How many women are on death row in the United States?

As of mid-2026, there are 45 women awaiting execution across the United States out of a total of 1,977 death row inmates. The exact number of women on death row fluctuates daily due to new convictions, appellate decisions, commutations, and deaths. Additionally, demographics for extreme sentences like life without parole and the death penalty show significant racial disparities, heavily impacting women of color.

What we know

• As of 2026, there are 45 women awaiting execution in the United States. [2, 3]
• The total number of death row inmates in the United States as of July 1, 2026, was 1,977. [3]
• The number of death row inmates frequently changes due to new convictions, appellate decisions overturning sentences or convictions, commutations, and deaths. [2, 3]
• Demographics of women serving extreme sentences like life without parole are heavily skewed toward women of color, such as Black and Latina women. [2]

Still open

• Information regarding the exact list of women on death row can sometimes be out of date due to reporting lag and inconsistencies across various state and federal jurisdictions.

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is life without parole like for women in prison?
• compared withHow do capital punishment laws vary across U.S. states?
• how it workedWhat happens to inmates during the appeals process on death row?
• whenHow did the federal government resume executions under recent administrations?
• what followedWhat psychological effects does the death row phenomenon cause?
• an unexpected connectionHow does presidential clemency affect federal death row numbers?Presidential commutations can drastically alter federal death row populations overnight, as seen when dozens of sentences were reduced to life imprisonment.

Sources

• [1]list of women on death row in the United States (Wikidata Q18206902) · CC0 1.0
• [2]List of women on death row in the United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of death row inmates in the United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Death row · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Capital punishment in the United States · CC BY-SA 4.0