Women in Elective Office 2021

Summary information on women officeholders by race and ethnicity for all levels of office

Vice President

Kamala Harris (D) became the first woman to hold the office of Vice President on January 20, 2021. She is also the first woman of color, the first Black person, and the first South Asian person elected to this office. Previously, Vice President Harris served in the U.S. Senate as well as California’s Attorney General.

Congress
144
(105D, 39R)
26.9% of 535 seats

This matches a record high for women serving in Congress. 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. Senate
24
(16D, 8R)
24% of 100 seats

The record high for women serving in the U.S. Senate was 26, last set between January 3, 2021 and January 18, 2021.

U.S. House
120
(89D, 31R)
27.6% of 435 seats

This is a record high for women serving in the U.S. House. 

U.S. Delegate
4
(2D, 2R)

U.S. Delegates are non-voting members and are not included in our total counts.

Statewide Elective Executive
94
(53D, 39R, 2NP)
30.3% of 310 seats

The record high for women serving in statewide elective executive office was 95, last set between April 14, 2021 and September 17, 2021.

 

Governor
9
(6D, 3R)

This matches a record high for women serving as governors.

Name Party Race/Ethnicity Year(s) Served State
Kate Brown D White 2015-2022 Oregon
Kathy C. Hochul D White 2021-present New York
Kay E. Ivey R White 2017-present Alabama
Laura J. Kelly D White 2019-present Kansas
Michelle Lujan Grisham D Latina 2019-present New Mexico
Janet T. Mills D White 2019-present Maine
Kristi Noem R White 2019-present South Dakota
Kimberly Reynolds R White 2017-present Iowa
Gretchen E. Whitmer D White 2019-present Michigan
Lieutenant Governor
18
(11D, 7R)
Name Party Race/Ethnicity Year(s) Served State
Lisa Cano Burkhead D Latina 2021-2022 Nevada
Susan Bysiewicz D White 2019-present Connecticut
Jacqueline Coleman D White 2020-present Kentucky
Suzanne Crouch R White 2017-present Indiana
Pamela Evette R White 2019-present South Carolina
Peggy Flanagan D/DFL Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian 2019-present Minnesota
Molly Gray D White 2021-2022 Vermont
Bethany A. Hall-Long D White 2017-present Delaware
Deidre M. Henderson R White 2021-present Utah
Kristen Juras R White 2021-present Montana
Eleni Kounalakis D White 2019-present California
Sabina Matos D Black, Latina 2021-present Rhode Island
Janice K. McGeachin R White 2019-2022 Idaho
Jeanette M. Nunez R Latina 2019-present Florida
Sheila Y. Oliver D Black 2018-2023 New Jersey
Karyn E. Polito R White 2015-2022 Massachusetts
Dianne I. Primavera D White 2019-present Colorado
Juliana Stratton D Black 2019-present Illinois
Other Statewide Elective Executive
67
(36D, 29R, 2NP)
Position Democrat Republican Non-Partisan Total
Secretary of State 9 3 - 12
Attorney General 5 3 - 8
State Treasurer 5 5 - 10
State Auditor 6 4 - 10
Agriculture Commissioner 1 - - 1
Commissioner of Lands 2 - - 2
Commissioner of Labor - 1 1 2
Public Service Commissioner - 3 - 3
Superintendent of Public Instruction 3 5 1 9
State Comptroller 3 - - 3
Corporation Commissioner 2 2 - 4
Insurance Commissioner - 1 - 1
Public Utilities Commissioner - 1 - 1
Railroad Commissioner - 1 - 1
State Legislature
2,299
(1,517D, 760R, 13NP, 7Ind, 2Prg)
31.1% of 7,383 seats

Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled. The record high for women serving in state legislatures was 3000, set between December 13, 2021 and December 15, 2021.

NP = non-partisan, Ind = Independent, Prg = Progressive

 

State Senate
560
(360D, 187R, 13NP)
28.4% of 1,972 seats
State House/Assembly
1,739
(1,157D, 573R, 7Ind, 2Prg)
32.1% of 5,411 seats
Top 10 States

Nevada (58.7%)
Oregon (45.6%)
Rhode Island (44.2%)
Maine (44.1%)
Colorado (44.0%)
New Mexico (43.8%)
Maryland (43.1%)
Arizona (42.2%)
Washington (42.2%)
Vermont (41.1%)

Bottom 10 States

West Virginia (13.4%)
Mississippi (15.5%)
Tennessee (16.7%)
Alabama (17.1%)
South Carolina (17.1%)
Wyoming (17.8%)
Louisiana (19.4%)
Oklahoma (20.8%)
North Dakota (22.7%)
Arkansas (23.0%)

Municipal Officeholders - Cities over 10,000
30.5%

Data provided by the Center for American Women and Politics and KnowWho Data Services as of April 2021. Numbers include members and officers of the municipal legislative branch of incorporated cities and towns with populations over 10,000 as per the U.S. Census. These bodies vary by municipality, but include city councils, boards of alderman, city commissions, among others. Mayors and other officials who perform mayoral functions are included in these counts.

Mayors – Cities over 30,000
407
25.1% of 1,621 seats

Population data from the U.S. Census and officeholder data from the Center for American Women and Politics as of May 2021

Mayors – 100 Most Populous Cities
32
32% of 100 seats

Of the 32 women mayors in the top 100 most populous cities as of December 2021, 8 are Black women, 3 are Latina, and 4 are Asian American/Pacific Islander women.

Current Mayors of the 100 Most Populous Cities
City Name Rank Race/Ethnicity
Chicago, IL Lori Lightfoot 3 Black
Phoenix, AZ Kate Gallego 5 White
Fort Worth, TX Mattie Parker 13 White
Charlotte, NC Vi Alexander Lyles 15 Black
San Franciso, CA London Breed 16 Black
Seattle, WA Jenny Durkan 19 White
Washington, DC Muriel Bowser 21 Black
Boston, MA Michelle Wu 22 Asian American/Pacific Islander
Las Vegas, NV Carolyn Goodman 28 White
Tucson, AZ Regina Romero 34 Latina
Atlanta, GA Keisha Lance Bottoms 38 Black
Omaha, NE Jean Stothert 42 White
Raleigh, NC Mary-Ann Baldwin 43 White
Oakland, CA Elizabeth "Libby" Schaaf 47 White
Tampa, FL Jane Castor 50 White
New Orleans, LA LaToya Cantrell 52 Black
Bakersfield, CA Karen K. Goh 54 Asian American/Pacific Islander
Riverside, CA Patricia Lock Dawson 60 White
Islip, NY Angie M. Carpenter 61 White
Corpus Christi, TX Paulette M. Guajardo 62 Latina
Lexington, KY Linda Gorton 63 White
Henderson, NV Debra March 64 White
St. Louis, MO Tishaura Jones 68 Black
Greensboro, NC Nancy Vaughan 71 White
Lincoln, NE Leirion Gaylor Baird 72 White
Irvine, CA Farrah Khan 76 Asian American/Pacific Islander
Durham, NC Elaine O'Neal 78 Black
Chula Vista, CA Mary Casillas Salas 79 Latina
Madison, WI Satya Rhodes-Conway 86 White
Reno, NV Hillary Schieve 89 White
Gilbert, AZ Brigette Peterson 91 White
Fremont, CA Lily Mei 97 Asian American/Pacific Islander
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 State Legislature
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%
2020 23.6% 28.9% 29.3%
2021 26.9% 30.3% 31.1%