Number and Percentage of Women in State Legislatures, 1980-2017
Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled.
NP = non-partisan, Ind = Independent, Prg = Progressive
State-by-State Summary Data on Current Women State Legislators
| Party | Total Legislators | State Senators | State Representatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 1,123 (60.6%) | 257 (57.4%) | 866 (61.6%) |
| Republicans | 705 (38.3%) | 176 (39.3%) | 529 (37.7%) |
| Nonpartisans* | 14 (0.8%) | 14 (3.1%) | 0 (0%) |
| Independents | 6 (0.3%) | 1 (0.2%) | 5 (0.4%) |
| Progressives | 5 (0.3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| TOTAL | 1,853 (100.1%) | 448 (100.0%) | 1,405 (100.2%) |
*In Nebraska, where the legislature is unicameral, legislators are elected on a nonpartisan basis.
Arizona (40.0%)
Vermont (40.0%)
Nevada (39.7%)
Washington (37.4%)
Colorado (37.0%)
Illinois (35.0%)
Maine (33.9%)
Oregon (33.3%)
Minnesota (32.3%)
Maryland (31.9%)
Wyoming (11.1%)
Oklahoma (13.4%)
West Virginia (13.4%)
South Carolina (14.1%)
Mississippi (14.9%)
Alabama (15.0%)
Louisiana (15.3%)
Tennessee (15.9%)
Kentucky (16.7%)
North Dakota (18.4%)
*Women who self-identify as more than one race/ethnicity are included on CAWP pages for each group with which they identify. We strongly caution against adding totals from each racial/ethnic group should, as it will double count officeholders.
Of the 1,853 current women state legislators:
- 40 identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander
- 274 identify as Black
- 114 identify as Latina
- 2 identify as Middle Eastern/North African
- 1 identifies as Multiracial Alone
- 23 identify as Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian
- 1,417 identify as white
State Legislative Leadership
Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)
Anitere Flores (R-FL)
Michelle Kidani (D-HI)
Susan Wagle (R-KS)
Tonya Schuitmaker (R-MI)
Michelle L. Fischbach (R-MN)
Sharon Carson (R-NH)
Nia Gill (D-NJ)
Mary Kay Papen (D-NM)
Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-OR)
Donna J. Boley (R-WV)
Crisanta Duran (D-CO)
Linda L. Upmeyer (R-IA)
Sara Gideon (D-ME)
Tina Kotek (D-OR)
Beth Harwell (R-TN)
Mitzi Johnson (D-VT)
State Legislative Firsts
- 1894: The first three women elected to a state legislature in the country were Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly, and Frances Klock, all in the Colorado House of Representatives.
- 1896: Martha Hughes Cannon (D-UT) became the first woman elected state senator in the country.
- 1924: Cora Belle Reynolds Anderson (R-MI) became the first woman of color elected to a state legislature.
- 1933: Minnie Davenport Craig (R-ND) became the first woman to serve as speaker of a state house.
- 1974: Elaine Noble (D-MA) became the first openly LGBT candidate elected to a state legislature.
- 1983: Vesta Roy (R-NH) became the first woman to serve as president of a state senate.
- 2007: Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) became the first woman of color to serve as president of a state senate.
- 2008: Karen Bass (D-CA) became the first woman of color to serve as speaker of a state house.
- 2013:Tina Kotek (D-OR) became the country's first openly lesbian state House speaker.
- 2017: Twenty-five years after Althea Garrison's election and non-consensual outing, Danica Roem (D-VA) became the first openly transgender person to be elected and to serve in a state legislature in the United States.
- 2017: Crisanta Duran (D) became speaker of the Colorado General Assembly, the first Latina to lead either house of a state legislature.
For other important state legislative firsts, visit the Milestones for Women in American Politics page.
| State | State Rank | Senate | Total Women/Total Senate | House | Total Women/Total House | Total Women/Total Legis. | %Women Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | 45 | 3D | 0R | 1Ind | 4/35 | 12D | 5R | 17/105 | 21/140 | 15.0 |
| AK | 15 | 1D | 5R | 6/20 | 3D | 9R | 12/40 | 18/60 | 30.0 |
| AZ* | 1 | 6D | 8R | 14/30 | 13D | 9R | 22/60 | 36/90 | 40.0 |
| AR | 40 | 3D | 4R | 7/35 | 3D | 15R | 18/100 | 25/135 | 18.5 |
| CA | 30 | 6D | 3R | 9/40 | 15D | 3R | 18/80 | 27/120 | 22.5 |
| CO | 4 | 9D | 2R | 11/35 | 18D | 8R | 26/65 | 37/100 | 37.0 |
| CT | 19 | 7D | 2R | 9/36 | 21D | 22R | 43/151 | 52/187 | 27.8 |
| DE | 33 | 3D | 1R | 4/21 | 7D | 2R | 9/41 | 13/62 | 21.0 |
| FL* | 26 | 5D | 8R | 13/40 | 14D | 13R | 27/120 | 40/160 | 25.0 |
| GA | 22 | 11D | 2R | 13/56 | 32D | 19R | 51/180 | 64/236 | 27.1 |
| HI | 21 | 7D | 0R | 7/25 | 11D | 3R | 14/51 | 21/76 | 27.6 |
| ID | 13 | 4D | 5R | 9/35 | 7D | 17R | 24/70 | 33/105 | 31.4 |
| IL | 6 | 13D | 4R | 17/59 | 33D | 12R | 45/118 | 62/177 | 35.0 |
| IN* | 36 | 2D | 6R | 8/50 | 11D | 11R | 22/100 | 30/150 | 20.0 |
| IA* | 28 | 5D | 1R | 6/50 | 19D | 9R | 28/100 | 34/150 | 22.7 |
| KS | 18 | 4D | 11R | 15/40 | 15D | 17R | 32/125 | 47/165 | 28.5 |
| KY | 42 | 2D | 2R | 4/38 | 9D | 10R | 19/100 | 23/138 | 16.7 |
| LA | 44 | 3D | 2R | 5/39 | 8D | 9R | 17/105 | 22/144 | 15.3 |
| ME | 7 | 6D | 4R | 10/35 | 35D | 17R | 1Ind | 53/151 | 63/186 | 33.9 |
| MD | 10 | 9D | 2R | 11/47 | 38D | 11R | 49/141 | 60/188 | 31.9 |
| MA | 24 | 12D | 0R | 12/40 | 30D | 8R | 1Ind | 39/160 | 51/200 | 25.5 |
| MI* | 26 | 1D | 3R | 4/38 | 17D | 16R | 33/110 | 37/148 | 25.0 |
| MN | 9 | 9D | 7R | 16/67 | 28D | 21R | 49/134 | 65/201 | 32.3 |
| MS | 46 | 4D | 5R | 9/52 | 10D | 7R | 17/122 | 26/174 | 14.9 |
| MO | 31 | 5D | 2R | 7/34 | 17D | 20R | 37/163 | 44/197 | 22.3 |
| MT | 17 | 12D | 2R | 14/50 | 21D | 8R | 29/100 | 43/150 | 28.7 |
| NE | 23 | 0D | 0R | 13Ind | 13/49 | 0D | 0R | - - unicameral - - | 13/49 | 26.5 |
| NV | 3 | 5D | 2R | 1Ind | 8/21 | 13D | 4R | 17/42 | 25/63 | 39.7 |
| NH | 16 | 4D | 3R | 7/24 | 80D | 39R | 119/400 | 126/424 | 29.7 |
| NJ | 12 | 8D | 4R | 12/40 | 18D | 7R | 25/80 | 37/120 | 30.8 |
| NM | 14 | 5D | 2R | 7/42 | 17D | 10R | 27/70 | 34/112 | 30.4 |
| NY | 20 | 7D | 7R | 14/63 | 42D | 3R | 45/150 | 59/213 | 27.7 |
| NC | 25 | 6D | 7R | 13/50 | 17D | 13R | 30/120 | 43/170 | 25.3 |
| ND | 41 | 3D | 6R | 9/47 | 7D | 10R | 17/94 | 26/141 | 18.4 |
| OH | 32 | 3D | 3R | 6/33 | 13D | 10R | 23/99 | 29/132 | 22.0 |
| OK* | 48 | 2D | 4R | 6/48 | 6D | 8R | 14/101 | 20/149 | 13.4 |
| OR | 8 | 6D | 2R | 8/30 | 19D | 3R | 22/60 | 30/90 | 33.3 |
| PA | 39 | 3D | 4R | 7/50 | 19D | 21R | 40/203 | 47/253 | 18.6 |
| RI | 11 | 11D | 1R | 12/38 | 21D | 2R | 23/75 | 35/113 | 31.0 |
| SC | 47 | 2D | 2R | 4/46 | 11D | 9R | 20/124 | 24/170 | 14.1 |
| SD* | 36 | 0D | 5R | 5/35 | 3D | 13R | 16/70 | 21/105 | 20.0 |
| TN | 43 | 2D | 3R | 5/33 | 7D | 9R | 16/99 | 21/132 | 15.9 |
| TX | 34 | 2D | 6R | 8/31 | 21D | 8R | 29/150 | 37/181 | 20.4 |
| UT | 35 | 3D | 3R | 6/29 | 9D | 6R | 15/75 | 21/104 | 20.2 |
| VT* | 1 | 9D | 2R | 11/30 | 40D | 13R | 8Ind | 61/150 | 72/180 | 40.0 |
| VA | 38 | 7D | 3R | 10/40 | 13D | 4R | 17/100 | 27/140 | 19.3 |
| WA | 4 | 10D | 9R | 19/49 | 25D | 11R | 36/98 | 55/147 | 37.4 |
| WV | 48 | 0D | 3R | 3/34 | 2D | 13R | 15/100 | 18/134 | 13.4 |
| WI* | 28 | 6D | 2R | 8/33 | 13D | 9R | 22/99 | 30/132 | 22.7 |
| WY | 50 | 1D | 2R | 3/30 | 3D | 4R | 7/60 | 10/90 | 11.1 |
| Totals | 257D | 176R | 15Ind | 448/1,972 | 865D | 529R | 11Ind | 1,405/5,411 | 1,853/7,383 | 25.1 |
* States share the same rank if their proportions of women legislators are exactly equal or round off to be equal.