US Counties With the Highest Jail Population Rates

2,902 US counties ranked by jail population rate, from highest to lowest. First are Issaquena County, MS (26,667), East Carroll Parish, LA (24,660) and Tensas Parish, LA (23,055). The middle one of the 2,902 has 416.

What this measures

People held in this county's own jails, per 100,000 residents aged 15 to 64. The middle county is 416. It counts everyone in the jail, including people held for other counties, for US Marshals and for immigration enforcement. So a small county with a large regional jail can be in the tens of thousands: Issaquena County, Mississippi is 26,667. Read it as what happens inside the county, not as what its own residents do. Source: .

For most measures, a national ranking mostly sorts places by income and by how urban they are. Each county’s own page compares it with the 50 counties most like it instead, which is often the fairer view.

The 100 highest counties

More on jail population rate

• US Counties With the Lowest Jail Population Rates
• Jail population rate by US county: map by year and what it goes with

A ranking describes places, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All US rankings.