List of 20th-century American women composers

This is a list of 20th-century American women composers ordered alphabetically by surname.

A

 * Esther Allan (1914–1985)
 * Beth Anderson (born 1950)
 * Elinor Armer (born 1939)
 * Clarice Assad (born 1978)
 * Lera Auerbach (born 1973)
 * May Aufderheide (1888–1972)

B

 * Elaine Barkin (born 1932)
 * Floy Little Bartlett (1883–1955)
 * Amy Beach (1867–1944)
 * Eve Beglarian (born 1958)
 * Carla Bley (born 1938)
 * Margaret Bonds (1913–1972)
 * Radie Britain (1899–1994)
 * Rosemary Brown (1916–2001)
 * Canary Lee Burton (born 1942)

C

 * Wendy Carlos (born 1939)
 * Gloria Coates (1938–2023)
 * Nellie Weldon Cocroft (1885–1986)
 * Valerie Coleman
 * Sylvia Constantinidis (born 1962)

D

 * Katherine Kennicott Davis (1892–1980)
 * Emma Lou Diemer (1927–2024)

E

 * Marti Epstein (born 1959)
 * Reena Esmail (born 1983)

F

 * Sylvia Fine (1913–1991)
 * Vivian Fine (1913–2000) 

G

 * Miriam Gideon (1906–1996)
 * Annie Gosfield (born 1960)

H

 * Juliana Hall (born 1958)
 * Barbara Harbach (born 1946)
 * Melissa Hui (born 1966)
 * Jennifer Higdon (born 1962)

K

 * Laura Karpman (born 1959)
 * Barbara Kolb (born 1939)

L

 * Joan La Barbara (born 1947)
 * Anne La Berge (born 1955)
 * Vanessa Lann (born 1968)
 * Libby Larsen (born 1950)
 * Tania León (born 1943)

M

 * Linda Martinez (1975–2005)
 * Josephine McGill (1877–1919)
 * Cindy McTee (born 1953)
 * Missy Mazzoli (born 1980)
 * Meredith Monk (born 1942)

O

 * Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016)

P

 * Judith Palmer
 * Florence Price (1887–1953)

R

 * Nancy Raabe (born 1954)
 * Shulamit Ran (born 1947)

S

 * Laura Schwendinger (born 1962)
 * Amy Scurria (born 1973)
 * Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901–1953)
 * Alex Shapiro (born 1962)
 * Judith Shatin (born 1949)
 * Faye-Ellen Silverman (born 1947)
 * Netty Simons (1913–1994)
 * Linda Catlin Smith (born 1957)
 * Cristina Spinei (born 1984)
 * Pauline Anna Strom (1946–2020)

T

 * Augusta Read Thomas (born 1964)
 * Karen P. Thomas (born 1957)
 * Joan Tower (born 1938)

V

 * Lois V. Vierk (born 1951)

W

 * Melinda Wagner (born 1957)
 * Shirley Walker (1945-2006)
 * Gwyneth Van Anden Walker (born 1947)
 * Wang Jie (born 1980)
 * Edwina Florence Wills (1915–2002)
 * Diane Wittry
 * Julia Wolfe (born 1958)

Z

 * Pamela Z (born 1956)
 * Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (born 1939)