Judicial circuitsFY2018–FY2025
Sixth Circuit
6th Cir. · 9 districts · Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee
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 Kentucky E.D. Ky. | 3,575 | 96% | 72 | 53% | 22% | 24% | 2% |
| Western District of Kentucky W.D. Ky. | 2,620 | 85% | 57 | 36% | 43% | 19% | 2% |
| Eastern District of Michigan E.D. Mich. | 5,743 | 94% | 36 | 38% | 17% | 44% | 1% |
| Western District of Michigan W.D. Mich. | 2,335 | 91% | 60 | 54% | 18% | 25% | 4% |
| Northern District of Ohio N.D. Ohio | 6,735 | 90% | 46 | 43% | 29% | 26% | 3% |
| Southern District of Ohio S.D. Ohio | 4,538 | 87% | 36 | 26% | 49% | 23% | 2% |
| Eastern District of Tennessee E.D. Tenn. | 5,065 | 96% | 72 | 48% | 37% | 13% | 3% |
| Middle District of Tennessee M.D. Tenn. | 2,390 | 91% | 57 | 26% | 43% | 28% | 3% |
| Western District of Tennessee W.D. Tenn. | 3,375 | 95% | 60 | 45% | 24% | 29% | 2% |
Whole period, FY2018–FY2025. Medians are of cases with a prison term.
§ 2Summary
The Sixth Circuit covers 9 districts (Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee). Its courts sentenced 36,376 cases reported to the Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 4,310 of them in FY2025; the Northern District of Ohio is the busiest with 6,735.
The circuit's median prison term was 51 months (4 yr 3 mo), longer than the national 24 months, and 41% 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 (54 months) was longer than in FY2018 (46 months).
§ 3Length of prison terms
§ 4Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 41%Above range 2%Below range, government sponsored 31%Below range, other 26%Not determinable 161
| Measure | 6th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 51 | 24 |
| Cases with a prison term | 92% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 41% | 47% |
| Above range | 2% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 31% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 26% | 21% |
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 13,826 | 38.0% | 78 | 30% |
| Firearms | 8,064 | 22.2% | 42 | 48% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 3,972 | 10.9% | 21 | 39% |
| Immigration | 2,904 | 8.0% | 5 | 78% |
| Robbery | 1,236 | 3.4% | 100 | 39% |
| Sex Abuse | 1,036 | 2.8% | 235 | 37% |
| Money Launder | 1,018 | 2.8% | 60 | 23% |
| Child Pornography | 978 | 2.7% | 120 | 37% |
| Assault | 397 | 1.1% | 60 | 50% |
| Administration of Justice | 349 | 1.0% | 12 | 41% |
| Tax | 307 | 0.8% | 12 | 19% |
| Other | 283 | 0.8% | 0 | 92% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 4,699 | 91% | 46 | 45% | 29% | 25% | 2% |
| FY2019 | 5,321 | 92% | 42 | 46% | 28% | 24% | 2% |
| FY2020 | 4,152 | 91% | 51 | 44% | 28% | 25% | 3% |
| FY2021 | 4,008 | 91% | 57 | 40% | 32% | 26% | 2% |
| FY2022 | 4,943 | 93% | 57 | 38% | 33% | 26% | 3% |
| FY2023 | 4,613 | 93% | 60 | 37% | 34% | 27% | 2% |
| FY2024 | 4,330 | 93% | 60 | 36% | 34% | 28% | 2% |
| FY2025 | 4,310 | 93% | 54 | 40% | 29% | 29% | 2% |
§ 7Questions and answers
Which districts are in the Sixth Circuit?
Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee and Western District of Tennessee.
How do sentences vary across the Sixth Circuit?
District medians over FY2018–FY2025 range from 36 to 72 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 Sixth Circuit?
41% over FY2018–FY2025, with 31% below the range on a government motion and 26% 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 6. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.