U.S. Census Bureau data on population growth. Clearly, the growth of incarceration rates is light years ahead of what could be accounted for by ordinary population growth.
The Census Bureau also provides projections for the future, but these are highly speculative. We have shown their ‘middle estimates’ extending to 2100.
| year | population | |
| 2100 | 570,954,000 |  |
| 2090 | 533,605,000 |  |
| 2080 | 497,830,000 |  |
| 2070 | 463,639,000 |  |
| 2060 | 432,011,000 |  |
| 2050 | 403,687,000 |  |
| 2040 | 377,350,000 |  |
| 2030 | 351,071,000 |  |
| 2020 | 324,928,000 |  |
| 2010 | 299,862,000 |  |
| 2000 | 281,422,000 |  |
| 1990 | 248,710,000 |  |
| 1980 | 226,542,000 |  |
| 1970 | 203,302,000 |  |
| 1960 | 179,323,000 |  |
| 1950 | 151,325,000 |  |
| 1940 | 132,164,000 |  |
| 1930 | 123,203,000 |  |
| 1920 | 106,022,000 |  |
| 1910 | 92,228,000 |  |
| 1900 | 76,212,000 |  |
| 1890 | 62,980,000 |  |
| 1880 | 50,189,000 |  |
| 1870 | 38,558,000 |  |
| 1860 | 31,443,000 |  |
| 1850 | 23,192,000 |  |
| 1840 | 17,069,000 |  |
| 1830 | 12,866,000 |  |
| 1820 | 9,638,000 |  |
| 1810 | 7,240,000 |  |
| 1800 | 5,308,000 |  |
| 1790 | 3,929,000 |  |
