8 States With More Women Than Men in the U.S., According to Census Bureau
America may appear almost evenly divided between women and men, but the national average hides several striking state differences. In some parts of the country, women hold a clear numerical advantage that stretches across cities, suburbs, retirement communities, and rural counties.
According to KFF’s analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey, women represented 50.8 percent of the nation’s civilian noninstitutionalized population. Men accounted for 49.2 percent. The difference becomes considerably larger in the states at the top of this list.
Mississippi leads all 50 states, while seven other states report female population shares of at least 51.7 percent. That may sound like a narrow margin, but even a difference of two or three percentage points can translate into tens or hundreds of thousands more women.
Age remains one of the strongest forces behind the national divide. American women had a life expectancy of 81.4 years in 2024, compared with 76.5 years for men. That 4.9-year gap helps explain why women become increasingly dominant in older age groups.
The Census Bureau reported that there were only 81.6 men for every 100 women aged 65 and older in 2025. Among Americans aged 80 and above, the ratio fell to 68.3 men for every 100 women.
Here are the eight states where women hold the largest share of the population.
Mississippi
Mississippi has the highest proportion of women among the 50 states. Women represented approximately 52.2 percent of the state’s civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2024, while men accounted for 47.8 percent. That equals roughly 109 women for every 100 men.
The difference becomes especially significant because Mississippi has nearly three million residents. A gap of more than four percentage points can therefore represent a substantial number of people, not merely a statistical curiosity.
Mississippi’s overall population has remained relatively flat in recent years. Census estimates place its 2025 population slightly below its 2020 level, even after a modest increase between 2024 and 2025.
That slower growth matters because migration can quickly alter the gender balance in faster-growing states. In Mississippi, established patterns involving age, mortality, family structure, and movement to other states may remain more visible.
The imbalance does not mean every Mississippi community contains more women than men. College towns, military communities, prisons, and areas built around male-dominated industries may produce very different local ratios. Still, Mississippi’s statewide position remains unmistakable.
Alabama
Women represented approximately 51.9 percent of Alabama’s population in the KFF analysis. Men made up about 48.1 percent, leaving Alabama with close to 108 women for every 100 men.
Alabama’s position reflects more than one demographic force. The state includes growing metropolitan areas, smaller industrial cities, college communities, military centers, Black Belt counties, and rural areas with aging populations.
Nearly one in five Alabama residents was aged 65 or older in the latest Census QuickFacts profile. The state’s population also grew by about 3.3 percent between April 2020 and July 2025. Population growth can bring younger workers and families into a state, which may narrow an existing gender gap. Alabama’s female majority has remained noticeable despite that growth.
Longer female life expectancy likely plays a role, especially in counties with older populations. However, the statewide figure cannot identify one explanation for every community. Migration, health outcomes, employment opportunities, and household patterns all influence the final number.
Delaware
Delaware ties Alabama with women accounting for approximately 51.9 percent of the population. Men represented about 48.1 percent, producing nearly 108 women for every 100 men.
The result stands out because Delaware is the second smallest state by land area and one of the least populous. A relatively modest movement of retirees, workers, or families can affect its demographic percentages more quickly than it would in a state with tens of millions of residents.
Delaware has also grown rapidly. Census estimates show that its population increased by about 7.1 percent between April 2020 and July 2025.
That growth has not erased the state’s female majority. Delaware continues to attract people through its location between major East Coast metropolitan areas, its coastal communities, and its expanding residential developments.
The state also demonstrates why raw population totals do not tell the entire story. Georgia has millions more women than Delaware in absolute terms, but Delaware’s proportional gender difference remains slightly larger.
Georgia
Georgia is the first of two states where women represented approximately 51.8 percent of the population. Men accounted for 48.2 percent, creating a ratio of about 107 women for every 100 men.
Unlike Mississippi, Georgia has experienced strong population growth. Census estimates show that the state grew by about 5.5 percent between April 2020 and July 2025, reaching more than 11.3 million residents.
That makes Georgia’s position particularly notable. Fast growth often changes a state’s gender ratio because new residents arrive for different jobs, universities, family opportunities, and lifestyles.
Georgia combines the enormous Atlanta metropolitan region with military communities, university towns, agricultural areas, coastal counties, and retirement destinations. Each of these places can create a different balance between men and women.
Women nevertheless maintain a clear advantage when all those communities are combined. Georgia’s place on the list shows that female majorities are not limited to older or slow-growing states.
Maryland
Maryland matches Georgia with women making up approximately 51.8 percent of its population. Men represented around 48.2 percent, or roughly 107 men for every 100 women.
Maryland contains one of the most varied demographic landscapes on this list. The state stretches from Washington suburbs and Baltimore neighborhoods to military communities, college towns, Chesapeake Bay settlements, and rural counties.
Its population grew by about 1.4 percent between April 2020 and July 2025. Women also recorded a civilian labor force participation rate of 62.8 percent among residents aged 16 and older during the 2020 to 2024 period.
That labor force figure adds an important layer to the story. Maryland’s female majority does not exist only among retirees. Women form a major share of the state’s workforce, households, professional communities, and public institutions.
Maryland also represents the Mid-Atlantic region on a list otherwise dominated by Southern states. Its inclusion shows that the pattern extends beyond one cultural or economic area.
Louisiana
Women accounted for approximately 51.7 percent of Louisiana’s population, while men represented 48.3 percent. That works out to roughly 107 women for every 100 men. Louisiana’s demographic picture has faced pressure from population losses. Census estimates show the state’s population declined by about 0.9 percent between April 2020 and July 2025.
Migration does not necessarily affect women and men equally. Workers may leave for employment, housing, education, or family reasons, while other residents remain because of caregiving responsibilities, established households, or retirement.
The gender balance can also differ sharply within the state. Census QuickFacts estimates indicate that women make up an even larger share of the population in New Orleans than they do across Louisiana as a whole. Louisiana’s female majority therefore reflects a complex combination of aging, migration, mortality, and local population patterns. No single explanation captures the full picture.
North Carolina
North Carolina also recorded a female population share of approximately 51.7 percent. Men accounted for 48.3 percent, giving the state about 107 women for every 100 men. The state has added residents at a remarkable pace. Census estimates show North Carolina’s population grew by approximately 7.2 percent between April 2020 and July 2025.
New arrivals have been drawn to metropolitan areas such as Charlotte and Raleigh. Still, the state also includes military communities, mountain retirement destinations, coastal counties, university centers, and large rural regions. These different environments can produce sharply different local gender ratios.
North Carolina’s continued female majority suggests that rapid migration has not overwhelmed the wider demographic pattern. Women still outnumber men even as the state attracts workers, families, students, and retirees from across the country. The state offers one of the clearest examples of how growth and a female majority can coexist.
South Carolina
South Carolina completes the list with women representing approximately 51.7 percent of the population. Men accounted for around 48.3 percent, again producing about 107 women for every 100 men.
The state also recorded the fastest recent growth among the eight states listed here. Its population increased by about 8.8 percent between April 2020 and July 2025. Nearly 20 percent of South Carolina residents were aged 65 or older in the latest QuickFacts profile.
Those figures create a revealing combination. South Carolina attracts new residents while also maintaining a substantial older population, particularly in coastal and retirement-oriented communities.
Because women live longer on average, states with large retirement populations often develop stronger female majorities at older ages. South Carolina’s continued growth may reshape its overall ratio, but women currently remain clearly ahead.
Why Southern states dominate the list
Six of the eight states are located in the South. Delaware and Maryland are the only exceptions, although the Census Bureau officially places both in the South region as part of the South Atlantic division. The pattern does not point to a single Southern cause. It reflects overlapping differences in age, life expectancy, health outcomes, migration, military populations, employment, incarceration, and household structure.
The national age gap remains especially important. Even though men have gained ground among older Americans over the past 25 years, women still heavily outnumber them after age 65. Washington, D.C., would rank above every state with a female share of approximately 52.8 percent. It was not included because the District is not one of the 50 states.
The final rankings reveal two very different demographic Americas. States such as Mississippi and Louisiana have experienced little growth or population decline, while Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, and South Carolina have expanded rapidly. Yet women outnumber men in all of them. The reasons may differ from place to place, but the numerical advantage remains clear.
