U.S. Sentencing Commission
2024 Annual Report

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Introduction

The United States Sentencing Commission (“the Commission”) was created by the Sentencing Reform Act provisions of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. The Commission is a bipartisan, independent agency in the Judicial Branch of the federal government, with statutory duties that include: 

• approving sentencing guidelines to be considered by sentencing judges in all federal criminal cases;
• collecting, analyzing, and reporting sentencing data systematically to detect new criminal trends, assess federal sentencing policies, and serve as a clearinghouse for federal sentencing statistics;
• conducting research on sentencing issues and serving as an information center for the collection, preparation, and dissemination of information on federal sentencing practices; and
• providing specialized training to judges, probation officers, staff attorneys, law clerks, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other members of the federal criminal justice community on application of the federal sentencing guidelines and federal sentencing. 

In 2024, the Commission approved several guideline amendments intended to improve the equity and fairness of federal sentencing. The package of amendments addressed issues such as the use of acquitted conduct in sentencing and consideration of the youthfulness of an individual at sentencing in light of emerging brain development science. 

Comments and feedback from stakeholders are of vital importance to the Commission on its development of polices and priorities. For its 2024-2025 guideline amendment cycle, the Commission expanded the public’s involvement by soliciting input on what its policy priorities should be before developing a proposed list. This approach differed from the typical process of outlining proposed priorities and then seeking comment. This novel approach resulted in nearly 1,200 pages of insightful comments from judges, Members of Congress, executive branch officials, attorneys, probation officers, advisory groups, professors, advocacy organizations, incarcerated individuals, and others. 

The Commission continually releases new and informative sentencing data, research, and training materials on timely matters. Over the past two years, the Commission has held more than a dozen public meetings and issued numerous reports on pertinent and timely matters of concern such as methamphetamine trafficking in the federal criminal justice system, the use of cyber technology in federal crime, and overdoses in drug trafficking crimes. 

The Commission’s website includes several useful interactive tools that are used on an ongoing basis by judges, probation officers, legal practitioners, and others. For example, the Commission’s Judiciary Sentencing INformation (JSIN) resource, an online tool launched in 2021 that provides granular sentencing data, is accessed approximately 5,000 times per month. 

JSIN is one of several interactive tools on the Commission’s website. Others include the Interactive Data Analyzer (IDA) which allows users to easily access federal sentencing data by district, circuit, or state and refine their inquiries to data relating to specific crime types; an overview of certain Federal Bureau of Prison (FBOP) programs such as the Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program and earned time credits under the First Step Act; and problem-solving courts, which is a compilation of information on court-sponsored programs related to diversion and alternatives-to-incarceration. 

Indeed, the number of users and views of the Commission’s website increased substantially in 2024 to 3.4 million views and nearly 850,000 users. Each year the Commission collects and analyzes data regarding every felony and Class A misdemeanor offense sentenced that year. The Commission analyzes these court documents to report information of interest and importance to policymakers and the federal criminal justice community. In 2024, the Commission received and reviewed approximately 317,000 such documents from the courts. These documents reported on more than 61,500 original sentencings and more than 27,000 motions for a resentencing or other modification of sentence, of which over 11,000 were granted. 

In addition, the Commission continues to provide specialized seminars, workshops, and training programs for judges, probation officers, law clerks, prosecutors, and defense attorneys on application of the guidelines and federal sentencing generally. In 2024, the Commission trained individuals from all 94 federal districts. 

Specifically, the Commission conducted 45 virtual training sessions with more than 6,000 participants. The Commission’s online and on-demand courses were accessed more than 1,400 times, and its eLearning courses were accessed more than 11,000 times, a 73 percent increase from the previous year.

Agency Overview

Commissioners

The Commission is a bipartisan body that consists of up to seven voting members appointed to staggered six-year terms by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. By statute, at least three of the commissioners shall be federal judges, and no more than four may be members of the same political party. The Attorney General (or the Attorney General’s designee) and the Chairperson of the United States Parole Commission are ex officio members of the Commission.

In 2024, the Commission encompassed a full slate of members: Judge Carlton W. Reeves (Chair), Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo (Vice Chair), Laura Mate (Vice Chair), Claire Murray (Vice Chair), Judge Claria Horn Boom, Judge John Gleeson, and Candice C. Wong. (Commissioners’ bios)

In January 2025, the terms of Commissioners John Gleeson and Judge Claria Horn Boom expired, however, with the departure of these members, the Commission maintained a voting quorum.

Organization

The Commission staff is divided into the Offices of the Staff Director, General Counsel, Education and Sentencing Practice, Research and Data, Legislative and Public Affairs, and Administration and Technology.

The Office of the Staff Director supervises and coordinates all agency functions. The director of each office reports to the staff director, who in turn reports to the Commission chair.

The Office of General Counsel supports the Commission on a variety of legal issues, including the formulation and application of the guidelines and guideline amendments, legislative proposals, and statutory interpretations. Legal staff monitor the district and circuit courts’ application and interpretation of the guidelines and advise commissioners about statutes affecting the Commission’s work. The legal staff also provides training support in conjunction with the Office of Education and Sentencing Practice.

In addition, the office performs all drafting services for the Commission, prepares the Guidelines Manual for printing, formally manages and maintains all papers and exhibits received by the Commission that constitute requests for Commission action on sentencing policy development, coordinates the Commission’s policy initiatives, and oversees the annual guideline amendment cycle, including providing notice to the public of proposed amendments and obtaining witnesses for public hearings.

The Office of Education and Sentencing Practice performs the lead role in teaching guideline application to judges, probation officers, prosecuting and defense attorneys, and other criminal justice professionals. The staff develops training materials, participates in the sentencing guideline segments of training programs sponsored by other agencies, works in conjunction with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts and the Federal Judicial Center to create webcasts that are aired on the Commission’s website, and helps inform the Commission about current guideline application practices. The office also operates the “HelpLine” to respond to guideline application questions from guideline practitioners.

The Office of Research and Data provides statistical and other social science research and analyses on specific sentencing issues and federal crime. The office receives documents from the federal courts concerning the sentences imposed, analyzes, and enters information from those documents into the Commission’s comprehensive computer database, and creates annual datafiles of sentencing information. Individual offender datafiles (without individual identifiers) from fiscal year 2002 to the present are available on the Commission’s website.

Working with the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of Research and Data also collects information on organizations convicted of crimes and on appeals filed in individual and organizational cases.

The office studies a variety of sentencing issues, including changes in the types and severity of federal crimes, demographic characteristics and criminal history of federally sentenced individuals, and sentencing trends. The office creates periodic reports on federal sentencing practices and tracks the application of the sentencing guidelines. These reports provide data concerning the types of crimes committed, the individuals who commit those crimes, how courts sentence individuals and use the guidelines. The office also provides projections of the impact on the federal prison population of proposed legislation and proposed guideline amendments. The reports are distributed to the courts, Congress, the Executive Branch, and the public.

The Office of Legislative and Public Affairs serves as the Commission’s liaison with Congress on sentencing matters, monitors Congress’s criminal law agenda and hearings, analyzes legislative proposals, and takes the lead role in responding to congressional inquiries, including specific requests for federal sentencing data. The office also provides services and information to other external entities, including the judiciary, Executive Branch agencies, academia, and advocacy groups. The office works closely with the Office of General Counsel on analyses of proposed and recently enacted legislation.

The office is also responsible for the agency’s public information functions, responding to inquiries and requests for information from the media, the public, Congress, academia and government agencies.

The office plays a primary role in coordinating the production, editing, printing, and dissemination of all Commission publications, including the Guidelines Manual, research publications, and reports to Congress. The office is also responsible for the Commission’s website and social media communications and coordinates the Commission’s public hearings and meetings.

The Office of Administration and Technology provides general support to commissioners and staff regarding budget and finance, contracting, human resources, facilities, and a variety of other office activities and functions.

This office has also included two technology-related units: the Information Technology and the Information Systems units. Together, these two units provide the Commission the technological support necessary to operate its computer networks, remote capabilities, cybersecurity, website, records management, and its extensive information systems applications.

Budget and Expenditures

For fiscal year 2024, the Commission received an annual appropriation of $21,641,000 to continue to fulfill statutory duties envisioned by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. The Commission has not requested program increases for several of the past fiscal years. The Commission continues to maximize its existing resources by prioritizing cost-containment and efficiency.

FY 2024 Activity Overview

The Commission is the leading and primary resource for federal sentencing data and analysis relating to the fairness and effectiveness of sentencing and improving recidivism outcomes, with the goal of using federal resources efficiently and appropriately. The subsequent sections of this report demonstrate the Commission’s commitment to these principles and to meeting its statutory requirements:

• Sentencing Policy Development
• Conducting Research
• Collecting and Reporting Sentencing Data
• Training and Outreach

Sentencing Policy Development

The sentencing guidelines established by the Commission are core to the agency’s mission. They provide federal judges with fair and consistent sentencing ranges to consult at sentencing by: 

• incorporating the purposes of sentencing (i.e., just punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation);
• providing certainty and fairness in meeting the purposes of sentencing by avoiding unwarranted disparity among offenders with similar characteristics convicted of similar criminal conduct, while permitting sufficient judicial flexibility to consider relevant aggravating and mitigating factors; and
• considering, to the extent practicable, advancement in the knowledge of human behavior as it relates to the criminal justice process.

By statute, the Commission must submit guideline amendments to Congress for its review no later than May 1 of any given year. In 2024, the Commission unanimously approved six amendments to the Guidelines Manual that addressed several pressing policy matters as well as long-standing circuit conflicts. These amendments, which are the result of significant public feedback and data analysis, aim to improve the fairness, effectiveness, and consistency of federal sentencing. Among the amendments are:

Acquitted Conduct

The use of acquitted conduct to increase an individual’s federal sentence has long been a concern among jurists, academics, practitioners, and members of the public, including sentenced individuals. Several bipartisan bills in Congress addressed this matter, and multiple Supreme Court Justices suggested, in denying certiorari in McClinton v. United States, 143 S. Ct. 2400 (June 2023) the Commission resolve the question of how acquitted conduct is considered under the guidelines. The Commission addressed this issue of fundamental fairness by amending §1B1.3 (Relevant Conduct) to exclude acquitted conduct from calculating a sentence range under the guidelines while not disturbing the court’s broad statutory authority under 18 U.S.C. § 3661. (Amendment-In-Brief)

Youthful Individuals

Consistent with its commitment to considering advancements in knowledge and science, the Commission responded to the latest science on brain development and cognitive changes by amending §5H1.1 (Age (Policy Statement)) to emphasize that a downward departure may be warranted due to the defendant’s youthfulness at the time of the offense or prior offenses. The Commission received substantial testimony and comments about youthful development and cognitive changes, and an individual’s brain development continues into the mid-20s, which may impact behavior and contribute to a youthful individual’s involvement in the criminal justice system and thereby mitigate an individual’s culpability. (Amendment-In-Brief)

Firearm Offenses

The Commission took action to ensure certain aggravated firearms offenses are sentenced more uniformly by resolving a circuit conflict in the guideline covering firearms offenses, §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition). The amendment revised the 4-level enhancement at §2K2.1(b)(4)(B) to apply if “any firearm had a serial number that was modified such that the original information is rendered illegible or unrecognizable to the unaided eye.” The Commission recognized the difficulty in tracing firearms with altered or obliterated serial numbers as well as the increased market for such weapons. However, courts had differed over what constitutes the definition of “altered or obliterated.” To resolve this conflict the Commission revised the enhancement to apply if the serial number “was modified such that the original information is rendered illegible or unrecognizable to the unaided eye.” (Amendment-In-Brief)

Drug Offenses

The Commission also took action to ensure certain drug offenses are sentenced more uniformly. The Commission received comment that there was ambiguity about when enhanced base offense levels apply in the drug trafficking guideline, §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking), for drug offenses resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The amendment clarified that the enhanced base offense levels apply based on specified statutes of conviction or when the parties stipulate to their application. (Amendment-In-Brief)

In addition, the Commission is committed to implementing any legislation warranting Commission action and resolving circuit conflicts within the Commission’s purview.

Public Outreach

The Commission continuously expands and strengthens its public outreach efforts in a cost-efficient manner.

In 2024, the Commission expanded the public’s involvement by soliciting input on what its policy priorities should be before developing a proposed list. This approach differed from the typical process of outlining proposed priorities and then seeking comment. This novel approach resulted in nearly 1,200 pages of insightful comments from judges, Members of Congress, executive branch officials, attorneys, probation officers, advisory groups, professors, advocacy organizations, incarcerated individuals, and others.

Informed by this outpouring of comment, the Commission established policy priorities that will span over fiscal year 2025 and which will focus on reducing the costs of unnecessary incarceration; promoting public safety; improving community supervision; simplifying the federal sentencing Guidelines Manual and clarifying their role in sentencing; as well as expanding the Commission’s use of expertise, evidence and best practices.

As a result of its renewed emphasis on public involvement, the number of users and views of the Commission’s website substantially increased in fiscal year 2024 to 3.4 million views and nearly 850,000 users These figures are driven by the Commission’s many data reports, Quick Facts, interactive and educational tools, and new innovative resources such as JSIN, IDA, and the FBOP programs interactive resource page.

The Commission’s strategic investment in technology, automation, and cybersecurity, has enabled the agency to meet the increasing demand for its work product efficiently and securely. The Commission continually audits and updates its cybersecurity measures to remain current, secure, and responsive to unexpected or changing circumstances.

Conducting Research

Research is a critical part of the Commission’s mission and provides a valuable resource to policymakers and the Commission’s stakeholders. The Commission regularly analyzes data to learn how courts sentence individuals and use the guidelines, and routinely uses these analyses to inform its policymaking. The Commission publishes many of its analyses as a resource for the judiciary, Congress, the executive branch, and the criminal justice community.

In fiscal year 2024, the Commission issued a report titled Methamphetamine Trafficking Offenses in the Federal Criminal Justice System, its most comprehensive report on methamphetamine offenses in over two decades. In that time, the number of individuals sentenced for methamphetamine trafficking has increased 168 percent and now comprises nearly half of all federal drug trafficking offenses. The study found that methamphetamine today is uniformly highly pure, but how often the methamphetamine is tested for purity varies. This has led to concern that purity distinctions in the penalty scheme are no longer reflective of culpability and may lead to sentencing disparity.

In fiscal year 2024, the Commission released Cyber Technology in Federal Crime, a report that provides demographic and sentencing information for individuals who use hacking, cryptocurrency, and the dark web for illegal purposes. Prior to the Commission’s examination of this matter, there had been little analysis of the individuals sentenced for a federal offense who use cyber technology for illegal purposes.

In 2025, the Commission worked to finalize a report titled, Overdoses in Federal Drug Trafficking Crimes. Overdoses were involved in less than two percent of the federal drug trafficking cases studied but their prevalence increased by 44 percent from fiscal years 2019 to 2023. Fentanyl and its analogues were involved in 80 percent of the overdose cases studied.

Collecting and Reporting Sentencing Data

The Commission maintains a comprehensive, computerized data collection system which forms the basis for its clearinghouse of federal sentencing information and which contributes to the agency’s research mission.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 994(w), the chief judge of each district is required to ensure that, within 30 days of entry of judgment in a criminal case, the sentencing court submits a report of sentence to the Commission that includes:

• the charging document,
• the plea agreement,
• the presentence investigation report,
• the judgment and commitment order, and
• the statement of reasons form.

Data from these documents are extracted and coded for input into various databases. Information routinely collected include case identifiers, sentencing data, demographic variables, statutory information, the complete range of court guideline decisions, and departure and variance information. When research questions arise, the Commission analyzes its existing data or, when necessary, adds information to its data collection system.

FY 2024 Caseload at a Glance

The Commission received information on 61,758 federal criminal cases in which a defendant was sentenced in fiscal year 2024. Among these cases, 61,678 involved an individual and 80 involved a corporation or other “organizational” defendant. The Commission also received information on 11,040 cases in which the court resentenced a defendant or otherwise modified a sentence that had been imposed previously.¹  

The 61,678 individual original cases reported to the Commission in fiscal year 2024 represent a decrease of 2,446 cases from fiscal year 2023.

As the overall number of cases decreased from the prior year, three of the four largest case types similarly decreased in number in fiscal year 2024. The number of cases in the three largest crime types—immigration, drug trafficking, and firearms—all decreased in fiscal year 2024. The only increase among the major crime types occurred in fraud cases, which increased by 107 cases.

The five judicial districts with the largest caseloads accounted for 36 percent of all individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024. The Western District of Texas reported 13 percent of all cases, followed by the Southern District of Texas (10%), the District of Arizona (6%), the Southern District of California (4%), and the District of New Mexico (3%).

Federally Sentenced Individuals by Crime Type

For more than 25 years, four types of crime have comprised the majority of federal felonies and Class A misdemeanors: drugs, immigration, firearms, and fraud, theft, or embezzlement. This trend continued in fiscal year 2024, as these crime types accounted for 81 percent of all cases reported to the Commission. Felony offenses were 97 percent of all the cases reported.

Immigration offenses were the most common crime for the second consecutive year, at 30 percent of all cases. However, the 18,492 total immigration cases represent a decrease of 734 cases (4%) from the year before.

Drug offenses were the second most common federal crime, accounting for just under 30 percent of the total caseload. The 18,281 total drug cases reported to the Commission in fiscal year 2024 represent a five percent decrease from the number of those cases in fiscal year 2023.

Firearms cases represented the third most common federal crime in fiscal year 2024. There were 8,131 firearms cases reported to the Commission, accounting for 13 percent of all cases; a decrease of 701 (8%) from the year before.

Cases involving fraud, theft, or embezzlement accounted for nine percent of the total caseload last year. These 5,312 cases represented an increase of 107 cases (2%) from fiscal year 2023.

Personal Characteristics

Males accounted for 88 percent of the individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024. Males most commonly were sentenced for an immigration offense (31%), while females most commonly were sentenced for a drug trafficking offense (37%). 

Half of all individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024 were Hispanic, 25 percent were Black, and 21 percent were White. The racial distribution of sentenced individuals varied across offense types. For example, Hispanic individuals were 94 percent of all individuals sentenced for an immigration offense, while 71 percent of individuals sentenced for child pornography offenses were White.²

Hispanic individuals were most often sentenced for an immigration offense (57% of all Hispanics sentenced), while White and Black defendants were most commonly sentenced for drug trafficking (33% and 34%, respectively). 

In fiscal year 2024, approximately two-thirds (65%) of all individuals sentenced were United States citizens. Most non-citizens (73%) committed an immigration offense. Citizens were most likely to commit a drug trafficking offense, as 36 percent of all citizens sentenced committed that offense. 

The average age of individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024 was 38. Slightly more than one in ten (14%) were over the age of 50 at sentencing, while just two percent were under 21. Sentenced individuals in all age groups, except those over 60, were most likely to commit either a drug trafficking offense or immigration offense. The most common crime type in cases where the sentenced individual was over 60 was drug trafficking or fraud, theft, or embezzlement. About two in five individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024 (42%) had not completed high school while seven percent were college graduates. 

The largest group of sentenced individuals (48%) were assigned to Criminal History Category (CHC) I, the lowest category. Of those individuals who were assigned to CHC I, 82 percent received zero criminal history points. About one-third of the individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024 were assigned to CHC II (16%) or CHC III (15%). The remaining 22 percent fell into the highest three categories: CHC IV (7%), CHC V (6%), and CHC VI (9%). In fiscal year 2024, 1,296 individuals were sentenced as “career offenders”³ and 195 were sentenced as “armed career criminals.”⁴

Case Disposition and Sentence Imposed

In fiscal year 2024, most sentenced individuals pleaded guilty (97%). Trials occurred most often in individual rights cases⁵ (32%) and murder cases (22%). Conviction after a trial also occurred in more than ten percent of kidnapping, manslaughter, administration of justice, bribery and corruption, and sexual abuse cases.

An incarceration sentence was imposed in most cases. Courts imposed a prison-only sentence in 89 percent of all cases. Conversely, just seven percent of cases involved a sentence of probation only (i.e., where no type of confinement was imposed). An additional one percent of sentences involved a period of probation and some type of alternative confinement, and two percent involved a combination of imprisonment and alternative confinement, such as in a half-way house or home confinement. Among all sentences, less than one percent involved a fine and no other punishment.

The average sentence imposed in fiscal year 2024 was 52 months; however, the length of sentence varied greatly by the seriousness of the offense.⁶ For example, individuals convicted of murder received the longest sentences, at 274 months on average, while those sentenced for antitrust received the shortest sentences, at one month, on average. Overall, 67 percent of all sentences were shorter than five years, 17 percent involved a sentence of five years or longer but less than ten years, and 16 percent involved a sentence of ten years or longer, excluding life imprisonment. In fiscal year 2024, 175 individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment. No individuals were sentence to death last year.

Courts imposed fines in eight percent of all cases in which an individual was sentenced in fiscal year 2024, either as the sole punishment or combined with some other sanction. Fines were most commonly imposed in antitrust (75%), environmental (68%), food and drug (46%), and drug possession (40%) cases. The total amount of fines imposed in individual cases was $693.8 million. When an organization was sentenced, courts imposed a fine in nearly three-fourths of the cases (70%). In those cases, the courts imposed fines totaling $3.4 billion.

Courts ordered restitution to be paid to the victim of the crime in 15 percent of all cases last year. Restitution was most commonly ordered in cases involving tax (89%), fraud, theft, or embezzlement (79%), burglary or trespassing (78%), and robbery (64%). The total amount of restitution ordered in individual cases was $13.5 billion, the highest amount in more than two decades. In cases involving an organization, restitution was ordered 23 percent of the time. The total amount of restitution ordered in organizational cases was $233 million.

Most individuals were sentenced to serve a period of supervised release—83 percent of all individuals sentenced in fiscal year 2024. In immigration cases, however, supervised release was imposed in 70 percent of the cases, reflecting the fact that many individuals convicted of an immigration offense are ordered deported from the United States once they complete their incarceration sentence.⁷ Supervised release was imposed in 88 percent of all cases not involving immigration. The average length of all supervised release terms imposed was 47 months.

The Most Common Crimes

Immigration

Immigration cases were the most common crime in fiscal year 2024. The number of immigration cases decreased by four percent from the year before, ending an upward trend that began in fiscal year 2021.⁸ Immigration cases were mostly distributed between the two main subtypes of that offense, cases involving the unlawful reentry into the United States or unlawfully remaining in the United States without authority⁹ and alien smuggling cases.¹⁰

Non-citizens accounted for 84 percent of immigration offenses while males committed 92 percent of those offenses. Hispanic individuals comprised 94 percent of all individuals sentenced for an immigration offense.

Drugs

As discussed above, drug offenses were the second most common federal crime in fiscal year 2024. Almost all of the 18,281 drug cases reported to the Commission involved the manufacture, sale, or transportation of a drug.¹¹

Methamphetamine remained the most prevalent drug type, as it has for over a decade. The 8,288 methamphetamine cases accounted for 46 percent of all drug crimes. The proportion of methamphetamine cases has remained steady since fiscal year 2020, when those cases accounted for 46 percent of all drug cases.¹²

Offenses involving fentanyl became the second most common drug crime in fiscal year 2024. The 4,000 fentanyl cases accounted for 22 percent of all drug cases. The number of fentanyl cases has increased by 246 percent over the last five fiscal years.¹³ In fact, the proportion of fentanyl cases has steadily increased every year since 2018, when those cases accounted for just two percent of all drug cases. 

Cases involving powder cocaine were the third most common, accounting for 19 percent of all drug cases.

The remaining drug cases together accounted for 13 percent of those cases. Crack cocaine cases were at four percent, followed by heroin cases at three percent and marijuana cases at three percent. Cases involving all “other” drugs, mostly synthetic or semi-synthetic drugs such as oxycodone, accounted for the remaining three percent of all drug offenses.

Most individuals sentenced for drug offenses were United States citizens (80%), although citizenship varied depending on the type of drug involved in the offense. For example, United States citizens accounted for 98 percent of drug trafficking offenses involving crack cocaine, but only 62 percent of those involving powder cocaine. Most of the individuals sentenced for drug trafficking (84%) were male.

Nearly half of individuals sentenced for drug trafficking were Hispanic (45%), followed by Black (28%) and White (24%); however, this varied by the type of drug involved in the offense. For example, Hispanic individuals were the most common racial group sentenced for powder cocaine and heroin trafficking offenses (72% and 58%, respectively). In contrast, Black individuals were the most common racial group in crack cocaine trafficking offenses (77%).

Sentences were highest for drug trafficking offenses involving methamphetamine (100 months on average) and lowest for those involving marijuana (36 months on average). The average length of drug trafficking sentences decreased for three of the six major drug types: powder cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. The average sentence for fentanyl and crack cocaine offenses increased in 2024, while the average sentence for methamphetamine was unchanged.

Firearms and Other Weapons

Crimes involving firearms were the third most common federal crime in fiscal year 2024. The 8,131 firearms cases represented 13 percent of the cases reported to the Commission. The number of firearms cases decreased by eight percent from fiscal year 2023. Most firearm cases (99%) involved the unlawful receipt, possession, or transportation of firearms or ammunition, or were prohibited transactions involving firearms or ammunition.¹⁴ About two-thirds of firearms cases (67%) involved the illegal possession of a firearm, usually by a convicted felon.¹⁵

Individuals sentenced for firearms offenses were primarily United States citizens (96%) and male (96%). Just over half (56%) were Black, 21 percent were White, and 19 percent were Hispanic.

Economic Crimes

A total of 6,669 individuals were sentenced under one of the basic economic crime guidelines in fiscal year 2024.¹⁶ Among those cases, the 5,312 fraud, theft, or embezzlement cases reported to the Commission accounted for the fourth largest crime type (9%) in fiscal year 2024. Individuals sentenced under a single guideline—applying to theft, property destruction, or fraud offenses¹⁷—were the largest group, accounting for 5,015 sentenced individuals. The number of these cases increased by two percent from the year before.

Approximately 40 percent of those sentenced for an economic crime were Black, 35 percent were White, and 16 percent were Hispanic. Most were United States citizens (90%), and three-fourths (76%) were male. These individuals were older and more educated than other sentenced individuals. Almost half of individuals sentenced for economic crimes were age 41 and older (48%) and 52 percent completed at least some college or higher.

The losses in these cases ranged from no loss (in 258 cases) to $660 million (in one case), with an average loss amount of $2,606,782 but a median loss amount of $138,894.

Organizational Cases

In fiscal year 2024, 80 organizations were sentenced for a federal offense, a 29 percent decrease from fiscal year 2023. Among all organizations sentenced, 70 percent were corporations, and 29 percent were limited liability companies. Most of the organizations sentenced (72%) employed fewer than 50 people. Almost one in five organizations (18%) were in the services sector and 16 percent were in the retail trade sector.

Of the 80 organizations sentenced, 99 percent pleaded guilty to one or more charges in fiscal year 2024. The most common crimes for which organizations were sentenced were environmental and fraud crimes, with 23 and 21 cases, respectively. In 47 cases, a fine was the sole financial component of the sentence imposed. In nine cases, the court ordered the organization to pay restitution to the victim of the crime as well as pay a fine. In an additional nine cases, the sole financial component of the sentence was the payment of restitution. Courts ordered organizations to pay $3.4 billion in fines and $233 million in restitution in fiscal year 2024. Additionally, of the 80 organizations sentenced, 56 were sentenced to a term of probation, and 17 were ordered to institute, or make improvements to, a compliance or ethics program.

Resentencings and Other Modifications of Sentence

In fiscal year 2024, the Commission received documentation on 11,040 resentencings and other modifications of sentence, a 313 percent increase from the previous year. Over three-fourths (77%) of these cases involved a sentence reduction pursuant to the Commission’s 2023 amendment to the criminal history provisions of the sentencing guidelines, which the Commission made retroactive to cases in which a sentence was imposed before the effective date of the amendment.¹⁸ Of the 8,477 cases involving a sentence modification under that amendment, over half (59%) were due to changes to the “status points” provision of the guidelines¹⁹ and 41 percent were due to the new adjustment for certain sentenced individuals with zero criminal history points.²⁰

The second most common reason given in these cases was a sentence reduction for individuals who provided substantial assistance to the government in its investigation or prosecution of another person after the individual was first sentenced.²¹ Those 756 cases accounted for seven percent of all resentencings and other modifications of sentence. A modification of a restitution order was the third most common reason given (5%).

Training and Outreach

The Commission continues to provide specialized seminars, workshops, and training programs for judges, probation officers, law clerks, prosecutors, and defense attorneys on application of the guidelines and federal sentencing generally. In 2024, the Commission trained individuals from all 94 federal districts.

The Commission’s ongoing investments in eLearning, remote training platforms, and other online resources continue to provide effective and efficient training. In 2024, the Commission conducted 45 virtual training sessions with over 6,000 participants. The Commission’s online and on-demand courses were accessed over 1,400 times, and its eLearning courses were accessed more than 11,000 times, a 73 percent increase from the previous year.

In the same year, the Commission conducted 72 in-person training programs attended by approximately 4,300 individuals. The Commission held its Annual National Seminar, with more than 800 judges, probation officers, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and others participating, and its annual Judge’s Seminar was attended by more than 100 judges representing twelve circuits.

In addition to staff-led training seminars, sessions and panels, the commissioners themselves provided training and engaged with judges and practitioners by visiting many circuit conferences, participating in various bench and bar conferences, as well as programs sponsored by the Federal Judicial Center and other criminal justice organizations.

The Commission maintains a HelpLine to assist judges, practitioners and probations offices with guideline application and related questions. In 2024, the Commission responded to approximately 3,400 inquiries.

Additionally, the Commission prioritizes its outreach to Congress, keeping members of Congress and their staff apprised of the Commission’s work and reports, as well as responding to requests for information.

Summary

The United States Sentencing Commission continues to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, including evaluating the fairness and effectiveness of the sentencing guidelines, advising Congress on federal sentencing policy, and serving as a clearinghouse of timely sentencing research and data. Furthermore, the Commission is committed to providing this current data and guidance to federal judges through training and online information resources.

The Commission’s efforts are calibrated to protect public safety and provide that the statutory purposes of sentencing are achieved. The Commission will continue these efforts going forward and is prioritizing ways to make the guidelines work better, thus promoting efficiency and effectiveness and reducing unnecessary litigation.