Judicial circuitsFY2018–FY2025
Tenth Circuit
10th Cir. · 8 districts · Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming
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 Colorado D. Colo. | 3,312 | 90% | 39 | 35% | 39% | 24% | 2% |
| District of Kansas D. Kan. | 3,144 | 85% | 46 | 43% | 38% | 14% | 5% |
| District of New Mexico D.N.M. | 20,984 | 99% | 4 | 58% | 31% | 10% | 1% |
| Eastern District of Oklahoma E.D. Okla. | 1,355 | 95% | 63 | 62% | 18% | 13% | 7% |
| Northern District of Oklahoma N.D. Okla. | 3,019 | 88% | 37 | 47% | 32% | 15% | 6% |
| Western District of Oklahoma W.D. Okla. | 4,039 | 85% | 48 | 50% | 12% | 34% | 5% |
| District of Utah D. Utah | 5,643 | 86% | 30 | 23% | 63% | 11% | 2% |
| District of Wyoming D. Wyo. | 1,379 | 94% | 46 | 33% | 44% | 20% | 3% |
Whole period, FY2018–FY2025. Medians are of cases with a prison term.
§ 2Summary
The Tenth Circuit covers 8 districts (Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming). Its courts sentenced 42,875 cases reported to the Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 5,853 of them in FY2025; the District of New Mexico is the busiest with 20,984.
The circuit's median prison term was 15 months (1 yr 3 mo), shorter than the national 24 months, and 48% 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 (15 months) was longer than in FY2018 (4 months).
§ 3Length of prison terms
§ 4Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 48%Above range 3%Below range, government sponsored 35%Below range, other 15%Not determinable 249
| Measure | 10th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|
| Median prison months | 15 | 24 |
| Cases with a prison term | 93% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 48% | 47% |
| Above range | 3% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 35% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 15% | 21% |
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 19,086 | 44.5% | 3 | 61% |
| Drug Trafficking | 8,764 | 20.4% | 60 | 22% |
| Firearms | 5,316 | 12.4% | 37 | 46% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 1,952 | 4.6% | 18 | 49% |
| Assault | 1,087 | 2.5% | 41 | 48% |
| Sex Abuse | 969 | 2.3% | 164 | 40% |
| Robbery | 916 | 2.1% | 70 | 36% |
| Child Pornography | 658 | 1.5% | 87 | 28% |
| Other | 524 | 1.2% | 6 | 91% |
| Money Launder | 515 | 1.2% | 46 | 17% |
| Administration of Justice | 452 | 1.1% | 12 | 46% |
| Drug Possession | 451 | 1.1% | 0 | 91% |
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 6,541 | 94% | 4 | 59% | 29% | 12% | 1% |
| FY2019 | 6,526 | 94% | 5 | 58% | 29% | 12% | 2% |
| FY2020 | 5,566 | 93% | 6 | 55% | 31% | 12% | 1% |
| FY2021 | 3,860 | 91% | 27 | 38% | 41% | 19% | 3% |
| FY2022 | 4,767 | 92% | 24 | 34% | 45% | 18% | 3% |
| FY2023 | 4,878 | 92% | 25 | 38% | 40% | 19% | 4% |
| FY2024 | 4,884 | 93% | 30 | 41% | 37% | 17% | 4% |
| FY2025 | 5,853 | 94% | 15 | 52% | 31% | 14% | 3% |
§ 7Questions and answers
Which districts are in the Tenth Circuit?
District of Colorado, District of Kansas, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Utah and District of Wyoming.
How do sentences vary across the Tenth Circuit?
District medians over FY2018–FY2025 range from 4 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 Tenth Circuit?
48% over FY2018–FY2025, with 35% below the range on a government motion and 15% 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 10. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology.