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In 2018, 110 women serve in the U.S. Congress. Twenty-three women serve in the Senate and 87 women in the House. The number of women in statewide elective executive posts is 74, and the proportion of women in state legislatures is 25.4 percent.
 
 
Congress
110

In 2018, women hold 110, or 20.6%, of the 535 seats in the 114th U.S. Congress - 23, or 23.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 87, or 20.0%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who was the first woman Speaker of the House, is now minority leader.

81 Democrats
29 Republicans

plus 5 (3D, 2R) Delegates

Statewide Elective Executive Offices
74

In 2018, 74 women hold statewide elective executive offices across the country; women hold 23.7% of the 312 available positions. Among these women, 28 are Democrats, 44 are Republicans and 2 is non-partisan.

28 Democrats
44 Republicans
 

2 non-partisan

Governors - 6 (2D, 4R)
AL Kay Ivey (R)
IA Kim Reynolds (R)
NM Susana Martinez (R)
OK Mary Fallin (R)
OR Kate Brown (D)
RI Gina Raimondo (D)
Lt. Governors - 13 (5D, 7R, 1NP)
AK Valerie Davidson (NP)   MA Karyn Polito (R)
CO Donna Lynne (D)   MN Michelle Fischbach (R)
CT Nancy Wyman (D)     NJ Shiela Oliver (D)
DE Bethany Hall-Long (D)   NY Kathy Hochul (D)
IL Evelyn Sanguinetti (R)   OH Mary Taylor (D)
IN Suzanne Crouch (R)   WI Rebecca Kleefisch (R)
KY Jenean Hampton (R)      
Other Elective Offices - 55 (21D, 33R, 1NP)
Attorney General - 8 (5D, 3R)   Railroad Commissioner - 1R
Secretary of State - 11 (5D, 6R)   Commisioner of Labor - 2R
State Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer - 8 (3D, 5R)   Corporation Commissioner  - 1R
State Comptroller - 2D   Public Service Commissioner - 3R
State Auditor - 9 (5D, 4R)   Public Utilities Commissioner - 1R
Chief State Educational Official - 8 (7R, 1 non-partisan)   Commissioner of Lands - 1D
     

 

State Legislatures
1,875

In 2018, 1,875 (1,144D, 705R, 14NP*, 7Ind, 5Prg.), or 25.4%, of the 7,383 state legislators in the United States are women. Women hold 450 (261D, 173R, 14NP, 2Ind.), or 22.8%, of the 1,972 state senate seats and 1,425 (883D, 532R, 5Ind., 5Prg.), or 26.3%, of the 5,411 state house seats. Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled.

1144 D
705 R
 

Includes 14 non-partisan, 7 Independent, 5 Progressive

Top 10 States
Arizona (40.0%) 
Vermont (39.4%)
Nevada (38.1%) 
Colorado (38.0%)
Washington (37.4%)
Illinois (35.0%)
Maine (33.9%)
Maryland (33.5%)
Oregon (33.3%)
Rhode Island (31.9%)
Bottom 10 States
Wyoming (11.1%)
Oklahoma (13.4%)
Louisiana (14.6%)
West Virginia (14.9%)
Mississippi (14.9%)
Alabama (15.0%)
South Carolina (15.9%)
Tennessee (15.9%)
Kentucky (16.7%)
North Dakota (18.4%)


 

Municipal Officials

23

As of August 2018, among the 100 largest cities in the U.S., 23 had women mayors. Seven are Black (Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta, GA; Muriel Bowser, Washington, DC; London Breed, San Francisco, CA; Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge, LA; LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans, LA; Vi Alexander Lyles, Charlotte, NC; Catherine Pugh, Baltimore, MD); one is Latina (Mary Casillas Salas, Chula Vista, CA); and two are Asian Pacific Islander (Karen K. Goh, Bakersfield, CA; Lily Mei, Fremont, CA).

As of March 2018, per the U.S. Conference of Mayors, of the 285 mayors of the U.S. cities with populations 100,000 and over, 59, or 20.7%, were women. Of the 1,365 mayors of U.S. cities with populations 30,000 and above, 297, or 21.8%, were women. Full list here.

Women Mayors Among the 100 Largest Cities
City Mayor Rank

Phoenix, AZ
San Franciso, CA
Fort Worth, TX
Charlotte, NC
Washington, DC
Baltimore, MD
Seattle, WA
Las Vegas, NV
Omaha, NE
Atlanta, GA
Raleigh, NC
Oakland, CA
Bakersfield, CA
New Orleans, LA
Islip, NY
St. Louis, MO
Henderson, NV
Greensboro, NC
Chula Vista, CA
Garland, TX
Baton Rouge, LA
Reno, NV
Fremont, CA

 Thelda Williams
London Breed
Betsy Price
Vi Alexander Lyles
Muriel Bowser
Catherine Pugh
Jenny Durkan
Carolyn Goodman
Jean Stothert
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Nancy McFarlane
Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf
Karen K. Goh
LaToya Cantrell
Angie M. Carpenter
Lyda Krewson
Debra March
Nancy Vaughan
Mary Casillas Salas
Lori Barnett Dodson
Sharon Weston Broome
Hillary Schieve
Lily Mei

8
15
16
20
24
26
28
32
42
43
45
49
53
54
57
60
71
73
82
89
90
93
98

Percentages of Women in Elective Office

Year U.S.
Congress
Statewide
Elective
State
Legislatures
  Year U.S.
Congress
Statewide
Elective
State
Legislatures
1971    3% 7% N/A      1999 12.1% 27.6% 22.4%
1973   3% 8% N/A   2001 13.6% 27.6% 22.4%
1975  4% 10% 8%   2003 13.6% 26.0% 22.4%
1977   4% 10% 9%   2005 15.0% 25.7% 22.4%
1979   3% 11% 10%   2007 16.1% 24.1% 23.5%
1981   4% 11% 12%   2009 16.8% 22.6% 24.3%
1983   4% 11% 13%   2011 16.8% 22.1% 23.7%
1985 5% 14% 15%   2012 16.8% 23.4% 23.7%
1987 5% 14% 16%   2013 18.5% 23.0% 24.2%
1989 5% 14% 16%   2014 18.7% 22.6% 24.3%
1991 6% 18% 18%   2015 19.4% 24.7% 24.6%
1993 10.1% 22.2% 20.5%   2016 19.6% 24.0% 24.5%
1995 10.3% 25.9% 20.6%   2017 19.6% 22.8% 25.1%
1997 11.0% 25.4% 21.6%   2018 20.6% 23.7% 25.4%

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Center for American Women and Politics
Eagleton Institute of Politics
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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