She is known for her interpretation of New Orleans culture in literature. There was a revival of interest in Chopin in the late 20th century because her interest in the freedom of women heralded later feminist literary themes.

Her first novel, At Fault (1890), was undistinguished, but she was later lauded for her finely composed short stories, of which she wrote more than 100. Two of these stories, “Désirée’s Baby” and “Madame Celestin’s Divorce,” continue to be widely anthologized. Kate Chopin is an example of a revisionist myth-maker because she amends myths more realistically about marriage and the female sexuality of her time.

She is best known today for her 1899 novel The Awakening. Within a decade of her death, Chopin was widely known as one of the leading writers of her time. In 1915, Fred Lewis Pattee wrote, "some of [Chopin's] work is equal to the best that has been produced in France or even in America. [She displayed] what may be described as a native aptitude for narration amounting almost to genius." In 1990 Chopin was honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.