Judicial circuitsFY2018–FY2025
Ninth Circuit
9th Cir. · 15 districts · Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Washington
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 Alaska D. Alaska | 1,237 | 91% | 50 | 28% | 36% | 31% | 4% |
| District of Arizona D. Ariz. | 36,500 | 92% | 9 | 33% | 60% | 6% | 1% |
| Central District of California C.D. Cal. | 7,977 | 86% | 37 | 29% | 34% | 36% | 2% |
| Eastern District of California E.D. Cal. | 3,353 | 93% | 50 | 39% | 30% | 29% | 2% |
| Northern District of California N.D. Cal. | 3,550 | 88% | 30 | 21% | 39% | 39% | 1% |
| Southern District of California S.D. Cal. | 26,362 | 95% | 15 | 15% | 79% | 5% | 1% |
| District of Guam D. Guam | 298 | 78% | 37 | 52% | 30% | 18% | — |
| District of Hawaii D. Haw. | 1,108 | 93% | 54 | 36% | 38% | 23% | 3% |
| District of Idaho D. Idaho | 2,553 | 91% | 41 | 40% | 28% | 30% | 2% |
| District of Montana D. Mont. | 2,885 | 91% | 38 | 34% | 29% | 36% | 2% |
| District of Nevada D. Nev. | 2,754 | 88% | 33 | 28% | 49% | 22% | 2% |
| District of the Northern Mariana Islands D.N. Mar. I. | 150 | 86% | 3 | 69% | 18% | 11% | — |
| District of Oregon D. Or. | 3,459 | 89% | 31 | 20% | 60% | 18% | 2% |
| Eastern District of Washington E.D. Wash. | 2,265 | 94% | 36 | 35% | 44% | 18% | 3% |
| Western District of Washington W.D. Wash. | 2,996 | 76% | 33 | 37% | 44% | 19% | 1% |
Whole period, FY2018–FY2025. Medians are of cases with a prison term.
§ 2Summary
The Ninth Circuit covers 15 districts (Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon and Washington). Its courts sentenced 97,447 cases reported to the Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 10,991 of them in FY2025; the District of Arizona is the busiest with 36,500.
The circuit's median prison term was 15 months (1 yr 3 mo), shorter than the national 24 months, and 27% of sentences were within the guideline range (nationally 47%).
FY2025 had fewer cases than FY2018 (10,991 against 13,532). The median prison term in FY2025 (14 months) was shorter than in FY2018 (18 months).
§ 3Length of prison terms
§ 4Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 27%Above range 1%Below range, government sponsored 58%Below range, other 14%Not determinable 680
| Measure | 9th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 15 | 24 |
| Cases with a prison term | 92% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 27% | 47% |
| Above range | 1% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 58% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 14% | 21% |
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 41,054 | 42.1% | 7 | 31% |
| Drug Trafficking | 28,078 | 28.8% | 36 | 9% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 6,999 | 7.2% | 15 | 44% |
| Firearms | 6,705 | 6.9% | 30 | 36% |
| Money Launder | 1,837 | 1.9% | 27 | 21% |
| Assault | 1,531 | 1.6% | 30 | 44% |
| Child Pornography | 1,445 | 1.5% | 72 | 22% |
| Sex Abuse | 1,274 | 1.3% | 144 | 34% |
| Robbery | 1,109 | 1.1% | 63 | 28% |
| Other | 1,058 | 1.1% | 0 | 92% |
| Drug Possession | 1,003 | 1.0% | 6 | 89% |
| Administration of Justice | 924 | 0.9% | 12 | 41% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 13,532 | 92% | 18 | 32% | 52% | 14% | 2% |
| FY2019 | 14,785 | 92% | 15 | 31% | 54% | 14% | 1% |
| FY2020 | 12,039 | 92% | 12 | 28% | 57% | 14% | 1% |
| FY2021 | 11,015 | 91% | 16 | 23% | 62% | 14% | 1% |
| FY2022 | 12,159 | 92% | 18 | 22% | 62% | 14% | 2% |
| FY2023 | 12,151 | 91% | 16 | 23% | 63% | 13% | 1% |
| FY2024 | 10,775 | 91% | 16 | 26% | 58% | 14% | 2% |
| FY2025 | 10,991 | 92% | 14 | 32% | 54% | 14% | 1% |
§ 7Questions and answers
Which districts are in the Ninth Circuit?
District of Alaska, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Guam, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of the Northern Mariana Islands, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Washington and Western District of Washington.
How do sentences vary across the Ninth Circuit?
District medians over FY2018–FY2025 range from 3 to 54 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 Ninth Circuit?
27% over FY2018–FY2025, with 58% below the range on a government motion and 14% 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 9. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.