Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026.
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, has about 1.6 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Philadelphia County is held at the county jail, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Philadelphia County public records, Philadelphia County arrest records, Philadelphia County warrants, Philadelphia County criminal records, Philadelphia County court records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Philadelphia County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Philadelphia County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the sheriff's office at incarceratedperson-locator.phila.gov, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Philadelphia County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 4,650 people, down from about 4,670 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 5,613 beds, and it ran at 82 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Philadelphia County has about 1.6 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 30 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Philadelphia County Jail
The agency that reports for Philadelphia makes the arrests that end in a booking in Philadelphia County.
The FBI's agency list also places three campus police departments, one state police unit and three state agencies in Philadelphia County (the arrest records guide names each one).
Philadelphia reported 35,097 arrests to the FBI for 2025. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Philadelphia County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections lists its inmates at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Philadelphia County?
Look on the custody page of the sheriff's office at incarceratedperson-locator.phila.gov. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Philadelphia County jail?
About 4,650 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 5,613 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Philadelphia County go?
To a facility of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Is this the official Philadelphia County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.