7th Circuit · Illinois · FY2015–FY2025
Northern Illinois District
68% of classifiable Northern Illinois sentences landed below the guideline range - common below-guideline share (> 64%).
- 73.6
- Avg months FY2025
- above the national average
- 587
- Federal cases
- 29%
- Within guidelines
- low guideline adherence
- +25.9%
- Disparity vs natl
Below-guideline book · Northern FY2025
68% of classifiable outcomes landed below the guideline range (common below-guideline share (> 64%)). Case-level mean CH 0.92 (8% no prior) ; defendants 91% male / 9% female / 13% non-citizen. Mean OL 4.4 on 587 rows, departure share is the signature, not volume.
The verdict
According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission FY2025 Individual Offender Datafiles, Northern Illinois District ranks #23 of 93 by caseload (587 cases) and #46 of 88 districts with at least 100 cases by average sentence (73.6 months).
- #23
- Caseload of 93
- #46
- Avg sentence of 88
- 73.6 months
- This district avg FY2025
- 587
- This district cases FY2025
Caseload rank covers every district with at least one FY case. Average-sentence rank covers districts with at least 100 cases so a thin docket cannot top the list. Offense ranks cover the 30 published guideline types. Averages follow offense mix, not court character.
Northern USSC docket plate
FY2025: 587 cases at 73.6 mo average · #46/88 harshest-rank · mix-adjusted +25.9% (DISP-LONG). Nearest ABS peer: Middle (-0.1 mo).
Avg-sentence neighbourhood · Northern
Harsh/lenient poles plus ABS(avg_sentence) peers (≥100 FY2025 cases) - not a full 93-district reprint.
- Arizona 17.4
Arizona · lenient pole
17.4 mo avg
- Middle · near
Middle · near
73.5 mo avg
- Northern
Northern · this district
73.6 mo avg
- Maryland · near
Maryland · near
73.9 mo avg
- Eastern · near
Eastern · near
74 mo avg
- Southern
Southern · harsh pole
129.3 mo avg
For educational and research purposes only. This page summarizes historical USSC sentencing statistics, not a prediction for any individual case, sentencing depends on many case-specific factors. Consult a licensed criminal defense attorney for guidance on a specific matter.
Source: U.S. Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025. · Methodology and data dictionary.
Northern FY2024→FY2025: +4.4 mo avg
| Year | Cases | Avg (mo) | Within GL | Above GL | Below GL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 587 | 73.6 | 29% | 4% | 68% |
| FY2024 | 549 | 69.2 | 29% | 2% | 69% |
| FY2023 | 620 | 65.6 | 29% | 4% | 67% |
| FY2022 | 621 | 66.0 | 29% | 3% | 68% |
| FY2021 | 619 | 58.4 | 30% | 3% | 67% |
| FY2020 | 540 | 50.7 | 30% | 3% | 67% |
| FY2019 | 655 | 56.9 | 27% | 3% | 70% |
| FY2018 | 740 | 57.2 | 28% | 2% | 70% |
| FY2017 | 640 | 65.6 | 28% | 2% | 70% |
| FY2016 | 640 | 60.9 | 26% | 2% | 72% |
| FY2015 | 725 | 60.7 | 27% | 2% | 71% |
Top Offenses (FY2025)
Sentencing Disparity
Most Common Offenses - Northern Illinois (FY2025)
Federal cases sentenced in this district by offense category
- Drug Trafficking
Drug Trafficking
144 cases
- Firearms
Firearms
128 cases
- Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement
Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement
115 cases
- Robbery 55
Robbery
55 cases
- Money Laundering 21
Money Laundering
21 cases
- Immigration 21
Immigration
21 cases
- Bribery/Corruption 19
Bribery/Corruption
19 cases
- Sexual Abuse 13
Sexual Abuse
13 cases
- Stalking/Harassing 11
Stalking/Harassing
11 cases
- Tax 10
Tax
10 cases
What this shows Drug Trafficking was the most common offense in this district, accounting for 144 of the cases sentenced in FY2025.
Nationwide districts with similar caseload or average sentence
High-volume Northern peer sets: FY2025 caseload nearest-neighbors and ABS(average sentence) peers among ≥100-case books - distinct from circuit geography.
Similar FY caseload
Nearest nationwide districts by ABS(587 cases here).
- Western Oklahoma · 584 cases · 10th Circuit
- South Carolina · 591 cases · 4th Circuit
- Eastern New York · 604 cases · 2nd Circuit
- Northern Oklahoma · 564 cases · 10th Circuit
Similar average sentence
Nearest nationwide districts by ABS(73.6 mo here; ≥100-case books).
- Middle Alabama · 73.5 mo avg · 263 cases
- Maryland · 73.9 mo avg · 443 cases
- Eastern New York · 74.0 mo avg · 604 cases
- Minnesota · 74.2 mo avg · 396 cases
Read with Northern
ABS(avg_sentence) peers first, then a stamp-branched guide - not a fixed three-guide strip. This sheet stamps BOOK-LIGHT · SENT-LONG · DISP-LONG · WITHIN-LOOSE · RANK-MID · PHOTO-NEAR · CIR-7TH.
ABS(avg_sentence) peer at 73.5 mo (Δ 0.1 mo lenient vs Northern); 263 FY2025 cases · same USSC book axis as this sheet.
ABS(avg_sentence) peer at 73.9 mo (Δ 0.3 mo harsher vs Northern); 443 FY2025 cases · same USSC book axis as this sheet.
ABS(avg_sentence) peer at 74.0 mo (Δ 0.4 mo harsher vs Northern); 604 FY2025 cases · same USSC book axis as this sheet.
ABS(avg_sentence) peer at 74.2 mo (Δ 0.6 mo harsher vs Northern); 396 FY2025 cases · same USSC book axis as this sheet.
Northern stamps DISP-LONG on mix-adjusted disparity - the disparity guide explains offense-mix vs judicial variation.
Drug Trafficking led Northern at 144 cases (25% of the FY2025 book) - offense-specific averages differ from the district headline.
Source: U.S. Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025.
Source: USSC public-use extracts rendered by PlainSentencing; methodology at /methodology/.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. One-line guide: reading sentencing data. Report a data issue on this page.