Congress
126
(105D, 21R)
23.6% of 535 seats
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the first woman Speaker of the House, holds the highest position in the House and is second in line of presidential succession.
U.S. Delegate
4
(2D, 2R)
U.S. Delegates are non-voting members and are not included in our total counts.
Statewide Elective Executive
91
(48D, 41R, 2NP)
29.4% of 310 seats
Governor
9
(6D, 3R)
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Brown | D | 2015-2022 | Oregon |
| Kay E. Ivey | R | 2017-present | Alabama |
| Laura J. Kelly | D | 2019-present | Kansas |
| Michelle Lujan Grisham | D | 2019-present | New Mexico |
| Janet T. Mills | D | 2019-present | Maine |
| Kristi Noem | R | 2019-present | South Dakota |
| Gina M. Raimondo | D | 2015-2021 | Rhode Island |
| Kimberly Reynolds | R | 2017-present | Iowa |
| Gretchen E. Whitmer | D | 2019-present | Michigan |
Lieutenant Governor
15
(9D, 6R)
| Name | Party | Year(s) Served | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Bysiewicz | D | 2019-present | Connecticut |
| Suzanne Crouch | R | 2017-present | Indiana |
| Pamela Evette | R | 2019-present | South Carolina |
| Peggy Flanagan | D/DFL | 2019-present | Minnesota |
| Bethany A. Hall-Long | D | 2017-present | Delaware |
| Jenean Hampton | R | 2016-2019 | Kentucky |
| Kathy C. Hochul | D | 2015-2021 | New York |
| Eleni Kounalakis | D | 2019-present | California |
| Kate Marshall | D | 2019-2021 | Nevada |
| Janice K. McGeachin | R | 2019-2022 | Idaho |
| Jeanette M. Nunez | R | 2019-present | Florida |
| Sheila Y. Oliver | D | 2018-2023 | New Jersey |
| Karyn E. Polito | R | 2015-2022 | Massachusetts |
| Dianne I. Primavera | D | 2019-present | Colorado |
| Juliana Stratton | D | 2019-present | Illinois |
Other Statewide Elective Executive
67
(33D, 32R, 2NP)
| Position | Democrat | Republican | Non-Partisan | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State | 8 | 4 | - | 12 |
| Attorney General | 5 | 2 | - | 7 |
| State Treasurer | 5 | 6 | - | 11 |
| State Auditor | 6 | 4 | - | 10 |
| Agriculture Commissioner | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Commissioner of Lands | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Commissioner of Labor | 1 | 2 | - | 3 |
| Public Service Commissioner | - | 3 | - | 3 |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction | 2 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| State Comptroller | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Corporation Commissioner | 1 | 2 | - | 3 |
| Insurance Commissioner | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Public Utilities Commissioner | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Railroad Commissioner | - | 1 | - | 1 |
State Legislature
2,132
(1,442D, 667R, 14NP, 5Ind, 4Prg)
28.9% of 7,383 seats
Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled.
NP = non-partisan, Ind = Independent, Prg = Progressive
State Senate
508
(330D, 164R, 14NP)
25.8% of 1,972 seats
State House/Assembly
1,624
(1,112D, 503R, 5Ind, 4Prg)
30% of 5,411 seats
Top 10 States
- Nevada (52.4%)
- Colorado (47.0%)
- Oregon (42.2%)
- Washington (41.5%)
- Vermont (40.0%)
- Arizona (38.9%)
- Alaska (38.3%)
- Maryland (38.3%)
- Maine (37.2%)
- Rhode Island (38.1%)
Bottom 10 States
- West Virginia (13.4%)
- Tennessee (15.2%)
- Wyoming (15.6%)
- Alabama (16.4%)
- Mississippi (16.7%)
- Louisiana (18.1%)
- South Carolina (16.5%)
- Oklahoma (21.5%)
- North Dakota (22.0%)
- South Dakota (22.9%)
Mayors – Cities over 30,000
300
22% of 1,366 seats
Population data from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and officeholder data from the Center for American Women and Politics as of September 2019.
Mayors – 100 Most Populous Cities
27
27% of 100 seats
Of the 27 women mayors in the top 100 most populous cities as of September 2019, 7 are Black women, one is Latina, and 2 are Asian American/Pacific Islander women.
| City | Mayor | Rank | Race/Ethnicity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | Lori Lightfoot | 3 | Black |
| Phoenix, AZ | Kate Gallego | 8 | White |
| San Franciso, CA | London Breed | 15 | Black |
| Fort Worth, TX | Betsy Price | 16 | White |
| Charlotte, NC | Vi Alexander Lyles | 20 | Black |
| Washington, DC | Muriel Bowser | 24 | Black |
| Seattle, WA | Jenny Durkan | 28 | White |
| Las Vegas, NV | Carolyn Goodman | 32 | White |
| Omaha, NE | Jean Stothert | 42 | White |
| Atlanta, GA | Keisha Lance Bottoms | 43 | Black |
| Raleigh, NC | Nancy McFarlane | 45 | White |
| Oakland, CA | Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf | 49 | White |
| Bakersfield, CA | Karen K. Goh | 53 | Asian American/Pacific Islander |
| New Orleans, LA | LaToya Cantrell | 54 | Black |
| Tampa, FL | Jane Castor | 56 | White |
| Islip, NY | Angie M. Carpenter | 57 | White |
| St. Louis, MO | Lyda Krewson | 60 | White |
| Lexington, KY | Linda Gorton | 63 | White |
| Henderson, NV | Debra March | 71 | White |
| Greensboro, NC | Nancy Vaughan | 73 | White |
| Lincoln, NE | Leirion Gaylor Baird | 76 | White |
| Chula Vista, CA | Mary Casillas Salas | 82 | Latina |
| Madison, WI | Satya Rhodes-Conway | 90 | White |
| Baton Rouge, LA | Sharon Weston Broome | 92 | Black |
| Reno, NV | Hillary Schieve | 93 | White |
| Fremont, CA | Lily Mei | 98 | Asian American/Pacific Islander |
| Irvine, CA | Christina L. Shea | 100 | White |
Percentages of Women in Elective Office 1971-Present
Table below provides data on women as a percentage of women officeholders at the congressional, statewide elective executive, and state legislative levels from 1971 to present. All but present counts reflect levels of women’s representation at the end of that calendar year.
| Year | U.S. Congress | Statewide Elective | Statewide Legislatures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.0% | 7.0% | N/A |
| 1973 | 3.0% | 8.0% | N/A |
| 1975 | 4.0% | 10.0% | 8.0% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | 10.0% | 9.0% |
| 1979 | 3.0% | 11.0% | 10.0% |
| 1981 | 4.0% | 11.0% | 12.0% |
| 1983 | 4.0% | 11.0% | 13.0% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | 14.0% | 15.0% |
| 1987 | 5.0% | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 1989 | 5.0% | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 1991 | 6.0% | 18.0% | 18.0% |
| 1993 | 10.1% | 22.2% | 20.5% |
| 1995 | 10.3% | 25.9% | 20.6% |
| 1997 | 11.0% | 25.4% | 21.6% |
| 1999 | 12.1% | 27.6% | 22.4% |
| 2001 | 13.6% | 27.6% | 22.4% |
| 2003 | 13.6% | 26.0% | 22.4% |
| 2005 | 15.0% | 25.7% | 22.4% |
| 2007 | 16.1% | 24.1% | 23.5% |
| 2009 | 16.8% | 22.6% | 24.3% |
| 2011 | 16.8% | 22.1% | 23.7% |
| 2012 | 16.8% | 23.4% | 23.7% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | 23.0% | 24.2% |
| 2014 | 18.7% | 23.0% | 24.3% |
| 2015 | 19.4% | 24.8% | 24.6% |
| 2016 | 19.6% | 24.1% | 24.5% |
| 2017 | 19.6% | 22.8% | 25.1% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | 23.8% | 25.4% |
| 2019 | 23.7% | 29.3% | 28.9% |