APSA currently contains more than 50 organized sections, allowing members who hold common interests to organize meetings, coordinate communications, and create avenues for engaging in research and scholarship. Since 2018, APSA has collected data on organized section membership, including membership totals and demographic characteristics for each section. Below are highlighted the demographic characteristics of APSA organized section membership as of February 2025. This information and more can also be found on APSA’s Organized Sections Dashboard (located under Resources -> Data on the Profession -> Dashboards on apsanet.org). For any questions, please contact us at surveys@apsanet.org.
Figure 1. Comparing Organized Sections to Overall APSA Membership: Gender and Underrepresented Minority (URM) Status*
Gender and URM percentages of total organized sections membership (outer) and overall APSA membership (inner).
Figure 2. Total Organized Section Membership and Percentage of URM Members, 2018-2025
*Underrepresented Minority (URM) Is defined as a racial/ethnic group that is neither Non-Hispanic White or Euro-American nor East Asian or Asian American.
All demographic information is self-reported in APSA’s membership database. Members who chose not to disclose their information are not included in percentage calculations.
Figure 3. Gender and URM Percentages of the Organized Sections with the Most Women and Men
