Judicial circuitsFY2018–FY2025
Fourth Circuit
4th Cir. · 9 districts · Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Maryland D. Md. | 4,583 | 92% | 50 | 31% | 47% | 17% | 5% |
| Eastern District of North Carolina E.D.N.C. | 6,496 | 84% | 62 | 56% | 26% | 15% | 3% |
| Middle District of North Carolina M.D.N.C. | 2,986 | 91% | 63 | 52% | 15% | 26% | 8% |
| Western District of North Carolina W.D.N.C. | 3,691 | 95% | 60 | 53% | 21% | 22% | 3% |
| District of South Carolina D.S.C. | 5,538 | 91% | 51 | 45% | 26% | 28% | 2% |
| Eastern District of Virginia E.D. Va. | 7,787 | 75% | 46 | 57% | 11% | 29% | 3% |
| Western District of Virginia W.D. Va. | 1,940 | 90% | 60 | 38% | 32% | 24% | 6% |
| Northern District of West Virginia N.D.W. Va. | 2,334 | 81% | 46 | 56% | 15% | 26% | 3% |
| Southern District of West Virginia S.D.W. Va. | 1,978 | 91% | 46 | 50% | 10% | 37% | 3% |
Whole period, FY2018–FY2025. Medians are of cases with a prison term.
§ 2Summary
The Fourth Circuit covers 9 districts (Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia). Its courts sentenced 37,333 cases reported to the Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 4,183 of them in FY2025; the Eastern District of Virginia is the busiest with 7,787.
The circuit's median prison term was 57 months (4 yr 9 mo), longer than the national 24 months, and 50% of sentences were within the guideline range (nationally 47%).
FY2025 had fewer cases than FY2018 (4,183 against 5,587). The median prison term in FY2025 (57 months) was longer than in FY2018 (48 months).
§ 3Length of prison terms
§ 4Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 50%Above range 4%Below range, government sponsored 23%Below range, other 24%Not determinable 524
| Measure | 4th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 57 | 24 |
| Cases with a prison term | 86% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 50% | 47% |
| Above range | 4% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 23% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 24% | 21% |
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 13,010 | 34.8% | 78 | 38% |
| Firearms | 7,459 | 20.0% | 50 | 55% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 4,060 | 10.9% | 24 | 47% |
| Immigration | 3,071 | 8.2% | 6 | 79% |
| Other | 2,132 | 5.7% | 0 | 98% |
| Robbery | 1,255 | 3.4% | 120 | 47% |
| Child Pornography | 1,026 | 2.7% | 84 | 30% |
| Sex Abuse | 875 | 2.3% | 204 | 32% |
| Money Launder | 607 | 1.6% | 54 | 27% |
| Assault | 481 | 1.3% | 95 | 51% |
| Murder | 427 | 1.1% | 300 | 42% |
| Drug Possession | 389 | 1.0% | 0 | 94% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 5,587 | 86% | 48 | 56% | 19% | 20% | 4% |
| FY2019 | 5,790 | 88% | 46 | 56% | 19% | 22% | 3% |
| FY2020 | 4,266 | 87% | 48 | 52% | 20% | 25% | 3% |
| FY2021 | 4,522 | 86% | 60 | 49% | 22% | 25% | 4% |
| FY2022 | 4,688 | 88% | 60 | 46% | 27% | 24% | 4% |
| FY2023 | 4,313 | 88% | 60 | 42% | 28% | 25% | 4% |
| FY2024 | 3,984 | 84% | 57 | 45% | 25% | 26% | 4% |
| FY2025 | 4,183 | 84% | 57 | 47% | 23% | 27% | 4% |
§ 7Questions and answers
Which districts are in the Fourth Circuit?
District of Maryland, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of South Carolina, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia and Southern District of West Virginia.
How do sentences vary across the Fourth Circuit?
District medians over FY2018–FY2025 range from 46 to 63 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 Fourth Circuit?
50% over FY2018–FY2025, with 23% below the range on a government motion and 24% 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 4. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.