Unmarried Women: Growing in Numbers and the Power to Decide 2016 Elections
There are more than 58 million single women eligible to vote this November. For the first time ever, there are more single women than married women eligible to vote, and their numbers continue to grow nationally and in key states. And as the new poll of nine battleground states conducted for Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund shows, single women could determine the outcome of the presidential election and U.S. Senate races down-ballot.
Chart: Rising American Electorate vs. Non-RAE Percent Change
This chart showing the growth of the Rising American Electorate – unmarried women, people of color, and Millennials – in key states between 2010 and 2016 demonstrates quite clearly how broadly and quickly the face of America is changing.
All information was provided by Lake Research Partners.
2016 Primary Spotlight: New Hampshire
On February 9, New Hampshire voters will begin to winnow the field of presidential contenders. The New Hampshire primary is the first in the series of nationwide party primary elections (Iowa uses a caucus rather than a primary) and since 1952 it has been a major testing ground for candidates for both the Republican and Democratic nominations. Even though only a few delegates will be chosen in the New Hampshire primary, the massive media coverage it receives can make, break, or revive candidacies. One of the unique characteristics of the Granite State primary is that 60 percent of the voters who turn out in the two primaries have met at least one candidate.
Demographically, New Hampshire is very different than the rest of the nation. Its population is 1.5 percent African-American; the country is 13.2 percent African-American. People in New Hampshire are more educated and more likely to be homeowners than are residents of other states.
According to the most recent census data:
- Women make up more than half of the state’s population.
- 46.3% of New Hampshire’s women are unmarried.
- Unmarried women make up 23.6% of the eligible voters in New Hampshire.
- 61% of unmarried women are registered to vote.
A detailed demographic analysis done for the Voter Participation Center shows that unmarried women have a large and vital economic stake in the outcome of the presidential election:
- Unmarried women have the highest unemployment rate in the state – 6.5%.
- They earn substantially less than married women. Unmarried women in New Hampshire earn close to 62% (61.8%) of what a man earns; married women earn close to 90% (89.8%).
- Unmarried women are more than 7 times as likely to live in poverty (14.4 %) than married women (1.7%).
- About seven in ten of all minimum wage or below-minimum wage workers in New Hampshire are women.
Next up: South Carolina
New Data for the New Year
Here’s an updated look at the median earnings, health insurance coverage and poverty rates for unmarried women in 16 states. These profiles provide detailed demographic and economic portraits of the growing number of increasingly politically-powerful single women.
California Colorado Florida Illinois |
Iowa Kentucky Missouri Nevada |
New Hampshire New York North Carolina Ohio |
Pennsylvania Texas Virginia Wisconsin |
Unmarried Women: The Key to Unlocking the New American Electorate
An astonishing number of single women aren’t yet registered to vote. If we help even a small percentage more of unmarried women register and vote, we’d likely see different results up and down the ballot in key 2016 states.
(Click on a state name in the table to view our demographic profile of unmarried women for that state.)
State | Unmarried Women | % of Vote-Eligible Population | Registered to Vote | Not Registered to Vote |
Colorado | 830,224 | 22% | 546,725 (66%) | 283,499 (34%) |
Florida | 3,637,949 | 26% | 2,184,986 (60%) | 1,452,963 (40%) |
Iowa | 524,096 | 23% | 325,929 (62%) | 198,167 (38%) |
Missouri | 1,010,097 | 23% | 665,390 (66%) | 344,707 (34%) |
Nevada | 482,278 | 26% | 266,875 (55%) | 215,404 (45%) |
New Hampshire | 239,332 | 24% | 146,705 (61%) | 92,627 (39%) |
North Carolina | 1,803,826 | 26% | 1,147,794 (64%) | 656,032 (36%) |
Ohio | 2,171,933 | 26% | 1,341,439 (62%) | 830,495 (38%) |
Pennsylvania | 2,296,628 | 24% | 1,404,064 (61%) | 892,563 (39%) |
Virginia | 1,399,995 | 24% | 831,891 (59%) | 568,104 (41%) |
Wisconsin | 1,007,304 | 24% | 637,094 (63%) | 370,210 (37%) |
Data Source: Current Population Survey: Voting and Registration Supplement, 2014. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Statistical Profile of Unmarried Women: New Hampshire
Our research team has compiled available data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other sources to put together this statistical profile of the demographic and economic circumstances facing unmarried women in the state of New Hampshire.
Report updated August 2016