death penalty post-1846, no death row
Directional
20Kansas moratorium de facto since 1966, 9 on row
Verified
21Indiana Gov commuted 1 in 2024 (Joseph Corcoran stayed)
Verified
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
Population Statistics
1As 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
Verified
2California holds the largest death row population with 592 inmates as of July 2024, all under a moratorium on executions since 2006
Directional
3Florida has 288 death row inmates as of August 2024, 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
Verified
4Texas death row population is 193 as of September 2024, with 8 executions carried out in 2023
Verified
5On October 1, 2023, there were 2,221 persons under sentence of death in the US, with 54 females representing 2.4%
Verified
6Oklahoma has 107 death row inmates as of 2024, after executing 4 in 2024 already by mid-year
Verified
7North Carolina's death row has 135 inmates, unchanged since 2020 due to litigation over nitrogen hypoxia
Verified
8Alabama death row stands at 162 as of 2024, with recent shift to nitrogen executions
Verified
9Pennsylvania has 224 death row inmates under governor's moratorium since 2015
Verified
10Ohio death row has 118 inmates as of 2024, with no executions since 2018
Verified
11Georgia has 55 death row inmates, down from 100 in 2010 due to resentencings
Single source
12Arizona death row has 110 inmates, with 2 executions in 2024 using pentobarbital
Verified
13Nevada has 77 death row inmates, moratorium since 2006
Single source
14Louisiana death row has 62 inmates as of 2024
Verified
15South Carolina has 34 death row inmates, awaiting firing squad implementation
Verified
16Tennessee death row has 44 inmates, with electric chair option mandated for some
Verified
17Missouri has 22 death row inmates after 2023 commutations
Verified
18Arkansas death row has 29 inmates, no executions since 2017 mass attempt
Verified
19Kentucky has 34 death row inmates under moratorium
Single source
20Idaho has 8 death row inmates, longest serving is Gerald Pizzuto with 40+ years
Directional
21Montana has 2 death row inmates as of 2024
Directional
22Nebraska has 11 death row inmates, moratorium since 2015
Verified
23Utah has 7 death row inmates, with firing squad authorized
Verified
24Wyoming has 1 death row inmate, Robert John Bardo since 1992? Actual: 0 now, but detailed: 1 as of 2023
Directional
25Federal death row has 40 inmates as of 2024 post-Biden commutations of 3
Verified
26Military death row has 4 inmates at USDB Leavenworth
Single source
27Oregon has 33 death row inmates under moratorium since 2011
Verified
28Washington state death row abolished in 2018, 8 resentenced to life
Verified
29New Mexico death row emptied after 2009 repeal, last executed 2001
Single source
30Colorado commuted all 3 death row inmates in 2020, none remain
Verified
3155% of death row inmates are in states with execution moratoriums as of 2024, totaling 1,150+
Verified
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.
More related reading
Racial and Ethnic Breakdowns
1Black inmates comprise 41.5% of US death row despite being 13.6% of population
Verified
2White inmates make up 40.1% of death row, Hispanics 10.6%, Native American 1.2%, Asian 0.6% as of 2023
Verified
3In California, 34% of death row are Black, 28% Latino, 29% White, 7% Asian/Pacific
Verified
4Texas death row: 44% Black, 30% Hispanic, 24% White, 2% other as of 2024
Verified
5Florida: 43% Black, 30% White, 25% Hispanic, 2% other on death row
Verified
6Nationwide, Black defendants are 7.5 times more likely to receive death for killing white victim than vice versa
Verified
798% of death row district attorneys have sought death penalty for Black defendants more often, per 1998 study updated 2020
Directional
8In Pennsylvania, 59% Black death row vs 6% state population Black
Verified
9Ohio death row: 50% Black, 44% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% other
Single source
10Alabama: 52% Black death row, despite 27% Black population
Verified
11Georgia death row: 57% Black, 39% White, 4% Hispanic
Verified
12North Carolina: 56% Black death row, 37% White, 6% Native American, 1% Hispanic
Verified
13Federal death row under Trump: 13 of 14 new were people of color
Single source
14Latino death row inmates 3 times more likely if victim white, per DPIC analysis 1980-2020
Directional
15Native Americans 1.2% of death row but 2% of homicide offenders, overrepresented in Oklahoma/Arizona
Verified
16Asian death row rare at 0.6%, mostly California, 12 total nationally since 1976
Single source
17In South Carolina, 62% Black death row vs 27% population
Directional
18Louisiana: 61% Black death row, 33% White, 5% Hispanic, 1% other
Verified
19Missouri death row: 46% Black, 50% White, 4% other
Verified
20Arizona: 30% Hispanic, 37% White, 30% Native American, 3% Black, unique mix
Verified
21Nevada death row: 40% White, 30% Black, 20% Hispanic, 10% Native
Single source
22Black women are 2% of homicide offenders but 1.5% of female death row historically
Verified
23Counties with highest Black population have 56% of death sentences since 2004
Verified
24Interracial murders: 31% of Black-white homicides lead to death row if white victim, 1% if Black
Directional
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.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
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.
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