Top Spots for Female Athletes: Discover the Leading States and Provinces

Female athletes are proving their strength time and time again, breaking barriers and shining with their incredible talent. With a record 46.7 million people tuning in to watch women’s sports on TV last year, it’s clear the public is cheering them on. From Caitlin Clark to Simone Biles, there's no shortage of female sports stars lighting up the sporting space.

We wanted to join in the celebration of women in sports by finding out which states, provinces, and territories produce the most female athletes in some of the most popular sports: figure skating, gymnastics, tennis (WTA), WNBA, and soccer.

Here’s our key findings:

• California has produced the #1 most female athletes, at 684
• Los Angeles is the reigning city for producing the most female athletes, at 353
• Ontario is the #1 province/territory who has produced the most female athletes, at 243
• Toronto takes the top spot as the city who has produced the most female athletes, at 108

The Birthplace of Champions: The US State Producing the Most Female Athletes

Focusing on the five most-watched women's sports, California stands out as the birthplace of the most female athletes overall, with an impressive total of 684.

California leads in producing tennis (WTA) players, with 492 athletes hailing from the state. Among them is the legendary Venus Williams, considered one of the greatest of all time (GOAT). Venus boasts an astonishing 7 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, 49 WTA singles titles, and 22 WTA doubles titles.

In addition to tennis, California is home to the most female athletes in other top sports: 76 WNBA players, 57 women’s soccer players, 46 figure skaters, and 13 gymnasts.

Renowned athletes such as Lisa Leslie (basketball), Billie Jean King (tennis), and Megan Rapinoe (soccer) are all proud Californians, contributing to the state's dominant status in producing female sports stars.

Florida follows closely, ranking second with 165 female athletes calling it their birthplace. With 125 female tennis players from the Sunshine State, it’s no wonder Florida ranks so high. Among these stars is Chris Evert, who made history as the first player (male or female) to win 1,000 singles matches. Evert also racked up 18 major championships and holds the record for winning at least one major singles title for 13 consecutive years. How’s that for female power? Plus, there's the sensational Coco Gauff, a 7-time WTA singles winner proudly waving the Florida flag.

In third place, we have New York, which has produced 132 female athletes across the five highlighted sports. New York shines bright on the ice rink, as they boast the second highest number of female figure skaters (23). This includes Olympic medalist, two-time U.S. champion, and World titlist Debi Thomas. The Empire State also claims 52 female tennis players, among them the legendary International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Jennifer Capriati.

In fourth place we have The Lone Star state, producing 120 female athletes. Texas excels in WNBA players (57) and tennis stars (33). Home to the Dallas Wings, Texas has produced basketball legends like Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time WNBA All-Star. Texas also boasts tennis superstar Zina Garrison, the first African American woman to reach a Grand Slam Final, who racked up 14 career singles titles and 20 career doubles titles. Yeehaw, Texas knows how to produce some superstar athletes.

Leading Ladies: Discovering the Top US City for Female Athletes

So, let's dive into which cities are the real MVPs when it comes to producing female athletes across the US.

Los Angeles steals the spotlight as the top birthplace for female athletes in the US, with a whopping 353 born and bred there. Tennis takes the lead with 330 players, including legendary names like Alana Smith and Mimi Arnold.

In second place, the Big Apple, New York City, proudly claims 51 female athletes across the five sports mentioned. Among them are 32 tennis players, including stars like Gabriella Price, Paula Badosa, Wendy Fix, and Eleanor Goss.

And in third place, we have Houston, with an impressive 39 female athletes to its name. This city boasts 20 WNBA players, 14 tennis pros, 3 figure skaters, and 1 each in women’s soccer and gymnastics. It's home to champions like Sydney Colson, who led her team to victory in the 2023 and 2022 WNBA Championships, as well as clinching the Commissioner’s Cup in 2022.

Queens of the North: Revealing Canada's Leading Province/Territory for Female Athletes

Starting with Ontario, which takes the crown as the female athlete capital of Canada, with an impressive 243. Ontario leads the pack in female soccer players, with 105 kicking off their careers here. It's also the home turf for 58 tennis stars. Plus, it proudly boasts Olympic gold medalist Kadeisha Buchanan, born in Toronto and renowned as one of the world's top defenders.

Claiming the silver medal is Quebec (94), thanks to its impressive roster of female soccer players (33) and tennis stars (29). The province proudly showcases athletes like Gabrielle Carle, Olympic gold medalist for soccer. As well as tennis stars Eugenie Bouchard, the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam final in singles, and Bianca Fernandez, who achieved a career-high singles ranking by the WTA.

Securing the bronze medal is British Columbia (66), which boasts the second-highest number of women’s soccer players (38) in Canada. This province proudly claims soccer legend Christine Sinclair, coined as the most successful player to ever grace Canada's soccer scene and a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.

Taking the fourth spot is Alberta (28), who’ve nurtured talent like WNBA standouts Ruth Hamblin and Adut Bulgak. Alberta's sports scene is also dominated by 11 soccer players, 8 figure skaters, 4 tennis aces and 3 gymnasts.

The Female Athlete Capital: Discovering Canada's Top City for Women in Sports

Leading the pack is Toronto, crowned the ultimate birthplace for female sports stars with an impressive count of 108. Toronto has contributed 48 female tennis players to their title tally, alongside 19 women’s soccer players and 24 figure skaters.

Next up is Montreal, a city that boasts 58 talented female athletes. The spotlight shines brightly on their 22 tennis players and 18 women’s soccer players. Among these stars is Nirra Fields, a standout player in both the FIBA World Championship and the Olympic Games.

Claiming the bronze medal is Vancouver (39), renowned for producing 19 women’s soccer players and 9 figure skaters. Among its shining stars is Carole Jane Pachl, a silver medalist and three-time Canadian national champion in figure skating, who proudly calls Vancouver her birthplace.

Summary

It's undeniable that the US and Canada are breeding grounds for some of the most renowned female stars. As audiences increasingly tune in to watch and champion female athletes, it's time we shine the spotlight on these exceptional women. After all, who runs the world? Girls!

Methodology:

We scraped over 2,000 female athletes Wikepedia.org profiles across the 5 most watched sports in US and Canada: Tennis, WNBA, Women's Soccer, Figure Skating and Gymnastics.

Data was gathered on each athlete’s exact birthplace and compiled into a dataset to form a ranking system. We were then able to order the birthplaces to understand which states, province and territories, and cities produced the most famous female stars over the years.

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