This U.S. State Incarcerates Almost as Many People as El Salvador

The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia became one of the most closely watched immigration and incarceration controversies of 2025. During a wave of deportations carried out under the Trump administration, Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who had lived in the United States for fourteen years, was arrested and sent to Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, El Salvador’s massive prison complex. U.S. officials initially acknowledged that his deportation was an administrative error, though the administration later shifted its position and argued that Abrego Garcia was connected to MS-13, an allegation he denied.

The case drew national attention because it raised larger questions about due process, immigration enforcement, and whether the United States could rely on foreign prisons as part of its detention strategy. It also intensified scrutiny of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s offer to house U.S. prisoners, a proposal critics argued would be legally impossible for American citizens. While Abrego Garcia’s situation was unusual, the controversy helped push a broader question back into the spotlight: how does incarceration in the United States compare with incarceration in El Salvador and the rest of the world? (You’ll never believe how much this state spends on inmates.)

El Salvador’s incarceration rate rose to extraordinary levels under Bukele’s anti-gang crackdown, but even that rate did not surpass incarceration levels in some U.S. states. The comparison is striking because the United States already imprisons people at one of the highest rates in the world, with the burden falling especially hard on people in poverty and communities of color. Some advocates and organizations have pushed for reforms, including the Minnesota Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, which hosted a panel discussion on ending prison slavery and improving wages for incarcerated workers. Still, incarceration remains deeply embedded in the American criminal justice system.

To identify the states with the highest incarceration rates, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Prison Policy Initiative and the Vera Institute of Justice. While every state has some level of incarceration, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Massachusetts were excluded because they had the lowest rates. Even so, incarceration rates in those states remained higher than in countries including Taiwan, Moldova, Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, among others. The remaining states are listed in ascending order, from the lowest incarceration rate to the highest.

The American prison system is a massive economic force that generates billions through construction projects, service contracts, and prison labor programs. But the American prison system also stands as a force of oppression and subjugation, particularly in poor or underserved communities — both of which are incarcerated at rates significantly higher than white, upper-class communities. Prison spending can drain tax dollars that would instead go to education or infrastructure, which hinders opportunities across other sectors. Communities with high incarceration rates also struggle with lower housing values and consumr spending. Supporting our communities and our states means finding ways to reintegrate prisoners, especially those whose crimes are relatively small, into society and improving the lives of all people.

See which states have the highest incarceration rates across the United States:

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 278
• Total prison population: 4,200
• Notes/Facts: New Hampshire is one of the least religious states in the U.S., with 34% identifying as religiously unaffiliated, a stark contrast to the 82% of U.S. adults who believe there is a God. This makes sense, as higher levels of Christian fundamentalism correlate with higher prison populations.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 317
• Total prison population: 59,000
• Notes/Facts: NYPD has a reputation as being overzealous, oppressive, violent, wildly incompetent, corrupt, and lazy. Yet it still doesn't break into the highest incarceration rates, proving that huge police budgets and violent police forces don't lead to lower crime rates.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 323
• Total prison population: 17,500
• Notes/Facts: On average, when considering the prison population in Minnesota, around 66% are jailed while waiting for their trial date, meaning they missing work, family, and life. At the moment, it seems like Minnesota's prison population is too big for the state to handle effectively.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 326
• Total prison population: 11,000
• Notes/Facts: Connecticut has over 30,000 people on probation or parole. This is true for most states in the country, where the number of people who are on parole or probation is many times the prison population. In Connecticut, Black individuals are also jailed at a rate 9.9x higher than Caucasian individuals.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 367
• Total prison population: 5,100
• Notes/Facts: Crime in Hawaii has increased mostly due to the skyrocketing cost of living caused by people from the mainland moving to Hawaii and purchasing land that the native Hawaiians can't afford, or that was taken from them by force. Hotels and resort companies often force locals off their land, driving them into poverty and homelessness.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 373
• Total prison population: 28,000
• Notes/Facts: Around 73% of the prison population in Washington has not yet had their trial, and are being held awaiting their trial date.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 396
• Total prison population: 13,000
• Notes/Facts: Black people in Utah are 9.1 times more likely to be sentenced to prison than white people in a state that is overwhelmingly white (78%) and overwhelmingly Mormon (60% in 2019) — a religion that includes racist and prejudiced views and doctrines against minorities. 43% of people in Utah jails have also not been convicted of a crime yet.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 433
• Total prison population: 53,000
• Notes/Facts: Illinois is famous for having its laws and government run by a handful of corrupt political families, who have themselves spent time in the Illinois prison system. Mismanagement and corruption have continued to plague Illinois and Chicago in particular.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 475
• Total prison population: 32,000
• Notes/Facts: Maryland is one of the most densely populated and culturally diverse states in the country and is one of only six states where non-whites are a majority of the population. 54,000 people in Maryland are currently on probation.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 494
• Total prison population: 199,000
• Notes/Facts: Much like the rest of the country, California's prison population exploded after 1980 during America's "War on Drugs" which only worked to incarcerate millions of black people. However, California has been working to cut down on incarceration and cut its prison population by 5% between 2021 and 2023.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 494
• Total prison population: 22,000
• Notes/Facts: Around 15% of the prison population in Oregon is over the age of 55, and many more are awaiting trial or are on probation. Black people in Oregon are incarcerated at a rate 5.4x higher than other groups.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 538
• Total prison population: 53,000
• Notes/Facts: Much of the crime and poverty in Michigan is due to private auto companies abandoning the company towns they created, leaving thousands of people without jobs, income, or homes. In jail, the healthcare system is terrible — and Michigan has been court-ordered to fix it…at least twice.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 539
• Total prison population: 5,400
• Notes/Facts: Most of the crime in Delaware is related to corporate fraud and tax avoidance because Delaware is an on-shore tax haven for companies in the United States, with 90% of all companies that went public in 2021 being incorporated in Delaware. You won't see these people in the Delaware prison system for some reason, however.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 550
• Total prison population: 17,000
• Notes/Facts: In Iowa, prisoners are fined if they break minor rules, meaning that an already poor population is being exploited while serving their time. Even someone who self-harms might be required to pay restitution.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 556
• Total prison population: 31,000
• Notes/Facts: Colorado has been court-ordered to fix its prison healthcare system three times. That means many inmates are left suffering without adequate access to care services.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 559
• Total prison population: 57,000
• Notes/Facts:The state of North Carolina has been directed to fix its healthcare system, but many prisons fail to meet healthcare standards amidst rising costs.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 560
• Total prison population: 4,000
• Notes/Facts: Around 74% of the incarcerated population are awaiting trial, meaning they are still legally innocent at this point. Black individuals are also incarcerated in North Dakota at a significantly higher rate than white individuals.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 589
• Total prison population: 73,000
• Notes/Facts: Many Pennsylvania prisons are subject to overcrowding, which can make it hard for the prisons to maintain safe, humane conditions for all inmates.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 591
• Total prison population: 11,000
• Notes/Facts:If you're on parole in Nebraska — and many people may soon be, considering the upholding of expanded parole eligibility criteria — you can still be re-imprisoned for associating with anybody who has a felony or misdemeanor.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 people: 606
• Total prison population: 32,000
• Notes/Facts: Black individuals in South Carolina are incarcerated at a rate 3.8x higher than white people. South Carolina incarcerates people as a whole at a rate 6x higher than the entire country of Italy — despite the fact that Italy's population is around 10x higher than South Carolina.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 610
• Total prison population: 20,000
• Notes/Facts: Nevada has been court-ordered to fix its healthcare system numerous times, yet many inmates still report that they have been denied medical care during their time incarcerated.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 615
• Total prison population: 35,000
• Notes/Facts: Wisconsin's rate of incarceration is higher than the average rate of incarceration across the United States. However, the state's governor recently proposed sweeping prison reform rules — so we'll see if that makes any impact.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 621
• Total prison population: 71,000
• Notes/Facts: Even though Ohio's prisons (like most other states) are filled beyond capacity, and violent crime rates have been dropping, its prison population continues to rise.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 647
• Total prison population: 13,000
• Notes/Facts: New Mexico has the second-highest rate of violent crime (behind Alaska) and the highest rate of property crime. One would wonder why it is not at the top of this list.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 648
• Total prison population: 17,000
• Notes/Facts: Unlike several other states, Kansas does not make any medications for opioid use disorder available to inmates in its prisons. Kansas does, however, implement sometimes severe fines for even minor offenses within the prison system.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 674
• Total prison population: 11,000
• Notes/Facts: West Virginia incarcerates people at a higher rate than the U.S. as a whole. West Virginia Representative Riley Moore has recently come under fire for visiting CECOT in El Salvador and posing with his thumbs up in front of the mega-prison.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 679
• Total prison population: 60,000
• Notes/Facts: Like the rest of the country, violent crime has been decreasing in Virginia in recent decades, and crime rates in Virginia are lower than in similar neighboring states, yet Virginia continues to incarcerate higher numbers of people.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 705
• Total prison population: 157,000
• Notes/Facts: You can take the Confederacy out of America, but you can't take America out of the Confederacy. Of the top 10 most oppressive states in the country, 8 of them were members of the Confederate States of America. These states oppressed and exploited African Americans well into the 1900s and today through gerrymandering, segregation, prison labor, and other racist policies.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 710
• Total prison population: 52,000
• Notes/Facts: Arizona's incarceration rates are just under 7x higher than in Belgium or Canada. Ongoing security issues and rising rates of violence in Arizona prisons have had many prisons and inmates on lockdown in recent months.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 713
• Total prison population: 41,000
• Notes/Facts: The Missouri Department of Corrections is working to improve conditions for inmates amidst rising violence and death rates within the prison system. One opportunity to do this is through improving healthcare.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 720
• Total prison population: 15,000
• Notes/Facts: Unfortunately, racism remains strong in this area and Black individuals are incarcerated 5.2x as much as white individuals. At the same time, several prisons are working to implement initiatives to support inmates in their growth and prepare them to re-enter society.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 721
• Total prison population: 49,000
• Notes/Facts: The crime rate in Indiana is 18.5 per 1,000 residents, which is below the national average, and yet it ranks high on incarceration, meaning that most people are in prison for non-violent reasons.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 744
• Total prison population: 5,400
• Notes/Facts: Alaska has an unusually high crime rate considering its population size, with some of the highest rates of domestic violence, suicide, and sexual assault.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 751
• Total prison population: 219,000
• Notes/Facts: The prison system in Texas has been described as a human rights atrocity, and state lawmakers often go out of their way to make it as inhumane as possible. This includes refusing to pay for air conditioning during the summer, suing a prisoner so they don't have to give him a blanket, and more.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 758
• Total prison population: 7,700
• Notes/Facts: Montana has been feeling overloaded with its prison system. Recently, the state has been pondering what funding it might need to send prisoners to other states, such as Arizona and Mississippi.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 785
• Total prison population: 4,400
• Notes/Facts: Wyoming is home to one of the worst prison gerrymanders in the nation. The state prisons have poor healthcare for inmates and don't offer medications for opioid use disorder, either.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 812
• Total prison population: 6,500
• Notes/Facts: Even though South Dakota has had a stable and relatively low crime rate, that hasn't stopped it from filling up its prisons. In fact, South Dakota has a higher incarceration rate than Cuba (which has a rate of 794 per 100,000 residents).

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 817
• Total prison population: 55,000
• Notes/Facts: Tennessee has regularly had the highest rate of gun violence and gun crime in the country. Memphis and Jackson both rank among the most dangerous cities in the United States.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 881
• Total prison population: 95,000
• Notes/Facts: In the years after the Civil War, more people were lynched in Georgia than in any other state, with 586 confirmed murders taking place, with most of the guilty parties not being punished. This trend continues today as white people receive lighter sentences than Black people convicted of a similar crime.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 889
• Total prison population: 37,000
• Notes/Facts: 20% of incarcerated individuals in Kentucky are incarcerated in a federal prison.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 898
• Total prison population: 43,000
• Notes/Facts: The prison homicide rate in Alabama is nine times higher than in the rest of the country, often perpetuated and encouraged by prison guards.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 905
• Total prison population: 34,000
• Notes/Facts: Oklahoma was called the "world's prison capital" by global publications and had the highest incarceration rate in 2018, which means it had a higher rate than any other country in the world. While Oklahoma is now outranked by El Salvador, it does have a higher incarceration rate than Cuba.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 912
• Total prison population: 27,000
• Notes/Facts: Along with its high prison population, Arkansas also perpetuates harmful and discriminatory policies like banning abortion, weakening labor unions, allowing the use of the electric chair, and more. A state as backward as Arkansas deserves to be nowhere else but the top three on this list.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 1,020
• Total prison population: 27,000
• Notes/Facts: Mississippi is ranked as the fourth-hardest state to vote in.

• Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents: 1,067
• Total prison population: 50,000
• Notes/Facts: Louisiana had a higher murder and manslaughter rate than any other state in 2023. The whole of Louisiana imprisons nearly as many people as El Salvador, which outranks Louisiana with an incarceration rate of 1,089 per 100,000 residents.