Death Sentences in the United States Since 1977

By State and By Year

SOURCES: 1977-2013 See Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, Capital Punishment Annual Reports (for those persons sentenced to death more than once, only the most recent sentence is counted).

*Sentencing numbers post-2013 based on DPIC research.

Each year, DPIC collects information on the number of death sentences in the United States. We contact state agencies, state death penalty organizations, and death penalty litigators, and review news reports to confirm the numbers. We only count the number of “new sentences,” i.e., we do not recount individuals who were sentenced to death in a previous year, had their sentenced overturned, and were resentenced in the current year. Sentences are only counted when a judge imposes the sentence, even though a jury may have returned a death verdict earlier.

NOTE: The Bureau of Justice Statistics makes revisions to its national annual totals in subsequent reports, but does not provide information on which states’ totals have changed. The totals at the bottom of the chart are the most recent available. There may be a slight discrepancy with the totals at the bottom from the totals based on individual states. The regional breakdowns are based on BJS classifications.

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National Death Sentences by Year

(Bureau of Justice Statistics)