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.
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.
The record high for women serving in the U.S. Senate was 26, last set between January 3, 2021 and January 18, 2021.
This is a record high for women serving in the U.S. House.
U.S. Delegates are non-voting members and are not included in our total counts.
The record high for women serving in statewide elective executive office was 95, last set between April 14, 2021 and September 17, 2021.
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 | 2019-2025 | South Dakota |
| Kimberly Reynolds | R | White | 2017-present | Iowa |
| Gretchen E. Whitmer | D | White | 2019-present | Michigan |
| 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 | 2017-2024 | 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 | 2017-2024 | 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 | 2019-2025 | 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 |
| 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 |
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
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%)
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%)
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.
Population data from the U.S. Census and officeholder data from the Center for American Women and Politics as of May 2021
| 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 |
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% |