4th Circuit · Virginia · FY2015–FY2025

Western Virginia District

70% of classifiable Western Virginia sentences landed below the guideline range - common below-guideline share (> 64%).

71.0
Avg months FY2025
above the national average
248
Federal cases
27%
Within guidelines
low guideline adherence
-16.1%
Disparity vs natl

Below-guideline book · Western FY2025

70% of classifiable outcomes landed below the guideline range (common below-guideline share (> 64%)). Case-level mean CH 0.91 (9% no prior) ; defendants 80% male / 20% female / 14% non-citizen. Mean OL 6.1 on 248 rows, departure share is the signature, not volume.

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The verdict

According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission FY2025 Individual Offender Datafiles, Western Virginia District ranks #74 of 93 by caseload (248 cases) and #54 of 88 districts with at least 100 cases by average sentence (71.0 months).

#74
Caseload of 93
#54
Avg sentence of 88
71.0 months
This district avg FY2025
248
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.

Western USSC docket plate

BOOK-LIGHT Light book SENT-MID 71 mo avg DISP-SHORT -16.1% short WITHIN-LOOSE 27% within RANK-MID #55/88 PHOTO-NEAR Near South CIR-4TH 4th

FY2025: 248 cases at 71.0 mo average · #55/88 harshest-rank · mix-adjusted -16.1% (DISP-SHORT). Nearest ABS peer: South (0.0 mo).

Avg-sentence neighbourhood · Western

Harsh/lenient poles plus ABS(avg_sentence) peers (≥100 FY2025 cases) - not a full 93-district reprint.

mo avg
Source U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles As of FY2025

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.

0 mo100 mo200 mo300 mo400 mo FY15FY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25 71 mo122 mo Guideline midpointAvg sentence
Western Virginia: FY2025 average 71.0 mo (-6 vs FY2024); caseload +52. Chart = avg vs guideline midpoint.
YearCasesAvg (mo)Within GLAbove GLBelow GL
FY2025 248 71.0 27% 3% 70%
FY2024 196 77.0 29% 6% 64%
FY2023 210 91.0 28% 9% 64%
FY2022 279 87.9 31% 8% 61%
FY2021 239 67.0 41% 7% 52%
FY2020 287 88.6 34% 5% 60%
FY2019 243 64.8 45% 4% 51%
FY2018 238 82.1 43% 8% 49%
FY2017 276 93.9 43% 7% 50%
FY2016 313 85.1 43% 5% 51%
FY2015 376 68.8 40% 5% 55%

Top Offenses (FY2025)

Sentencing Disparity

-16.1%
vs. national average (FY2025)

Most Common Offenses - Western Virginia (FY2025)

Federal cases sentenced in this district by offense category

cases

What this shows Drug Trafficking was the most common offense in this district, accounting for 114 of the cases sentenced in FY2025.

Source U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles As of FY2025

Nationwide districts with similar caseload or average sentence

Sparse-book Western peer sets: FY2025 caseload nearest-neighbors and ABS(average sentence) peers - volume matches matter more when the local book is thin.

Similar FY caseload

Nearest nationwide districts by ABS(248 cases here).

Similar average sentence

Nearest nationwide districts by ABS(71.0 mo here; ≥100-case books).

Read with Western

ABS(avg_sentence) peers first, then a stamp-branched guide - not a fixed three-guide strip. This sheet stamps BOOK-LIGHT · SENT-MID · DISP-SHORT · WITHIN-LOOSE · RANK-MID · PHOTO-NEAR · CIR-4TH.

Source: U.S. Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025.

Source: USSC public-use extracts rendered by PlainSentencing; methodology at /methodology/.