Of the 15,000 global portfolio managers tracked by Citywire, just 1,512 (10%) - are women. In this ranking, Citywire focused on the top 20 female portfolio managers in the United States, looking at those women who have delivered the highest levels of return relative to the risks they have exposed investors to over the past 3 years. Not only that, but they all boast returns that place them in the top 25% of the peer group for their particular investment discipline.

This list of top-rated female portfolio managers in the United States brings together a diverse group of investment strategies run in locations throughout the country (and a couple outside of it) and available to U.S. investors. The keen-eyed among you will spot the fact that 2 of the women aren't actually based in the United States, with Nicole Kornitzer working in Paris on Buffalo Funds international equity portfolio and Hermes Fund Managers' Elena Tedesco running her emerging market fund out of London. However, as both run money for U.S. investors and are on funds that are accessible here in the United States, they are included on the list.

Despite the imbalance in the number of women portfolio managers, we've unearthed no statistical differences in women's ability to make good or bad decisions with your money. Women exhibit the same ability to outperform their chosen market as men, which is the raison d'être of anyone who manages money for a living. Proportionally, women also manage just as much money as their male counterparts.

We've started the list:

1. Cynthia Clemson  - Eaton Vance Management, Boston
2. Natalie Trevithick - Payden & Rygel, Los Angeles
3. Nancy Angell - AMG Funds, Boston
4. Catherine Stienstra - Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Minneapolis
5. Jean Hynes - Wellington Management, Boston

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