You'll Never Believe How Much This State Spends on Inmates

"Here, 24/7 Wall St. set out to see how much each U.S. state spends on its prison population (per incarcerated individual). To do so, we looked up expenditure data from the Bureau of Justice and the Census Bureau. The cost of a state's prison population is a combination of many different factors, including the number of prisoners, the programs and benefits provided, and how much the private companies or state makes on top of the costs."

"Alaska is second only to New Mexico for the percentage of prisoners kept in private prison facilities, and at one point around 30% of those prisoners were kept in facilities outside of the state. Many of the prisoners in Alaska facilities are still awaiting trial and are made to remain locked up in the meantime. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Alaska's rate of incarceration is 744 per 100,000 people -which means Alaska incarcerates "a higher percentage of its people than any independent democratic country on earth.""

"During the 70s, a federal judge said the Alabama prison system was barbaric. The judge forced the prison system to close "dog houses" where too many prisoners were crammed in hot, dark, dirty cells. Eventually, Alabama also settled a lawsuit in 2015 over abuse at its women-only prison facility."

Expenditure data from the Bureau of Justice and the Census Bureau show wide variation in per-incarcerated-individual costs across states, influenced by prisoner counts, programs and benefits, and contracts with private providers. Actual costs often depend on what companies charge for services rather than only state budgets. Data reflect updates through December 20, 2025. Historical and state-specific examples include Alabama, where a 1970s federal judge condemned brutal conditions and later litigation addressed abuse at a women’s prison; Alaska, with high incarceration rates, extensive private prison use, and many detainees awaiting trial; and Arizona, which houses out-of-state prisoners amid reports of deaths, violence, and forged inspections.

Read at 24/7 Wall St.