Justice Audit / Sentencing data / Texas
Texas prison sentencing data
As of August 31, 2026, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice records, 144,466 people were held in Texas state prisons. Their median sentence is 10 years (the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing, not counting life or death sentences). 37% are serving 20 years or more, and 9,897 are serving life.
144,466people in prison
10 yearsmedian sentence
37%serving 20+ years
9,897life sentences · 162 on death row
Race: prison population vs. state population
| Group | People | Share of prison | Share of state (U.S. Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 48,927 | 34% | 39% |
| Black | 47,419 | 33% | 12% |
| White | 47,296 | 33% | 40% |
Most common offenses
By the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing. Life and death sentences are not included in the median.
| Offense | People | Median sentence (years) |
|---|---|---|
| Possession Controlled Substance | 13,723 | 6 |
| Aggravated Assault | 13,474 | 10 |
| Aggravated Robbery | 11,380 | 15 |
| Murder | 9,951 | 35 |
| Aggravated Sexual Assault Child | 8,620 | 25 |
| Evading Arrest | 4,511 | 6 |
| Burglary of Habitation | 4,380 | 10 |
| DWI | 4,341 | 6 |
| Manufacture/Deliver Controlled Substance | 4,092 | 10 |
| Assault Family Violence | 3,629 | 5 |
| Robbery | 3,447 | 7 |
| Indecency with Child | 3,325 | 10 |
| Unlawful Possession Firearm by Felon | 2,800 | 6 |
| Sexual Assault Child | 2,648 | 12 |
| Assault | 2,224 | 5 |
Sentencing by county
County where the person's longest sentence was imposed. Counties with 20+ people have their own page.
| County | People | Median sentence (years) | Serving 20+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 19,792 | 10 | 42% |
| Dallas | 13,623 | 10 | 42% |
| Tarrant | 10,340 | 9 | 34% |
| Bexar | 9,173 | 9 | 31% |
| Smith | 3,347 | 12 | 44% |
| McLennan | 3,092 | 12 | 39% |
| Hidalgo | 3,014 | 5 | 24% |
| Montgomery | 2,904 | 12 | 41% |
| Travis | 2,633 | 12 | 44% |
| Collin | 2,347 | 10 | 38% |
| El Paso | 2,281 | 7 | 30% |
| Jefferson | 2,032 | 10 | 41% |
| Nueces | 1,942 | 10 | 42% |
| Lubbock | 1,926 | 12 | 44% |
| Bell | 1,857 | 10 | 38% |
| Potter | 1,813 | 8 | 31% |
| Denton | 1,730 | 9 | 34% |
| Brazos | 1,606 | 10 | 35% |
| Galveston | 1,594 | 8 | 37% |
| Taylor | 1,574 | 10 | 31% |
| Cameron | 1,429 | 10 | 31% |
| Ector | 1,385 | 10 | 32% |
| Johnson | 1,367 | 10 | 35% |
| Brazoria | 1,334 | 9 | 35% |
| Wichita | 1,318 | 10 | 32% |
| Williamson | 1,280 | 10 | 38% |
| Grayson | 1,269 | 12 | 42% |
| Gregg | 1,202 | 10 | 38% |
| Bowie | 1,174 | 10 | 39% |
| Comal | 1,138 | 15 | 45% |
| Fort Bend | 1,109 | 11 | 42% |
| Tom Green | 1,021 | 10 | 31% |
| Hays | 1,020 | 10 | 34% |
| Parker | 997 | 10 | 35% |
| Midland | 896 | 10 | 34% |
| Ellis | 882 | 10 | 34% |
| Victoria | 800 | 10 | 38% |
| Nacogdoches | 781 | 11 | 33% |
| Henderson | 769 | 10 | 30% |
| Randall | 769 | 10 | 37% |
| Angelina | 765 | 12 | 39% |
| Lamar | 754 | 10 | 32% |
| Kaufman | 711 | 10 | 31% |
| Hood | 700 | 12 | 38% |
| Guadalupe | 700 | 10 | 31% |
| Liberty | 689 | 10 | 37% |
| Hunt | 642 | 15 | 46% |
| Anderson | 627 | 11 | 37% |
| Orange | 599 | 12 | 43% |
| Kerr | 594 | 12 | 40% |
| Hopkins | 578 | 10 | 40% |
| Walker | 560 | 8 | 28% |
| Brown | 540 | 15 | 47% |
| Rockwall | 537 | 9 | 21% |
| Webb | 534 | 10 | 42% |
| Coryell | 493 | 9 | 28% |
| Hill | 482 | 10 | 35% |
| San Patricio | 472 | 10 | 32% |
| Polk | 471 | 10 | 37% |
| Navarro | 467 | 10 | 34% |
| Harrison | 429 | 9 | 35% |
| Hardin | 425 | 8 | 27% |
| Palo Pinto | 384 | 13.5 | 39% |
| Cherokee | 347 | 12 | 36% |
| Wood | 346 | 8 | 31% |
| Wise | 343 | 10 | 38% |
| Cooke | 339 | 10 | 34% |
| Burnet | 330 | 12 | 39% |
| Upshur | 327 | 15 | 51% |
| Uvalde | 319 | 6 | 9.4% |
| Atascosa | 306 | 10 | 36% |
| Matagorda | 300 | 10 | 42% |
| Medina | 296 | 10 | 26% |
| Kleberg | 295 | 8 | 28% |
| Bastrop | 295 | 10 | 38% |
| Cass | 283 | 10 | 38% |
| Fannin | 282 | 10 | 35% |
| Eastland | 279 | 13 | 33% |
| Howard | 279 | 8 | 29% |
| Aransas | 279 | 10 | 30% |
| Kendall | 267 | 10 | 30% |
| Limestone | 257 | 12 | 37% |
| Chambers | 256 | 8 | 27% |
| Erath | 252 | 10 | 35% |
| Val Verde | 248 | 5 | 20% |
| Van Zandt | 243 | 10 | 28% |
| Nolan | 241 | 10 | 23% |
| Deaf Smith | 239 | 10 | 33% |
| Gonzales | 235 | 10 | 33% |
| Gillespie | 233 | 10 | 27% |
| Grimes | 228 | 11 | 34% |
| Milam | 226 | 8 | 26% |
| Bee | 223 | 10 | 39% |
| Houston | 220 | 8 | 26% |
| Jackson | 213 | 15 | 44% |
| Washington | 212 | 10 | 29% |
| Red River | 211 | 10 | 35% |
| Waller | 207 | 12 | 43% |
| Caldwell | 205 | 10 | 30% |
| Jasper | 204 | 10 | 30% |
| Leon | 202 | 13 | 42% |
| Wharton | 199 | 10 | 40% |
| Titus | 199 | 5 | 23% |
| Young | 196 | 12 | 42% |
| Falls | 195 | 10 | 32% |
| Rusk | 191 | 13 | 49% |
| Moore | 183 | 5.5 | 19% |
| Colorado | 179 | 9 | 21% |
| Wilson | 178 | 10 | 30% |
| Madison | 177 | 9 | 26% |
| Dewitt | 174 | 10 | 36% |
| Gray | 171 | 10 | 29% |
| Dawson | 169 | 10 | 29% |
| Hale | 165 | 9 | 34% |
| Jones | 162 | 10 | 30% |
| Burleson | 158 | 10 | 29% |
| Freestone | 150 | 8 | 33% |
| Marion | 146 | 10 | 30% |
| Andrews | 145 | 10 | 27% |
| Tyler | 145 | 10 | 41% |
| Scurry | 142 | 10 | 37% |
| Childress | 139 | 14 | 40% |
| Franklin | 138 | 12.5 | 42% |
| Calhoun | 137 | 10 | 35% |
| Karnes | 136 | 8.5 | 30% |
| Wilbarger | 135 | 9.5 | 36% |
| Llano | 135 | 14 | 39% |
| Shelby | 134 | 12 | 47% |
| Austin | 133 | 7 | 26% |
| Lampasas | 131 | 10 | 27% |
| Mitchell | 130 | 10 | 23% |
| Robertson | 130 | 8 | 32% |
| San Jacinto | 130 | 10 | 35% |
| Lee | 129 | 8 | 29% |
| Live Oak | 127 | 10.5 | 35% |
| Bandera | 121 | 10 | 38% |
| Fayette | 120 | 7.5 | 24% |
| Maverick | 119 | 6 | 17% |
| Hockley | 115 | 10 | 29% |
| Frio | 113 | 8 | 28% |
| Rains | 109 | 10 | 34% |
| Gaines | 109 | 12 | 41% |
| Trinity | 108 | 11 | 41% |
| Comanche | 108 | 15 | 49% |
| Kinney | 108 | 4 | 0.9% |
| Jim Wells | 108 | 12 | 41% |
| Bosque | 108 | 15 | 39% |
| Terry | 107 | 10 | 32% |
| Willacy | 107 | 6 | 15% |
| Panola | 102 | 9 | 33% |
| Lavaca | 100 | 10 | 32% |
| Montague | 99 | 10 | 41% |
| Hutchinson | 97 | 10 | 30% |
| Morris | 94 | 8 | 23% |
| Starr | 91 | 10 | 37% |
| Lamb | 91 | 12 | 36% |
| Dimmit | 85 | 7 | 15% |
| Carson | 85 | 12 | 40% |
| Runnels | 83 | 10 | 23% |
| Coleman | 81 | 10 | 25% |
| Somervell | 81 | 12 | 31% |
| Camp | 77 | 7.5 | 34% |
| Stephens | 77 | 15 | 49% |
| Delta | 75 | 8 | 29% |
| Lasalle | 73 | 5 | 22% |
| Newton | 70 | 15 | 46% |
| Haskell | 69 | 11 | 33% |
| Pecos | 67 | 10 | 42% |
| McCulloch | 67 | 14 | 36% |
| Ward | 65 | 10 | 34% |
| San Augustine | 65 | 7 | 17% |
| Sabine | 65 | 10 | 32% |
| Hall | 62 | 15 | 42% |
| Callahan | 57 | 10 | 28% |
| Zavala | 57 | 7.5 | 25% |
| Blanco | 57 | 10 | 21% |
| Kimble | 56 | 10 | 32% |
| Winkler | 54 | 7 | 31% |
| Reeves | 54 | 12 | 37% |
| Dallam | 53 | 5 | 13% |
| Hamilton | 50 | 12 | 50% |
| Swisher | 49 | 10 | 41% |
| Edwards | 49 | 4 | 14% |
| Garza | 48 | 13 | 48% |
| Hardeman | 46 | 10 | 39% |
| Clay | 46 | 10 | 43% |
| Collingsworth | 45 | 15 | 47% |
| Baylor | 45 | 20 | 56% |
| Wheeler | 43 | 8 | 21% |
| Jack | 41 | 19 | 51% |
| Bailey | 38 | 11 | 37% |
| Duval | 38 | 15 | 50% |
| Mills | 37 | 18 | 49% |
| Parmer | 36 | 10 | 28% |
| San Saba | 35 | 15 | 46% |
| Lynn | 35 | 15 | 43% |
| Donley | 35 | 15 | 43% |
| Refugio | 32 | 8 | 31% |
| Castro | 31 | 10 | 29% |
| Floyd | 30 | 25 | 63% |
| Goliad | 30 | 19 | 57% |
| Ochiltree | 28 | 7 | 18% |
| Zapata | 27 | 11 | 26% |
| Real | 27 | 8 | 26% |
| Kenedy | 27 | 6 | 3.7% |
| McMullen | 26 | 7.5 | 15% |
| Brooks | 25 | 10 | 28% |
| Sherman | 25 | 5 | 16% |
| Archer | 22 | 15 | 50% |
| Brewster | 21 | 22.5 | 67% |
| Hartley | 21 | 5 | 24% |
| Schleicher | 21 | 9 | 33% |
| Fisher | 21 | 10 | 29% |
| Martin | 19 | 6 | 26% |
| Sutton | 18 | 9 | 33% |
| Sterling | 17 | 10 | 24% |
| Knox | 17 | 15 | 47% |
| Shackelford | 15 | 10 | 40% |
| Concho | 15 | 20 | 53% |
| Mason | 15 | 10 | 33% |
| Jim Hogg | 15 | 15 | 27% |
| Hansford | 14 | 10 | 29% |
| Crockett | 14 | 20 | 64% |
| Upton | 14 | 10 | 36% |
| Yoakum | 14 | 15.5 | 43% |
| Throckmorton | 13 | 10 | 23% |
| Hudspeth | 13 | 17.5 | 62% |
| Crosby | 13 | – | 77% |
| Menard | 12 | 7 | 17% |
| Crane | 12 | 12.5 | 42% |
| Coke | 11 | 10 | 27% |
| Reagan | 11 | 20 | 55% |
| Cochran | 11 | 10 | 18% |
| Hemphill | 10 | – | 20% |
| Cottle | 10 | 16.5 | 40% |
| Irion | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Dickens | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Presidio | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Foard | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Lipscomb | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Armstrong | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Briscoe | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Borden | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Jeff Davis | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Stonewall | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Culberson | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Roberts | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Glasscock | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Oldham | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Motley | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Kent | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Terrell | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Loving | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| King | fewer than 10 | – | – |
About this data
Source: Texas Department of Criminal Justice public inmate records. Counts are people currently in state prison custody, one record per person, using the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing. People on parole, probation or in local jails are not included. Criminal history is not in the data. Search individual records in Justice Audit.