Mandatory minimum penalties applied at sentencing to 15% of people in federal cases during fiscal 2025, according to the United States Sentencing Commission's latest annual profile.
The Commission received 66,662 cases, including 13,926 involving an offense that carried a statutory mandatory minimum. That means 21% of cases carried a possible mandatory floor, although some defendants later received relief.
One-third of people convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum were relieved of the penalty. Fourteen percent qualified through the safety-valve provision, 15% provided substantial assistance to the government and 5% received both forms of relief.
The difference in sentence length was substantial. The average was 158 months for defendants still subject to the minimum, 74 months for those receiving relief and 28 months for people who were not convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum.
Drug trafficking made up 68% of cases carrying mandatory minimums. Sexual abuse accounted for 8%, child pornography 7%, firearms 5% and fraud 3%.
Among 16,073 people sentenced for drug offenses, 58% were convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum and 57% of that group remained subject to it. Their average sentence was 144 months, compared with 72 months for those receiving relief.
The Commission also counted 2,382 convictions under 18 U.S.C. Section 924(c). Eighty-four percent remained subject to that provision's minimum, with average sentences of 158 months, or 99 months when relief was granted.
The data describes completed sentencing outcomes, not arrests, pending allegations or state cases. It also excludes cases with incomplete sentencing information from relevant calculations.
Group averages do not predict any individual's sentence. Offense statutes, criminal history, guideline findings, relief eligibility and judicial decisions differ from case to case.