American Executions

Updated on April 27, 2015. American Executions Although more than 30 years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, the topic still sparks heated debate on issues like race, gender, class and method of execution. Executions by Nation TOP 6 IN 2013 1 China 3 Iraq 5 United States 2 Iran 4 Saudi Arabia 6 Yemen 22 countries carried out executions in 2013. U.S. Executions by Year 1980 1999 2014 Total Number of Executions: 1,391 Executions by State Since 1976 TOP 5 BOTTOM 5 524 Texas Oregon 112 Oklahoma New Mexico 110 Virginia Colorado 90 Florida Wyoming 83 Missouri Connecticut CURRENT NON-DEATH PENALTY STATES CURRENT DEATH PENALTY STATES Methods of Execution Since 1976 BY PERCENTAGE 87% 11% 1% 40 100 LETHAL INJECTION GAS CHAMBER ELECTROCUTION 0.5% 0.5% HANGING FIRING SQUAD LETHAL INJECTION PROBLEMS Administering the most-used form of execution in the U.S. has been increasingly problematic. Some states have even found it hard to obtain the right combination of execution drugs, putting this method of execution under an intense spotlight. Race and Executions OTHER 2% WHITE 56% EXECUTIONS HISPANIC 8% BLACK 34% OTHER 8% WHITE 63% CURRENT U.S. CENSUS HISPANIC 16% BLACK 13% Executions on the Decline THERE WERE 35 EXECUTIONS IN 2014, THE LOWEST NUMBER SINCE 1994. 98 43 39 35 1999 2012 2013 2014 Source: Death Penalty Information Center EXECUTIONS BY YEAR NUMBER OF EXECUTIONS