By the Numbers
RepresentWomen compiles information about the current status of women's representation through research from other organizations as well as through our own original research.
To learn more about our research and to see how each U.S. state ranks in terms of women's representation, check out our Gender Parity Index.
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U.S. Overview
Women are 51% of the population in the U.S. but make up only:
- 27% of Congress at large
- 24% of the U.S. Senate
- 27% of the U.S. House of Representatives
- 0% of presidents of the United States
- 30% of statewide elected executives of any kind
- 31% of state legislators
- 31% of the largest cities' mayors
- 25% of mayors in cities with populations over 30,000
For certain demographics, the numbers are even worse
Women of color, Republican women, young women, and low-income women are especially underrepresented.
Learn more about how demographics affect representation
In 2021 women of color only make up:
- 9% of the total members of Congress
- 34% of the women serving in Congress
- 8% of total state legislators
- 26.5% of all female state legislators
- 14% of mayors in the nation’s 100 largest cities
In 2021 Republican women only make up:
- 20% of female Congressional members
- 8% of women serving in the U.S. Senate
- 26% of women serving in the U.S. House
- 33% of women serving as governors
- 33% of women state legislators
Sources Consulted: Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University (CAWP).
Women's Representation in Local Government
Find out how voting reforms can impact local elections
Executive Office
As of 2021, women serve as 31% of mayors the nation's 100 largest cities, according to the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. Women of color make up 14% of mayors in the nation's 100 largest cities.
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Legislative Bodies
As of the beginning 2021, among the largest 100 cities in the United States, the average percentage of women on city councils with only at-large seats was 40.1% while the average percentage of women on city councils with only single member district seats was 39.4%. When city councils have both at-large seats and single-member district seats, the average percentage of women was 44%.
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Did You Know?
Research by CivicPulse in 2022 indicates that fewer than one in three top appointed officials are women in local government. Check out the resources on the Diversity Dashboard to learn more!
Women's Representation in State Government
Find out how voting reforms can impact state elections
Statewide Executive Office
Only 9 out of 50 U.S. states currently have women governors. Seventeen women serve as lieutenant governors and 67 women hold other statewide offices such as attorney general or secretary of state. Nineteen states have never elected a woman governor.
Number of women serving in statewide executive offices: 93 out of 310
Percentage of positions held by women: 30%
Number of Republicans: 39
Number of Democrats: 52
Number of Nonpartisan:2
Percentage of women of color in state elected executive positions: 19.4%
infogram_0_4865b94b-0eaa-499c-ae83-8472ccc64a2cWomen Statewide Executiveshttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?Bawtext/javascript
infogram_0_8bd78c25-c242-4498-aabc-1a8f27a0c650Women Governors State by Statehttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?BIstext/javascript
State Legislatures
Number of women serving: 2,297 out of 7,383 seats
Percentage of women: 31.1%
Number of Republicans: 759
Number of Democrats: 1,517
Number of nonpartisans: 13
Number of independents: 6
Number of Progressives: 2
Percentage of women of color in state legislatures: 26.6%
infogram_0_8ab466b1-010d-4ce0-aab8-845eec8147afPercentage of women in state legislatureshttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?qd8text/javascript
infogram_0_8d859155-74cb-482d-80bd-66be0bc8d0e5Women in State Legislatures 1993-2019 (By the Numbers)https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?FfHtext/javascript
Sources Consulted: Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University
Women's Representation in Congress
Find out how voting reforms can impact federal elections
infogram_0_a8eb417c-ac8f-4b3d-ac79-e3f7d3dfcc81Rep2020: Percentage of Women in Congress, 1993-2015https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?14jtext/javascript
U.S. House of Representatives
infogram_0_bd72a317-3d92-4beb-a088-011375391affWomen in the House of Representativeshttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?r8ctext/javascript
U.S. Senate
Number of women serving: 24 out of 100
Percentage of women serving: 24%
Number of Republicans: 8
Number of Democrats: 16
Women of color: 3 (3D, 0R)
infogram_0_3444ea33-7415-45eb-a3fc-f9bc4c38045fWomen in the Senatehttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?dXftext/javascript
Sources Consulted: Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University
Women's Representation in U.S. Territories
Four out of the six (66.7%) non-voting representatives in the House of Representatives are women. By contrast, only 144 out of the 535 (26.9%) elected members of Congress from the fifty states are women.
infogram_0_us_territories_vs_the_50_states_in_percentage_of_elected_delagates_that_are_womenUS Territories in Comparison to the 50 US States in Terms of Percentage of Female Elected Representativeshttps://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?YfCtext/javascript
District of Columbia
Graphic Here
Mayor: Muriel Bowser (D) has served as mayor since 2015. Sharon Pratt Kelly served as mayor from 1991-1995. She was also the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city.
City Council: Seven of the District's 13 city council members (54%) are women, three out of 13 are black women (23%).
Delegate to U.S. House: Eleanor Holmes Norton has served as the District's one non-voting representative in Congress since 1991.
Puerto Rico
Graphic Here
Governor: Wanda Vasquez became governor in 2019. The only other woman governor was Síla Calderon, from 2001-2005.
Legislature: As of 2020, fourteen of the 81 seats (17%) are held by women.
Mayors: San Juan, the largest city in Puerto Rico, has a female mayor. In total, nine of the 78 mayors are women (11.5%).
Delegate to the U.S. House: Jenniffer González was elected Resident Commissioner in 2016 and is the first woman to hold the position. She faces re-election in 2025.
Guam
Graphic Here
Governor: Lourdes "Lou" Aflague Leon Guerrero, elected in 2018 is the first women governor of Guam.
Legislature: Six of the 15 seats (40%) are held by women.
Mayors: Three out of 20 (15%) mayors are women.
Delegate to the U.S. House: Madeleine Bordallo (D) was Guam's first woman non-voting delegate from 2003-2018.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Graphic Here
Governor: No woman has served as governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Legislature: Four of 15 seats (26.7%) are held by women.
Delegate to the U.S. House: Stacey Plaskett (D) currently serves as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, starting in 2015. She is up for re-election in 2023. Her predecessor, Donna Christian-Christensen, served from 1997-2015.
Northern Mariana Islands
Graphic Here
Governor: No woman has served as governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Legislature: Seven of the 20 seats (24%), combined Senate and legislature, are held by women.
Delegate to the U.S. House: No woman has served as the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
American Samoa
Graphic Here
Governor: No woman has served as governor of American Samoa.
Legislature: One out of 39 seats (3%) is held by a women. This is the lowest of any state or territory in the country.
Delegate to the U.S. House: Republican Amata Coleman Radewagen has served as American Samoa's first female non-voting delegate since 2015.
