The Best and Worst American States for Women

There’s no doubt that women have come a long way since the first women’s rights movement. They’ve changed the world in numerous ways, from Marie Curie’s groundbreaking discoveries of radium and polonium to Eugenie Clark's research on sharks around the world. That said, there is still a lot of progress to be made when it comes to women’s rights and safety.

Women in certain American states are doing better than those in others. Analysts at the personal finance website WalletHub have compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to see which ones are generally better suited for women. 

In their study, WalletHub used two primary dimensions (Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being and Women’s Health Care & Safety). More specifically, data analysts used a 100-point grading system for 25 weighted metrics—such as the median earnings for female workers, abortion policies and access, and female homicide rates—to measure the dimensions. A score of 100 indicates the most ideal environment for women, and the weighted average was used to calculate each state’s overall score across all metrics.

According to WalletHub’s findings, states in the Northeast largely make up the best states for women. Massachusetts takes the lead with a score of 77.22. Its ranking in women’s health care and safety is the best in the U.S. In fact, Massachusetts has the lowest percentage of women without healthcare (2.1).

Minnesota trails closely behind, scoring 77.15. The state ranks first in the women’s economic and social well-being category. It specifically boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates for women. Washington, D.C. (76.82) rounds out the top three; it has the highest median earnings for female workers in the U.S.

You can find the top 10 best states or districts for women below:

1. Massachusetts
2. Minnesota
3. District of Columbia
4. New York
5. Maryland
6. Maine
7. Vermont
8. New Jersey
9. Washington
10. Hawaii

On the opposite end, WalletHub found that Mississippi is the worst state for women, scoring 35.73. Some contributions to Mississippi’s ranking are the state’s high rate of women in poverty and its low percentage of women-owned businesses. Oklahoma is the second worst (35.96), partially because of the state’s number of uninsured women and high homicide rates. The third-worst state for women is Arkansas—like Oklahoma, its female homicide rate is high.

These are the top 10 worst states for women:

1. Mississippi
2. Oklahoma
3. Arkansas
4. Lousiana
5. Texas
6. Alabama
7. Wyoming
8. West Virginia
9. Georgia
10. Missouri

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