Women in the U.S. Federal Prison System: The Numbers
Every number on this page comes from the Bureau of Prisons' own published data: the weekly population reports and the live facility directory at bop.gov. These are the facts, not estimates. Last verified August 13, 2026.
Total Women in Federal Prison (2026)
5,940 women in sentenced federal facilities
This is the count of women housed across the 15 federal facilities that hold sentenced women, based on BOP's weekly population report from August 13, 2026. It does not include women held short-term in the 12 federal detention centers, for which BOP does not publish a separate gender breakdown. The actual number of women in the federal system on any given day is somewhat higher when detention is included.
For context: the total federal prison population is approximately 155,000. Women represent roughly 6–7% of all people in federal custody. The proportion has been slowly rising over the past decade, though women's absolute numbers remain a small share of the system.
Per-Facility Population: Sentenced Women
These are the 15 federal facilities where women serve sentences. The population numbers are for the women's units only, not the total facility. At mixed-gender complexes, the men's population is listed separately for context.
| Facility | Location | Women | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMC Carswell | Fort Worth TX | 1,245 | Medical center + camp, Fort Worth TX |
| FPC Bryan | Bryan TX | 687 | Women-only camp, Bryan TX |
| FPC Alderson | Alderson WV | 647 | Women-only camp, Alderson WV |
| FCI Hazelton (SFF) | Bruceton Mills WV | 507 | Secure Female Facility, Bruceton Mills WV |
| FCI Aliceville | Aliceville AL (converting to men's) | 468 | Low-security + camp, Aliceville AL (converting to men's) |
| FCI Waseca | Waseca MN | 446 | Low-security, Waseca MN |
| FCI Tallahassee | Tallahassee FL | 387 | Low-security + camp, Tallahassee FL |
| FCI Marianna | Marianna FL | 254 | Camp, Marianna FL |
| FMC Lexington | Lexington KY (on closure list) | 235 | Medical center camp, Lexington KY (on closure list) |
| FCI Pekin | Pekin IL | 230 | Camp, Pekin IL |
| FCI Victorville | Victorville CA | 215 | Camp, Victorville CA |
| FCI Estill | Estill SC | 198 | Low-security (converted from men's 2026), Estill SC |
| FCI Phoenix | Phoenix AZ | 188 | Camp + MINT site, Phoenix AZ |
| FCI Greenville | Greenville IL | 119 | Camp, Greenville IL |
| FCI Danbury | Danbury CT | 114 | Camp + low satellite, Danbury CT |
| Total sentenced women | 5,940 | ||
How Women Are Distributed by Security Level
Most women in federal prison are at minimum-security facilities. The Bureau of Prisons classifies security as minimum, low, medium, or high. Here is how the roughly 5,940 sentenced women break down:
- Minimum-security camps: ~2,689 women (45%). Open dormitories, work assignments, and the least restrictive daily routine in the federal system. FPC Bryan, FPC Alderson, and the camps at mixed complexes.
- Low-security institutions: ~1,499 women (25%). Secured perimeter, more structure than a camp. FCI Aliceville, FCI Waseca, FCI Tallahassee, FCI Estill.
- Medical center: ~1,245 women (includes camp population). FMC Carswell in Fort Worth — the federal system's primary medical facility for women.
- Secure Female Facility (SFF): ~507 women. FCI Hazelton's SFF — the highest-security women's unit in the federal system, holding multiple custody levels.
At mixed-gender complexes (Danbury, Greenville, Pekin, Victorville, Phoenix), the women are in a separate unit — typically a camp — with their own housing, staff, and daily routine. The security level of the women's unit is what matters, not the men's headline level.
Key Facts About Women in Federal Prison
- ~5,940
- Women in 15 sentenced federal facilities (BOP population report, August 2026)
- ~6–7%
- Share of the total federal prison population that is women
- 15
- Federal facilities that hold sentenced women (out of ~122 total BOP institutions)
- 12
- Federal detention centers that also hold women pretrial or in transit
- 3
- Women-only federal facilities: FPC Alderson, FPC Bryan, FMC Carswell
- 1
- Secure Female Facility in the federal system: FCI Hazelton SFF
- 2
- Federal MINT sites for pregnant women: FCI Tallahassee and FCI Phoenix
- 67
- Total federal prison camps operated by BOP (most hold men; roughly 10 hold women)
- 13 months
- Average time from sentencing to release for women in federal prison (USSC data, FY2024)
Women-Only vs. Mixed-Gender Facilities
Only three federal facilities are dedicated entirely to women:
- FPC Alderson (Alderson, WV) — minimum-security camp, 647 women
- FPC Bryan (Bryan, TX) — minimum-security camp, 687 women
- FMC Carswell (Fort Worth, TX) — medical center + camp, 1,245 women
All other facilities that house women are mixed-gender complexes where the women's population is in a separate unit from the men's. At these facilities, the published "total population" number includes men and is typically 5–10x larger than the women's unit. For example, FCI Victorville's women's camp holds 215 people, but the total complex population exceeds 3,600.
Federal Detention Centers That Hold Women
BOP does not publish a separate gender breakdown for detention centers. The following facilities are confirmed to hold women based on BOP's own facility descriptions and reporting. Total population (men + women) is shown because women-only counts are not available.
- FDC Miami (Miami, FL) — 1,444 total
- FTC Oklahoma City (Oklahoma City, OK) — 1,374 total (federal transfer hub)
- MDC Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY) — 1,285 total
- MDC Guaynabo (Guaynabo, PR) — 977 total
- FDC Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) — 905 total
- MDC Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA) — 886 total
- FDC Houston (Houston, TX) — 815 total
- FDC SeaTac (Seattle, WA) — 687 total
- MCC San Diego (San Diego, CA) — 545 total
- MCC Chicago (Chicago, IL) — 498 total
- FCI Tucson (Tucson, AZ) — 443 total (women in detention unit)
- FDC Honolulu (Honolulu, HI) — 313 total
Sources
All population data on this page comes from:
- BOP Weekly Population Report — published weekly, the official headcount of every federal facility.
- BOP Facility Directory — security level, gender designation, and coordinates for each institution.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Quick Facts — sentencing demographics, average sentence length, offense categories.
Numbers change weekly as BOP publishes new reports. This page will be updated as new data is released. If you notice a number that looks wrong, tell us and we will verify and fix it.