Approximately how many sets of fingerprints are contained within the FBI national database?

• A. 10 Million
• B. 25 Million
• C. 55 Million
• D. 100 Million

Answer: (C)

The main thing this question tests is the scale of the FBI’s national fingerprint repository. The FBI’s database collects fingerprint records from agencies across the country to support identification in criminal investigations and background checks. Because fingerprints are a foundational identifying feature and many individuals’ prints are submitted over time, the total number of stored fingerprint sets sits in the tens of millions.

Approximately 55 million is the best fit among the options because it reflects a very large nationwide collection—much more than any single state or local agency would hold, but not so large as to imply an unrealistically giant national total. This figure shows how extensive the database is and why it’s a central tool for rapid identification.

Smaller numbers would underestimate the nationwide scope, while a hundred million would overstate the typical total for the era described.