---
title: 'Death Sentencing Rates'
description: 'The Death Sentencing Rate is the ratio of death sentences in a state between 1977 and 1999, and the number of murders in that state during approximately…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/data/sentencing-data/death-sentencing-rates'
section: topics
date: '2019-05-08T09:53:11-04:00'
updated: '2025-07-25T12:46:15-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

Death Sentencing Rate by State
------------------------------

The Death Sentencing Rate is the ratio of death sentences in a state between 1977 and 1999, and the number of murders in that state during approximately the same period.

| State | Death Sentence Rate | Number of   Death Sentences,   1977-99 | Murders With   Known Offenders,   1976-98 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 0.060 | 124 | 2,072 |
| Oklahoma | 0.051 | 257 | 5,020 |
| Delaware | 0.048 | 30 | 626 |
| Idaho | 0.047 | 36 | 773 |
| Arizona | 0.043 | 213 | 5,007 |
| Alabama | 0.038 | 311 | 8,190 |
| Mississippi | 0.035 | 144 | 4,122 |
| Florida | 0.034 | 735 | 21,837 |
| Ohio | 0.028 | 285 | 10,142 |
| North Carolina | 0.026 | 327 | 12,463 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.024 | 316 | 13,095 |
| Missouri | 0.024 | 158 | 6,679 |
| Nebraska | 0.023 | 19 | 831 |
| Georgia | 0.022 | 243 | 10,912 |
| Oregon | 0.022 | 46 | 2,132 |
| **National Average** | **0.022** |  |  |
| Texas | 0.020 | 776 | 37,879 |
| Tennessee | 0.020 | 156 | 7,690 |
| Arkansas | 0.020 | 90 | 4,523 |
| Illinois | 0.019 | 274 | 14,710 |
| Utah | 0.018 | 19 | 1,080 |
| South Carolina | 0.016 | 138 | 8,451 |
| Indiana | 0.016 | 84 | 5,289 |
| Louisiana | 0.016 | 158 | 10,146 |
| Kentucky | 0.014 | 68 | 4,863 |
| California | 0.013 | 652 | 49,943 |
| Virginia | 0.013 | 119 | 9,235 |
| New Jersey | 0.010 | 48 | 4,710 |
| Washington | 0.009 | 34 | 3,628 |
| New Mexico | 0.008 | 12 | 1,480 |
| Maryland | 0.007 | 47 | 6,606 |
| Colorado | 0.004 | 13 | 3,256 |

**NOTE**: Data are for the 31 states with more than 10 death row enrollees from 1977 through 1999. Death row data are based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics capital punishment data. Murder data are based on the FBI's Supplemental Homicide Reports for 1976–1998, except for a later starting year for three states, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oregon, in which post-Furman death penalties became effective after 1977. The death sentence rate is the number of death sentences divided by the number of murders with a known offender.

**SOURCE**: John Blume, Theodore Eisenberg, and Martin T. Wells, "Explaining Death Row's Population and Racial Composition," *Journal of Empirical Legal Studies*, Volume 1, Issue 1, 165-207, March 2004

---

Death Sentences Per Capita by State
-----------------------------------

| State | Population as of 2010 | Cumulative Death Sentences 1977 through 2013 | Death Sentences per Capita (x 10,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1\. Alabama | 4,779,736 | 457 | 0.956 |
| 2\. Oklahoma | 3,751,351 | 309 | 0.823 |
| 3\. Mississippi | 2,967,297 | 174 | 0.586 |
| 4\. Nevada | 2,700,551 | 151 | 0.559 |
| 5\. Delaware\* | 897,934 | 47 | 0.523 |
| 6\. Florida | 18,801,310 | 941 | 0.500 |
| 7\. Arizona | 6,392,017 | 303 | 0.474 |
| 8\. North Carolina | 9,687,653 | 447 | 0.461 |
| 9\. South Carolina | 4,625,364 | 194 | 0.419 |
| 10\. Arkansas | 2,915,918 | 118 | 0.404 |
| 11\. Texas | 25,145,561 | 958 | 0.380 |
| 12\. Louisiana | 4,533,372 | 161 | 0.355 |
| 13\. Missouri | 5,988,927 | 197 | 0.328 |
| 14\. Pennsylvania | 12,702,379 | 375 | 0.295 |
| 15\. Ohio | 11,536,504 | 331 | 0.286 |
| 16\. Tennessee | 6,346,105 | 174 | 0.274 |
| 17\. Idaho | 1,567,582 | 42 | 0.267 |
| 18\. California | 37,253,956 | 922 | 0.247 |
| 19\. Georgia | 9,687,653 | 234 | 0.241 |
| 20\. Illinois\* | 12,830,632 | 304 | 0.236 |
| 21\. Kentucky | 4,339,367 | 85 | 0.195 |
| 22\. Oregon | 3,831,074 | 75 | 0.195 |
| 23\. Virginia | 8,001,024 | 151 | 0.188 |
| 24\. Nebraska | 1,826,341 | 28 | 0.153 |
| 25\. Indiana | 6,483,802 | 98 | 0.151 |
| 26\. Wyoming | 563,626 | 7 | 0.124 |
| 27\. South Dakota | 814,180 | 9 | 0.110 |
| 28\. Montana | 989,415 | 10 | 0.101 |
| 29\. Maryland\* | 5,773,552 | 53 | 0.091 |
| 30\. Utah | 2,763,885 | 19 | 0.068 |
| 31\. New Mexico\* | 2,059,179 | 14 | 0.067 |
| 32\. New Jersey\* | 8,791,894 | 57 | 0.064 |
| 33\. Washington\* | 6,724,540 | 39 | 0.057 |
| 34\. Connecticut\* | 3,574,097 | 16 | 0.044 |
| 35\. Kansas\*\* | 2,853,118 | 12 | 0.042 |
| 36\. Colorado | 5,029,196 | 15 | 0.029 |
| 37\. New Hampshire | 1,316,470 | 1 | 0.007 |
| 38\. New York\*† | 19,378,102 | 8 | 0.004 |

Population based on US Census Bureau 2010 Population Estimates

Death Sentences from Bureau of Justice Statistics, [Capital Punishment Annual Reports](https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=18)

\* States that have abolished the Death Penalty

\*\*Kansas reinstated Death Penalty in 1994

† New York reinstated Death Penalty in 1995