Judicial circuitsFY2018–FY2025
Eighth Circuit
8th Cir. · 10 districts · Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
The datafile contains cases reported to the Commission with sentencing documents. Sentence length statistics use the Commission's capped variable (sentences of 470 months or longer, including life, are recorded as 470 months) and exclude sentences of probation or a fine only. Figures are aggregates of past cases and are not a prediction for any case.
§ 1Districts compared
| District | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern District of Arkansas E.D. Ark. | 4,132 | 90% | 50 | 55% | 12% | 26% | 7% |
| Western District of Arkansas W.D. Ark. | 1,695 | 94% | 77 | 43% | 16% | 36% | 6% |
| Northern District of Iowa N.D. Iowa | 2,755 | 97% | 60 | 51% | 22% | 19% | 8% |
| Southern District of Iowa S.D. Iowa | 3,451 | 96% | 84 | 37% | 25% | 35% | 3% |
| District of Minnesota D. Minn. | 2,723 | 92% | 70 | 30% | 29% | 38% | 3% |
| Eastern District of Missouri E.D. Mo. | 8,015 | 92% | 46 | 41% | 30% | 25% | 4% |
| Western District of Missouri W.D. Mo. | 5,932 | 91% | 72 | 37% | 26% | 30% | 7% |
| District of Nebraska D. Neb. | 3,794 | 94% | 60 | 48% | 25% | 23% | 4% |
| District of North Dakota D.N.D. | 2,650 | 98% | 36 | 34% | 51% | 12% | 4% |
| District of South Dakota D.S.D. | 4,105 | 95% | 38 | 56% | 8% | 32% | 4% |
Whole period, FY2018–FY2025. Medians are of cases with a prison term.
§ 2Summary
The Eighth Circuit covers 10 districts (Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota). Its courts sentenced 39,252 cases reported to the Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 4,611 of them in FY2025; the Eastern District of Missouri is the busiest with 8,015.
The circuit's median prison term was 60 months (5 years), longer than the national 24 months, and 43% of sentences were within the guideline range (nationally 47%).
Caseload in FY2025 was about the same as in FY2018. The median prison term in FY2025 (60 months) was longer than in FY2018 (48 months).
§ 3Length of prison terms
§ 4Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 43%Above range 5%Below range, government sponsored 24%Below range, other 27%Not determinable 61
| Measure | 8th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 60 | 24 |
| Cases with a prison term | 93% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 43% | 47% |
| Above range | 5% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 24% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 27% | 21% |
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 14,307 | 36.4% | 90 | 32% |
| Firearms | 9,880 | 25.2% | 46 | 53% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 3,120 | 7.9% | 18 | 44% |
| Immigration | 2,376 | 6.1% | 5 | 73% |
| Child Pornography | 1,732 | 4.4% | 96 | 31% |
| Sex Abuse | 1,404 | 3.6% | 180 | 47% |
| Prison Offenses | 888 | 2.3% | 6 | 74% |
| Robbery | 878 | 2.2% | 103 | 39% |
| Assault | 837 | 2.1% | 36 | 52% |
| Money Launder | 725 | 1.8% | 87 | 19% |
| Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses | 675 | 1.7% | 18 | 44% |
| Administration of Justice | 505 | 1.3% | 12 | 48% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 4,805 | 92% | 48 | 45% | 25% | 26% | 4% |
| FY2019 | 5,441 | 93% | 48 | 45% | 24% | 27% | 4% |
| FY2020 | 4,694 | 93% | 48 | 44% | 22% | 29% | 5% |
| FY2021 | 4,592 | 93% | 60 | 42% | 25% | 29% | 5% |
| FY2022 | 5,102 | 94% | 60 | 43% | 25% | 27% | 5% |
| FY2023 | 5,143 | 93% | 62 | 40% | 27% | 28% | 5% |
| FY2024 | 4,864 | 94% | 65 | 43% | 24% | 27% | 6% |
| FY2025 | 4,611 | 94% | 60 | 44% | 24% | 26% | 6% |
§ 7Questions and answers
Which districts are in the Eighth Circuit?
Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, District of Minnesota, Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri, District of Nebraska, District of North Dakota and District of South Dakota.
How do sentences vary across the Eighth Circuit?
District medians over FY2018–FY2025 range from 36 to 84 months. Offence mix explains much of it: the district pages break each one down by offence type.
How often are sentences within the guideline range in the Eighth Circuit?
43% over FY2018–FY2025, with 24% below the range on a government motion and 27% below it for other reasons.
§ 8Provenance
Source: United States Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles, fiscal years 2018–2025 (US government works), aggregated by this site; the FY2025 file is dated 29 Apr 2026. Circuit is the Commission's MONCIRC code 8. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.