Violent Crime · National · FY2015–FY2025
Murder
Average imposed sentence 298.8 mo in FY2025 - longer-third average (> 72 mo) among 30 offense types.
- 298.8
- Avg months FY2025
- well above the national average
- 405
- Federal cases
- 20%
- Within guidelines
- low guideline adherence
- 69%
- Guilty plea
The verdict
According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission FY2025 Individual Offender Datafiles, Murder is #1 of 30 by longest average sentence (298.8 months) at caseload #15 of 30 ≠ Immigration #1 caseload at 25,102 cases (average-sentence rank 27).
- #15
- Caseload of 30
- #1
- Avg sentence of 30
- 298.8 months
- This offense avg FY2025
- 405
- This offense 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.
Murder FY2024→FY2025: +20.1 mo
| Year | Cases | Avg (mo) | GL Min | GL Max | Within GL | Above GL | Below GL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 405 | 298.8 | 3966.5 | 283.2 | 20% | 6% | 73% |
| FY2024 | 522 | 278.7 | 3619.9 | 272.7 | 23% | 5% | 72% |
| FY2023 | 489 | 292.0 | 3788.5 | 301.3 | 19% | 6% | 75% |
| FY2022 | 410 | 265.6 | 2993.5 | 284.9 | 21% | 5% | 74% |
| FY2021 | 257 | 251.9 | 2668.1 | 268.8 | 21% | 6% | 73% |
| FY2020 | 294 | 256.6 | 4079.0 | 287.2 | 21% | 2% | 76% |
| FY2019 | 373 | 257.5 | 3681.6 | 268.4 | 22% | 3% | 75% |
| FY2018 | 317 | 299.3 | 3926.2 | 330.4 | 21% | 4% | 75% |
Murder · hardest district slice
Among districts with ≥5 FY2025 cases, Western Virginia posts the longest average (810.0 mo, 2 cases , +171.1% vs national).
Where murder sentences sit among all federal sentences (FY2025)
Each bar counts imposed federal prison terms in that length band; the marker is this offense's average.
299 98th percentile longer than 98% of 61,431 federal sentences
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more federal sentences. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles · FY2025
Murder - Top District Disparities (FY2025)
District Comparison (FY2025)
Districts with ≥5 FY2025 Murder cases. Averages still mix case factors (history, quantity, cooperation).
| District | Cases | Avg (mo) | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Virginia | 2 | 810.0 | +171.1% |
| Alaska | 1 | 600.0 | +100.8% |
| Eastern Pennsylvania | 5 | 533.0 | +78.4% |
| Eastern Michigan | 7 | 501.4 | +67.8% |
| Utah | 1 | 470.0 | +57.3% |
| Western Oklahoma | 1 | 470.0 | +57.3% |
| Western Arkansas | 1 | 470.0 | +57.3% |
| Western Michigan | 1 | 470.0 | +57.3% |
| Northern Texas | 1 | 470.0 | +57.3% |
| Southern Indiana | 6 | 446.0 | +49.3% |
| Southern Florida | 9 | 434.4 | +45.4% |
| Eastern Virginia | 10 | 426.8 | +42.8% |
| Southern Iowa | 1 | 420.0 | +40.6% |
| Northern Alabama | 1 | 420.0 | +40.6% |
| Western North Carolina | 4 | 417.5 | +39.7% |
| Eastern California | 5 | 397.6 | +33.1% |
| Western Kentucky | 4 | 397.3 | +33.0% |
| Western Texas | 8 | 391.3 | +30.9% |
| Eastern Texas | 9 | 390.6 | +30.7% |
| Northern Oklahoma | 7 | 381.4 | +27.7% |
Nationwide peers · caseload or average sentence
Similar FY caseload
Nearest by ABS(405 cases).
- Tax · 407 cases · Fraud/Financial
- Prison Offenses · 414 cases · Other
- Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses · 325 cases · Sex Offenses
- National Defense · 499 cases · Other
Similar average sentence
Nearest nationwide offense types by ABS(298.8 mo here; ≥50-case types).
- Sexual Abuse · 248.8 mo avg · Sex Offenses
- Kidnapping · 191.2 mo avg · Violent Crime
- Child Pornography · 121.6 mo avg · Sex Offenses
- Robbery · 111.1 mo avg · Violent Crime
Same-category peers · Violent Crime
Source: United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), Individual Offender Datafiles, FY2015–FY2025 · Methodology
What the Murder data shows
In FY2025, 405 federal defendants were sentenced for murder, with an average sentence of 298.8 months -- 246.9 months above the national average across all offenses.
- 20% of murder sentences in FY2025 fell within the guideline range, with 73% below (downward departures or variances, often for cooperation). The below-range rate reflects how frequently prosecutors offer departure motions for substantial assistance. How the guidelines work
- The highest-average district for murder in FY2025 was Western Virginia, averaging 810.0 months -- 511.2 months above the national average. Case-specific factors within this offense (criminal history, quantity or aggravating circumstances, cooperation) drive that gap as much as any district-level pattern; the comparison below shows the full spread. Western Virginia data
- The average sentence for murder has remained stable 0.5 months since FY2018 (FY2018: 299.3 mo; FY2025: 298.8 mo). The trend chart above compares actual sentences against the guideline midpoint each year. Post-Booker sentencing trends
Descriptive USSC aggregates, not legal advice; individual sentences depend on case-specific facts.
PlainSentencing is rendered directly from the United States Sentencing Commission Individual Offender Datafiles, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data issue on this page.