This report provides a portrait of women in the United States and highlights comparisons with men at the national level. It is part of the Census 2000 Special Reports series that presents several demographic, social, and economic characteristics collected from Census 2000. The data contained in this report are based on the samples of households who responded to the 1970, 1980, and 1990 censuses and Census 2000. The following findings from the Census 2000 are included in this report: (1) The majority (51 percent) of the total population was female; (2) The sex composition varied by race; (3) The distribution of people by age differed by sex; (4) the marital status of women reflected the current trend toward remaining single; (5) The proportions married of women and men decreased between 1990 and 2000; (6) More older women then men lived alone; (7) Married-couple families constituted over half of all households; (8) the educational attainment of women continued to rise and the college education gap with men narrowed; (9) Participation rates in the labor force varied by age for women and men; (10) In 2000, nearly half of the employed civilian labor force was women; (11) Median earnings of women and men varied by race and Hispanic origin; (12) Families maintained by a woman with no husband present had lower incomes; and (13) Women 18 and older were more likely than their male counterparts to live in poverty. The data for 2000 contained in this report are based on the sample of households that responded to the Census 2000 long form. Nationally, approximately 1 out of every 6 housing units was included in this sample.