Community
Incarceration Rate

Decreasing


Incarceration Rate

What does this measure?

The average daily county jail population, divided by the total population in the county, presented per 1,000 residents. This includes county inmates who are detained while awaiting trial, civilly committed or criminally sentenced but does not include inmates in state or federal prisons.

Why is this important?

Incarceration serves to remove offenders from a community, but also creates hardships on families, including the loss of an income or a caregiver, in addition to long-term effects on mental health for all involved. After incarceration, people often encounter challenges in obtaining meaningful employment, leading to reductions in long-term productivity, recidivism and widespread effects on a community's social, health and educational systems.

How does our county compare?

In 2022, the average Lancaster County daily jail population was 772, down 35% from 2006. That amounts to 1.4 county jail inmates per 1,000 residents in Lancaster County, below the 1.8 incarceration rate of Pennsylvania as a whole.

Aside from Cumberland and Chester county (1.3 and 1.2 respectively), rates were lower in Lancaster than in Berks (1.5), York (1.9), Lebanon (2.0), and Dauphin (3.2).

Every county showed at least a modest decline in incarceration rates per residents between 2006 and 2022.

Notes about the data

Data are from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Data includes all classifications of incarceration and reflects the counties where offenders are housed, which are not necessarily the home counties of offenders or the sentencing counties.

Incarceration Rate
20062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Pennsylvania2.82.82.92.82.72.72.92.82.92.72.72.62.42.41.91.91.8
Lancaster County2.42.32.32.22.22.11.91.91.81.81.81.61.61.41.21.31.4
Berks County3.33.02.92.72.62.52.72.92.92.82.52.22.42.51.71.71.5
Chester County1.91.91.91.91.81.81.91.91.91.71.61.61.61.61.21.11.2
Cumberland County1.51.51.61.61.61.61.61.61.71.61.61.81.61.41.11.11.3
Dauphin County3.93.83.93.73.53.53.73.73.93.83.83.83.83.63.03.23.2
Lebanon County4.24.24.03.43.43.63.53.53.94.03.73.83.73.52.32.12.0
York County5.25.15.35.35.35.45.45.45.35.15.25.04.34.33.02.51.9

Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency




Average Daily County Jail Population
20062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022
Pennsylvania35,22835,01035,64535,45934,16734,82337,18536,16136,67934,63834,14533,15230,73130,22924,08924,39823,949
Lancaster County1,1791,1701,1521,1311,1291,0981,0241,023978960960884861790675696772
Berks County1,3241,1981,1641,0831,0521,0461,1151,1991,1871,1711,0249009991,043743747646
Chester County924941940936895898969951959893817823843841619618633
Cumberland County350340356367385389371380414392407439412355289284337
Dauphin County9869799889499439439999981,0551,0281,0361,0371,0651,002871913926
Lebanon County532538515448453480477475538548513537518490326297284
York County2,1482,1482,2532,2562,2992,3782,3432,3872,3232,2772,3272,2431,9441,9261,3511,134874

Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
Notes: Population represents where offenders are housed, not their home or sentencing counties.




INDICATORS TREND
Prekindergarten Participation Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
Per-Student Spending Maintaining
Students Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions Maintaining
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Plans of High School Graduates Not Applicable
Enrollment in Local Colleges Decreasing
College Graduation Rates Decreasing
Brain Drain/Gain Increasing
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Average Charitable Giving Maintaining
Voter Registration Rate Not Applicable
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Age of Housing Stock Not Applicable
Violent Crime Rate Maintaining
Incarceration Rate Decreasing
Incarceration Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Population Density Increasing
Air Quality Decreasing
Water Use Decreasing
Waterways Impaired by Pollution Not Applicable
Change in Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age and Gender Not Applicable
Population by Age Not Applicable
Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Change in Employment by Sector Not Applicable
Sector Share of Total Jobs Not Applicable
Workers by Occupation Not Applicable
Change in Labor Force Maintaining
People Entering/Leaving County/Region for Work Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary Since 2000 Increasing
Female to Male Earnings Ratio Maintaining
Employer Size Not Applicable
Change in Number of Businesses by Sector Increasing
Change in Total Agricultural Sales Increasing
Spending for Local Government Maintaining
Spending for School Districts Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty Decreasing
Children in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Decreasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Veterans Living in Poverty Maintaining
Working Poor Decreasing
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Median Household Income Maintaining
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Living Wage Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Household Receiving Temporary Assistance Maintaining
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch Increasing
Median Home Value Maintaining
Occupied Housing Units Maintaining
Homeownership Rate, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Cost of Homeownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Rent Maintaining
Cost of Renting Increasing
Households Without Vehicles Maintaining
Means of Transportation to Work, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Health Status Decreasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Adults Who are Overweight or Obese Not Applicable
Mortality Rates Decreasing
Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Fatal Drug Overdoses Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Households With Internet Access Increasing
High-Tech Jobs Increasing
STEM Graduates Increasing
Science and Engineering Research and Development Maintaining
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Incarceration Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Children in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rate, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Cost of Homeownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable


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