Federal districtsFY2018–FY2025
Southern District of Iowa
S.D. Iowa · Eighth Circuit · Iowa · other districts in Iowa
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 37 and 160 months (interquartile range); the mean is 109 months. 27 cases were recorded at 470 months, the Commission's value for life and for terms of 470 months or more.
§ 2Summary
Across 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), courts in the Southern District of Iowa sentenced 3,451 cases that appear in the Commission's datafiles, 0.7% of all federal cases; FY2025 alone accounts for 343.
The largest primary offence types are drug trafficking (46%), firearms (23%) and child pornography (6%).
The median prison term across all offence types was 84 months (7 years), longer than the national median of 24 months and longer than the Eighth Circuit median of 60. 96% of cases carried a prison term; the rest were probation, alternatives or a fine only.
37% of sentences fell within the guideline range (nationally 47%), 25% were below the range on a government motion, 35% were below the range for other reasons and 3% 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 (343 against 477). The median prison term in FY2025 (108 months) was longer than in FY2018 (65 months).
§ 3Position relative to the guideline range
Within guideline range 37%Above range 3%Below range, government sponsored 25%Below range, other 35%Not determinable <10
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 Eighth Circuit and the nation
| Measure | S.D. Iowa | 8th Cir. | All districts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cases per fiscal year | 431 | 4,907 | 65,553 |
| Share of national caseload | 0.7% | 7.5% | 100% |
| Median prison months | 84 | 60 | 24 |
| Mean prison months | 109 | 80 | 51 |
| Cases with a prison term | 96% | 93% | 92% |
| Within guideline range | 37% | 43% | 47% |
| Above range | 3% | 5% | 3% |
| Below range, government sponsored | 25% | 24% | 29% |
| Below range, other | 35% | 27% | 21% |
| Median final offence level | 27 | 21 | 17 |
| Criminal history category I | 29% | 33% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 1,602 | 46.4% | 121 | 22% | 37% | 40% |
| Firearms | 793 | 23.0% | 54 | 48% | 14% | 33% |
| Child Pornography | 207 | 6.0% | 120 | 36% | 12% | 50% |
| Immigration | 196 | 5.7% | 8 | 77% | 5% | 17% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 161 | 4.7% | 18 | 41% | 21% | 37% |
| Sex Abuse | 140 | 4.1% | 240 | 51% | 21% | 21% |
| Assault | 66 | 1.9% | 152 | 47% | 20% | 32% |
| Prison Offenses | 51 | 1.5% | 13 | 75% | — | — |
| Robbery | 42 | 1.2% | 90 | 41% | — | 41% |
| Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses | 41 | 1.2% | 30 | 73% | — | — |
| Money Launder | 25 | 0.7% | 41 | — | — | — |
| Administration of Justice | 20 | 0.6% | 11 | — | — | — |
| Tax | 17 | 0.5% | 18 | — | — | 77% |
| Other | 17 | 0.5% | — | 77% | — | — |
| Stalking/Harassing | 16 | 0.5% | 24 | — | — | — |
| Forgery/Counter/Copyright | 14 | 0.4% | — | — | — | — |
| 11 other offence types, pooled | 43 | 1.2% | 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 | 477 | 96% | 65 | 42% | 30% | 27% | — |
| FY2019 | 493 | 96% | 78 | 40% | 25% | 34% | — |
| FY2020 | 421 | 97% | 72 | 37% | 23% | 38% | 2% |
| FY2021 | 495 | 96% | 90 | 33% | 27% | 37% | 3% |
| FY2022 | 454 | 96% | 96 | 36% | 23% | 37% | 5% |
| FY2023 | 440 | 95% | 96 | 33% | 29% | 34% | 4% |
| FY2024 | 328 | — | 120 | 37% | 22% | 37% | 5% |
| FY2025 | 343 | 96% | 108 | 39% | 15% | 42% | 4% |
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) | 1,599 | 122 | 22% |
| §2K2.1 | Unlawful receipt, possession or transportation of firearms or ammunition | 781 | 52 | 48% |
| §2G2.2 | Trafficking in material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor (child pornography) | 207 | 120 | 36% |
| §2L1.2 | Unlawfully entering or remaining in the United States | 180 | 8 | 76% |
| §2B1.1 | Larceny, embezzlement, theft, fraud and deceit | 160 | 18 | 41% |
| §2G2.1 | Sexually exploiting a minor by production of sexual material | 82 | 300 | 48% |
| §2A2.1 | 55 | 165 | 46% | |
| §2P1.1 | Escape, instigating or assisting escape | 49 | 13 | 76% |
| §2G1.3 | Promoting a commercial sex act or prohibited sexual conduct with a minor | 45 | 151 | 62% |
| §2B3.1 | Robbery | 42 | 90 | 41% |
| §2A3.5 | Failure to register as a sex offender | 37 | 30 | 81% |
| §2S1.1 | Laundering of monetary instruments | 23 | 46 | — |
§ 9Questions and answers
What is the median federal sentence in the Southern District of Iowa?
84 months (7 years) across all offence types and 8 fiscal years (FY2018–FY2025), counting only cases with a prison term (96% of cases). The national median over the same period is 24 months. Medians differ by offence type far more than by district: for drug trafficking, the district's largest category, the median is 121 months.
How often are sentences below the guideline range in the Southern District of Iowa?
Over FY2018–FY2025, 25% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request (substantial assistance, early disposition or another government-sponsored reason) and 35% were below the range for other reasons. 37% were within the range and 3% above it. Nationally the within-range share is 47%.
How does the Southern District of Iowa compare with the Eighth Circuit and the nation?
Median prison term: 84 months here, 60 in the Eighth Circuit, 24 nationally. Within-range share: 37%, 43% 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 Iowa changed over time?
FY2025 had fewer cases than FY2018 (343 against 477). The median prison term in FY2025 (108 months) was longer than in FY2018 (65 months). The within-range share was steady between FY2018 and 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 56. Counts below 10 are hidden or pooled. Errors in this site's processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. Methodology · Corrections.