Federal districtsFY2018–FY2025
Southern District of California
S.D. Cal. · Ninth Circuit · California · other districts in California
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.
§ 1Length of prison terms
Half of the district's prison terms fell between 5 and 30 months (interquartile range); the mean is 24 months. <10 cases were recorded at 470 months, the Commission's value for life and for terms of 470 months or more.
§ 2Summary
The Southern District of California (S.D. Cal.) reported 26,362 sentenced cases to the US Sentencing Commission across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), 2,661 of them in FY2025. That is 5% of the national caseload.
The largest primary offence types are immigration (46%), drug trafficking (42%) and fraud/theft/embezzlement (4%).
The median prison term across all offence types was 15 months (1 yr 3 mo), shorter than the national median of 24 months and close to the Ninth Circuit median of 15. 95% of cases carried a prison term; the rest were probation, alternatives or a fine only.
15% of sentences fell within the guideline range (nationally 47%), 79% were below the range on a government motion, 5% were below the range for other reasons and 1% were above the range. Medians and shares describe past cases in aggregate; they are not an estimate for any case.
FY2025 had fewer cases than FY2018 (2,661 against 3,889). The median prison term in FY2025 (9 months) was shorter than in FY2018 (15 months).
§ 3Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 15%Above range 1%Below range, government sponsored 79%Below range, other 5%Not determinable 33
Shares exclude cases whose range status the Commission records as missing or indeterminable. "Government sponsored" covers §5K1.1 substantial-assistance motions, §5K3.1 early-disposition programmes and other departures or variances the government requested.
§ 4Compared with the Ninth Circuit and the nation
| Measure | S.D. Cal. | 9th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cases per fiscal year | 3,295 | 12,181 | 65,553 |
| Share of national caseload | 5.0% | 18.6% | 100% |
| Median prison months | 15 | 15 | 24 |
| Mean prison months | 24 | 32 | 51 |
| Cases with a prison term | 95% | 92% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 15% | 27% | 47% |
| Above range | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 79% | 58% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 5% | 14% | 21% |
| Median final offence level | 17 | 15 | 17 |
| Criminal history category I | 53% | 44% | 46% |
Medians are of cases with a prison term. Differences between districts largely reflect the mix of offence types and statutory minimums; the offence pages below compare like with like.
§ 5Offence mix
| Primary offence type | Cases | Share | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 11,983 | 45.5% | 6 | 21% | 75% | 4% |
| Drug Trafficking | 11,061 | 42.0% | 30 | 2% | 94% | 4% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 980 | 3.7% | 9 | 50% | 31% | 7% |
| Money Launder | 676 | 2.6% | 14 | 27% | 53% | 10% |
| Firearms | 372 | 1.4% | 24 | 16% | 66% | 17% |
| Prison Offenses | 241 | 0.9% | 4 | 41% | 38% | 21% |
| Administration of Justice | 164 | 0.6% | 12 | 45% | 32% | 17% |
| Child Pornography | 149 | 0.6% | 60 | 19% | 42% | 37% |
| Environmental | 116 | 0.4% | 2 | 71% | 16% | 13% |
| Assault | 96 | 0.4% | 5 | 47% | 38% | 12% |
| Drug Possession | 95 | 0.4% | 0 | 96% | — | — |
| Robbery | 79 | 0.3% | 52 | 20% | 62% | 14% |
| Sex Abuse | 78 | 0.3% | 120 | 27% | 50% | 15% |
| Other | 56 | 0.2% | 0 | 66% | — | — |
| Tax | 45 | 0.2% | 12 | 38% | 36% | — |
| Bribery/Corruption | 35 | 0.1% | 18 | — | 63% | — |
| Commercialized Vice | 29 | 0.1% | 15 | — | 48% | — |
| Individual Rights | 18 | 0.1% | 2 | — | — | — |
| Extortion/Racketeering | 17 | 0.1% | 24 | — | — | — |
| Forgery/Counter/Copyright | 17 | 0.1% | 17 | — | 82% | — |
| Stalking/Harassing | 12 | 0.0% | 8 | — | — | — |
| National Defense | 11 | 0.0% | 17 | — | — | — |
| 6 other offence types, pooled | 32 | 0.1% | fewer than 10 cases each | |||
Linked offence types have a district page (at least 30 cases in 2021–2025); others link to the national offence page. Offence types with fewer than 10 cases are pooled.
§ 6Trend by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Cases | Prison | Median months | Within range | Below, gov. | Below, other | Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 3,889 | 95% | 15 | 16% | 76% | 7% | 1% |
| FY2019 | 4,089 | 95% | 12 | 18% | 75% | 6% | 1% |
| FY2020 | 3,499 | 94% | 12 | 13% | 79% | 7% | 1% |
| FY2021 | 2,927 | 96% | 18 | 10% | 84% | 4% | 2% |
| FY2022 | 3,474 | 97% | 20 | 12% | 81% | 4% | 3% |
| FY2023 | 3,189 | 97% | 18 | 11% | 85% | 4% | 1% |
| FY2024 | 2,634 | 95% | 13 | 15% | 80% | 3% | 1% |
| FY2025 | 2,661 | 95% | 9 | 27% | 68% | 4% | 1% |
Each fiscal year links to a table of the district's offence types for that year.
§ 7Criminal history and type of sentence
Criminal history category
Share of cases at each final criminal history category (I is the lowest); grey figure: national share.
Type of sentence
The Commission's sentence-type classification; grey figure: national share.
§ 8Most common primary guidelines
| Guideline | Subject | Cases | Median months | Within range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| §2D1.1 | Unlawful manufacturing, importing, exporting, trafficking or possession with intent (drugs) | 10,973 | 30 | 2% |
| §2L1.2 | Unlawfully entering or remaining in the United States | 3,798 | 12 | 12% |
| §2L1.1 | Smuggling, transporting or harboring an unlawful alien | 3,323 | 8 | 11% |
| §2B1.1 | Larceny, embezzlement, theft, fraud and deceit | 727 | 13 | 37% |
| §2K2.1 | Unlawful receipt, possession or transportation of firearms or ammunition | 354 | 24 | 15% |
| §2S1.3 | Structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements | 346 | 8 | 44% |
| §2L2.2 | Fraudulently acquiring documents relating to naturalization or citizenship | 302 | 6 | 23% |
| §2S1.1 | Laundering of monetary instruments | 296 | 37 | 6% |
| §2G2.2 | Trafficking in material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor (child pornography) | 148 | 60 | 18% |
| §2A2.4 | Obstructing or impeding officers | 76 | 13 | 46% |
| §2B3.1 | Robbery | 74 | 57 | 18% |
| §2Q1.2 | Mishandling of hazardous or toxic substances or pesticides | 66 | 2 | 89% |
§ 9Questions and answers
What is the median federal sentence in the Southern District of California?
15 months (1 yr 3 mo) across all offence types and 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), counting only cases with a prison term (95% of cases). The national median over the same period is 24 months. Medians differ by offence type far more than by district: for immigration, the district's largest category, the median is 6 months.
How often are sentences below the guideline range in the Southern District of California?
Over FY2018–FY2025, 79% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request (substantial assistance, early disposition or another government-sponsored reason) and 5% were below the range for other reasons. 15% were within the range and 1% above it. Nationally the within-range share is 47%.
How does the Southern District of California compare with the Ninth Circuit and the nation?
Median prison term: 15 months here, 15 in the Ninth Circuit, 24 nationally. Within-range share: 15%, 27% and 47%. The mix of offence types drives much of the difference; the district × offence pages compare like with like.
How has sentencing in the Southern District of California changed over time?
FY2025 had fewer cases than FY2018 (2,661 against 3,889). The median prison term in FY2025 (9 months) was shorter than in FY2018 (15 months). The within-range share rose from 16% in FY2018 to 27% in FY2025.
Where do these figures come from?
The US Sentencing Commission's individual offender datafiles for FY2018–FY2025, one file per fiscal year, aggregated by district. Cases are those reported to the Commission with sentencing documents; counts under 10 are hidden. Nothing on this site identifies a case, a sentenced person or a judge.
§ 10Provenance
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. District identified by the Commission's CIRCDIST code 68. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology · Corrections.