Women in State Legislatures 2017

In 2017, 1,830, or 24.8% of the 7,383 state legislators in the United States are women. Women currently hold 441, or 22.4%, of the 1,972 state senate seats and 1,389, or 25.7%, of the 5,411 state house or assembly seats. Since 1971, the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled.

The party breakdown for women serving in state legislatures in 2017 is:

  Total Legislators State Senators State Reps.
Democrats 1,104 60.3% 252 57.1% 852 61.3%
Republicans 704 38.5% 175 39.7% 529 38.1%
Nonpartisans* 13 0.7% 13 3.0% - -
Working Families Party 1 0.1% - - 1 0.1%
Independents 4 0.2% 1 0.2% 3 0.2%
Progressives 4 0.2% - - 4 0.3%
TOTAL 1,830 100.0% 441 100.0% 1,389 100.0%

* In Nebraska, where the legislature is unicameral, legislators are elected on a nonpartisan basis.

Top 10 States
Vermont (40.0%) 
Nevada (39.7%) 
Colorado (39.0%)
Arizona (38.9%)
Illinois (36.2%)
Washington (36.1%)
Maine (34.4%)
Oregon (33.3%)
Minnesota (31.8%)
Rhode Island (31.0%)
Bottom 10 States
Wyoming (11.1%)
Oklahoma (12.8%)
West Virginia (13.4%)
South Carolina (13.5)
Mississippi (13.8%)
Alabama (14.3%)
Louisiana (15.3%)
Kentucky (16.7%)
Tennessee (16.7%)
Pennsylvania (18.2%)

State Legislative Leadership

  (as of 12/31/16; 2017 numbers will be posted when available.)
17 women serve as presidents of senates or presidents pro tempore:

Sylvia Allen (R-AZ)
Ellen S. Roberts (R-CO)
Patricia Blevins (D-DE)
Pam Jochum (D-IA)
Susan Wagle (R-KS)
Tonya Schuitmaker (R-MI)
Sandra Pappas (DFL-MN)
Ann H. Rest (DFL-MN)
Debby Barrett (R-MT)

 Sharon Carson (R-NH)
Nia Gill (D-NJ)
Mary Kay Papen (D-NM)
Dianne M. Rosenbaum (D-OR)
M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D-RI)
Pam Roach (R-WA)
Mary Lazich (R-WI)
Donna J. Boley (R-WV)
 
4 women serve as speakers of state houses:

Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (D-CO)
Linda L. Upmeyer (R-IA)
Tina Kotek (D-OR)
Beth Harwell (R-TN)

  

Women of Color

  (as of 12/31/16; 2017 numbers will be posted when available.)
  • 397 (20.0%) of the 1,806 women state legislators serving nationwide are women of color (103 senators, 294 representatives; 364D, 30R, 1NP, 1Prg., 1WFP).
  • Women of color constitute 5.4% of the total 7,383 state legislators. 

More information on women of color in elective office available here. 

 
 

State Legislative Firsts

1894: First 3 women state legislators elected to the Colorado State House of Representatives (Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly, and Frances Klock).

1896: First woman state senator elected in Utah (Martha Hughes Cannon).

For other important state legislative firsts, visit the Milestones for Women in American Politics page. 

Women in State Legislatures 2017 - State by State List

  State Senate Total Women/ House Total Women/ Total Women/ %Women
State Rank D R I** Total Senate D R I** Total House Total Legis. Overall
AL 45 3 0 1 4/ 35 11 5   16/ 105 20/ 140 14.3
AK* 14 1 5   6/ 20 3 9   12/ 40 18/ 60 30.0
AZ 4 6 8   14/ 30 12 9   21/ 60 35/ 90 38.9
AR 39 3 4   7/ 35 3 15   18/ 100 25/ 135 18.5
CA 32 6 3   9/ 40 14 3   17/ 80 26/ 120 21.7
CO 3 9 2   11/ 35 19 9   28/ 65 39/ 100 39.0
CT 20 7 2   9/ 36 20 22   42/ 151 51/ 187 27.3
DE 34 2 1   3/ 21 7 2   9/ 41 12/ 62 19.4
FL 25 4 8   12/ 40 15 14   29/ 120 41/ 160 25.6
GA 24 9 1   10/ 56 31 20   51/ 180 61/ 236 25.8
HI 19 7 0   7/ 25 10 4   14/ 51 21/ 76 27.6
ID 11 4 5   9/ 35 7 16   23/ 70 32/ 105 30.5
IL 5 13 5   18/ 59 34 12   46/ 118 64/ 177 36.2
IN* 35 2 5   7/ 50 11 11   22/ 100 29/ 150 19.3
IA 31 5 1   6/ 50 18 9   27/ 100 33/ 150 22.0
KS 18 4 11   15/ 40 15 17   32/ 125 47/ 165 28.5
KY* 42 2 2   4/ 38 9 10   19/ 100 23/ 138 16.7
LA 44 3 2   5/ 39 8 9   17/ 105 22/ 144 15.3
ME 7 6 4   10/ 35 36 18   54/ 151 64/ 186 34.4
MD 13 9 2   11/ 47 35 11   46/ 141 57/ 188 30.3
MA 23 12 0   12/ 40 31 9   40/ 160 52/ 200 26.0
MI 29 1 3   4/ 38 15 15   30/ 110 34/ 148 23.0
MN 9 9 7   16/ 67 28 20   48/ 134 64/ 201 31.8
MS 46 4 5   9/ 52 10 5   15/ 122 24/ 174 13.8
MO 30 5 1   6/ 34 17 21   38/ 163 44/ 197 22.3
MT 17 12 2   14/ 50 21 8   29/ 100 43/ 150 28.7
NE 22 - - 13 13/ 49 - -   - - unicameral - - 49 26.5
NV 2 5 3   8/ 21 13 4   17/ 42 25/ 63 39.7
NH 16 4 3   7/ 24 77 38   115/ 400 122/ 424 28.8
NJ* 14 8 3   11/ 40 18 7   25/ 80 36/ 120 30.0
NM 12 5 2   7/ 42 17 10   27/ 70 34/ 112 30.4
NY 21 7 7   14/ 63 40 3 1 44/ 150 58/ 213 27.2
NC* 26 6 7   13/ 50 15 13   28/ 120 41/ 170 24.1
ND 40 3 6   9/ 47 7 10   17/ 94 26/ 141 18.4
OH* 27 3 3   6/ 33 14 11   25/ 99 31/ 132 23.5
OK 49 2 4   6/ 48 5 8   13/ 101 19/ 149 12.8
OR 8 6 2   8/ 30 19 3   22/ 60 30/ 90 33.3
PA 41 3 4   79/ 50 18 21   39/ 203 46/ 253 18.2
RI 10 11 1   12/ 38 21 2   23/ 75 35/ 113 31.0
SC 47 2 2   4/ 46 10 9   19/ 124 23/ 170 13.5
SD 38 0 5   5/ 35 3 12   15/ 70 20/ 105 19.0
TN* 42 2 4   6/ 33 7 9   16/ 99 22/ 132 16.7
TX 33 2 6   8/ 31 21 8   29/ 150 37/ 181 20.4
UT 37 3 3   6/ 29 9 5   14/ 75 20/ 104 19.2
VT 1 9 2   11/ 30 41 13 7 61/ 150 72/ 180 40.0
VA* 35 7 3   10/ 40 13 4   17/ 100 27/ 140 19.3
WA 6 9 8   17/ 49 26 10   36/ 98 53/ 147 36.1
WV 48 0 3   3/ 34 2 13   15/ 100 18/ 134 13.4
WI 27 6 3   9/ 33 13 9   22/ 99 31/ 132 23.5
WY 50 1 2   3/ 30   3 4   7/ 60    10/ 90     11.1
    252 175 14 441/ 1,972 852 529 8 1,389/ 5,411 1,830/ 7,383

24.8

  * States share the same rank if their proportions of women legislators are exactly equal or round off to be equal (AK, NJ; IN, VA; KY, TN; NC, OH).
**  I = other parties; in the Senate, 1 Independent, 13 non-partisans; in the House, 1 Working Families Party, 4 Progressives, 3 Independents.

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