Women’s History Month: US Census Facts

This is Women’s History Month—a time to recognize the often overlooked vision, courage, and accomplishments of the nation’s women. One example is Clara Barton, who ministered to wounded soldiers in the Civil War and went on to found the American Red Cross. Another is actress Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian immigrant who became a pioneer in technology leading to today’s cell phones.
 

The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. The first Women’s Day Celebration in the United States was also in New York City in 1909, but congress did not establish National Women’s History Week until 1981, to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation.
 

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we reflect upon the advances women have made, including increased earnings, educational attainment, and job opportunities.
 

The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the United States Census Bureau’s surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places, and economy. Every year, the Census Bureau contacts over 3.5 million households across the country to participate in the American Community Survey, the premier source for population and housing information.

 

Did You Know?
 

As of July 1, 2022, the number of females in the United States was 168 million. There were about 165 million males in the United States as of the same date.
 

There were about 1.9 million more females age 85 and older (4.2 million) than males (2.3 million) in the United States as of July 1, 2022.
 

In recent years, women have excelled in educational attainment. In 2022, 36.8 percent of women age 25 and older had earned bachelor’s degrees or higher compared to 34.5 percent of men.

In 2022, 80.3 million females age 16 and older participated in the civilian labor force. This comprises 58.6 percent of females age 16 and older.

Median earnings of full-time, year-round female workers over age 16 were 82.2 percent of men’s median earnings in 2022.

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