By the numbers
The total number of incarcerated persons in Wisconsin’s prisons ticked up between 2023 and 2024 but is still lower than its pre-COVID level, data from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections show.
The Wisconsin Corrections figures count “individuals who were physically present at a WI DOC prison, individuals occupying contract beds … and individuals … who were out to court or at the hospital.” Each count is reported as the number of prisoners in the department’s care on Dec. 31 of each year.
Between 2000 and 2019, the total number of prisoners increased by 3,160, or 15.5%. By 2020, however, it had fallen by over 3,400 to just 20,011, fewer than the level in 2000 and a 14.8% drop from its peak. The Appleton Post-Crescent reported that the decline was due primarily to fewer arrests, slower resolution of cases, and fewer people being admitted to prison during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the years following, prison totals have ticked upwards but have still not exceeded the pre-pandemic high point of 23,503 inmates recorded in December 2018. At the end of 2024, Wisconsin prisons housed 21,395 men and 1,562 women.
The underlying numbers
| Year | Total | Male | Female |
| 2000 | 20,323 | 18,979 | 1,344 |
| 2001 | 20,933 | 19,650 | 1,283 |
| 2002 | 21,455 | 20,121 | 1,334 |
| 2003 | 21,702 | 20,375 | 1,327 |
| 2004 | 21,964 | 20,644 | 1,320 |
| 2005 | 21,735 | 20,446 | 1,289 |
| 2006 | 22,427 | 21,061 | 1,366 |
| 2007 | 22,724 | 21,261 | 1,463 |
| 2008 | 22,407 | 21,100 | 1,307 |
| 2009 | 22,218 | 20,962 | 1,256 |
| 2010 | 21,867 | 20,639 | 1,228 |
| 2011 | 21,738 | 20,597 | 1,141 |
| 2012 | 21,778 | 20,586 | 1,192 |
| 2013 | 21,857 | 20,647 | 1,210 |
| 2014 | 22,088 | 20,738 | 1,350 |
| 2015 | 22,432 | 21,054 | 1,378 |
| 2016 | 22,808 | 21,354 | 1,454 |
| 2017 | 23,377 | 21,788 | 1,589 |
| 2018 | 23,503 | 21,942 | 1,561 |
| 2019 | 23,483 | 21,960 | 1,523 |
| 2020 | 20,011 | 18,758 | 1,253 |
| 2021 | 19,975 | 18,733 | 1,242 |
| 2022 | 20,588 | 19,236 | 1,352 |
| 2023 | 22,073 | 20,586 | 1,487 |
| 2024 | 22,957 | 21,395 | 1,562 |
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