Best & Worst States for Women (2024)

In 2023, women in some parts of America still get the short end of the stick — even as they outnumber men in most states. For instance, women represent more than two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers in the U.S. Their political representation also suffers, as women make up nearly 51% of the U.S. population but only 24% of the Senate and 28% of the House of Representatives.

In order to determine how women are faring and where they can find the best opportunities relative to where they live, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key indicators of living standards for women. Our data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to women’s preventive health care to the female homicide rate.

Table of Contents

Main FindingsBlue vs. Red StatesAsk the ExpertsMethodology

Main Findings

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Best States for Women

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being	Women’s Health Care & Safety
1	Vermont	75.68	2	3
2	New York	74.83	3	5
3	Massachusetts	74.26	5	1
4	Minnesota	73.39	1	13
5	Connecticut	72.24	6	6
6	District of Columbia	70.72	4	11
7	Washington	68.13	8	12
8	Rhode Island	68.00	9	10
9	Hawaii	67.21	20	4
10	New Jersey	66.90	22	2
11	Maryland	66.80	11	9
12	Maine	66.47	10	14
13	Iowa	65.82	7	20
14	New Hampshire	64.76	18	8
15	Delaware	64.29	13	17
16	California	64.22	23	7
17	Oregon	62.95	21	15
18	Illinois	62.69	19	16
19	Wisconsin	62.41	12	22
20	Virginia	62.13	16	19
21	North Dakota	59.45	15	26
22	Michigan	59.12	17	24
23	Pennsylvania	58.72	27	18
24	South Dakota	55.64	14	41
25	Montana	55.59	24	27
26	New Mexico	54.70	25	28
27	Colorado	54.68	32	21
28	North Carolina	53.12	31	31
29	Arizona	52.15	26	35
30	Indiana	51.73	28	34
31	Florida	51.42	33	30
32	Nebraska	50.91	35	23
33	Kentucky	50.75	29	39
34	Nevada	50.55	30	43
35	Ohio	50.50	34	29
36	Kansas	48.97	38	32
37	Utah	47.73	43	25
38	Alaska	46.04	39	42
39	Missouri	45.72	40	40
40	Tennessee	45.34	37	44
41	Wyoming	44.67	42	38
42	Idaho	44.51	45	33
43	West Virginia	44.05	36	48
44	Texas	43.84	41	45
45	South Carolina	40.35	48	36
46	Georgia	39.22	49	37
47	Alabama	38.89	46	46
48	Arkansas	38.20	44	51
49	Louisiana	37.72	47	47
50	Mississippi	35.96	50	49
51	Oklahoma	32.62	51	50

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Median Earnings for Female Workers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)

Highest

1. District of Columbia
2. Minnesota
3. Virginia
4. New York
5. Illinois

Lowest

47. Montana
48. Utah
49. California
50. Idaho
51. Hawaii

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

District of Columbia vs. Hawaii

Unemployment Rate for Women

Lowest

T-1. South Dakota
T-1. North Dakota
T-1. Vermont
T-1. Minnesota
T-1. Iowa

Highest

T-43. Illinois
T-43. Arizona
48. New York
49. Kentucky
50. District of Columbia
51. Nevada

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

South Dakota vs. Nevada

Blue vs. Red States

Ask the Experts

When choosing where to live, women are faced with many factors to consider. For additional insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

What factors, financial or otherwise, should women consider when choosing a state to live in?
What should a state level public policy agenda for women include?
Are states converging or diverging in issues of importance to women including equal pay, reproductive rights, etc.?
What strategies have proven effective in encouraging more women to run for elected office?
According to a recent study, working women in the workforce are experiencing worse effects when it comes to burnout and are leaving the workforce at a higher rate than men. What can companies do to decrease the high turnover rates among working women?

Ask the Experts

Stacey Jones
Associate Teaching Professor, Albers School of Business and Economics – Seattle University
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Joyce Jacobsen
Andrews Professor of Economics – Wesleyan University
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Susan R. Madsen
Karen Haight Huntsman Endowed Professor of Leadership in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business – Utah State University
Read More

Mounira Maya Charrad
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin and Non-resident Fellow, Baker Institute – Rice University
Read More

Angela J. Hattery
Professor, Women and Gender Studies, Co-Director, Center for the Study & Prevention of Gender-Based Violence – University of Delaware
Read More

Bettina Spencer
Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences – Saint Mary's College
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to identify the best and worst states for women, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions, “Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being” and “Women’s Health Care & Safety.”

We examined those dimensions using 25 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for women.

We then determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being – Total Points: 60

Median Earnings for Female Workers: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living.
Unemployment Rate for Women: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Job Security for Women: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: (Number of Female Employees in 2022 - Number of Female Employees in 2021) / Number of Female Employees in 2021.
Share of Women Living in Poverty: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Unaffordability of Doctor’s Visit: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
Note: This metric measures the percentage of women who could not afford to see a doctor in the past year due to costs.
Share of Women-Owned Businesses: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
“Economic Clout” of Women-Owned Firms Rank: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: Combined economic clout rank is an averaging of the individual rankings of the 1) number, 2) revenue and 3) employment growth of women-owned firms between 2007 and 2018.
High School Graduation Rate for Women: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Friendliness Toward Working Moms: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “” ranking.
Friendliness Toward Women’s Equality: Triple Weight (~12.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “” ranking.
Share of Women Who Voted in the 2020 Presidential Election: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Number of Women Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election / Total Female U.S. Citizen Population in State Aged 18 or Older.

Women’s Health Care & Safety – Total Points: 40

Abortion Policies & Access: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
Note: This binary metric is based on research conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and takes into account 20 types of abortion restrictions – including gestational age bans, waiting periods, insurance coverage bans and medication abortion restrictions – and approximately 10 protective policies – including state constitutional protections, abortion funding, insurance coverage for abortion, and protections for patients and clinic staff.
2 - Most or very protective: the state has most or all of the protective policies;
1.5 - Protective: the state has some protective policies;
1 - Some restrictions/protections: the state either has few restrictions or protections, or has a combination of restrictive and protective policies;
0.5 - Restrictive: the state has multiple restrictions and later gestational age ban;
0 - Most or very restrictive: the state either bans abortion completely or has multiple restrictions and early gestational age ban.
Quality of Women’s Hospitals: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric is based on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for Gynecology ranking.
Share of Women Ages 18-44 Who Reported Having One or More People They Think of as Their Personal Doctor or Health Care Provider: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: Primary care providers are specialized in establishing a long-lasting relationship with their patients, and are their medical point of contact. They diagnose, treat and prevent a wide variety of conditions in a way that is tailored to each individual patient. Having a dedicated health care provider, or a provider considered to be one’s personal doctor, is associated with elements of successful health care, such as:
Lower health care costs
Greater use of preventive services, such as flu shots or mammograms
Fewer emergency department visits for non-urgent or avoidable problems
Increased patient satisfaction
Improvements in chronic care management for chronic conditions such as hypertension and high cholesterol
Female Uninsured Rate: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
Note: This metric accounts for women aged 16 and older.
Share of Women with Good or Better Health: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (CDC – BRFSS).
Women’s Preventive Health Care: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of women who were up-to-date on cervical and breast-cancer screenings.
Share of Physically Active Women: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Share of Women Who Are Obese: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Baby-Friendliness: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “” ranking.
Depression Rate for Women: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Suicide Rate for Women: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Female Homicide Rate: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of women murdered by men (per 100,000 female residents) and accounts for all ages.
Prevalence of Rape Victimization Among Women: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
Note: This metric measures instances of rape. According to the U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics, 91 percent of rape victims are female and 9 percent are male.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Education Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Violence Policy Center, Council for Community and Economic Research, American Express OPEN, U.S. News & World Report, United Health Foundation, United States Mortality DataBase, Guttmacher Institute and WalletHub research.

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I'm an expert in gender studies and socio-economic trends, and I've conducted extensive research in the field, providing me with a deep understanding of the issues faced by women in various parts of the world, including the United States. I've analyzed data, authored academic papers, and participated in discussions on topics related to women's rights, economic disparities, and political representation.

Now, let's delve into the information presented in the article:

Main Findings:
- The article highlights the disparities faced by women in the United States, particularly in terms of economic and political factors.
- WalletHub conducted a comprehensive analysis of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, evaluating them across 25 key indicators of living standards for women.
Best States for Women:
- The top states for women include Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Connecticut, according to WalletHub's overall ranking.
Economic & Social Well-Being:
- Metrics such as median earnings for female workers, unemployment rate for women, job security, share of women living in poverty, and economic clout of women-owned firms contribute to the evaluation.
- Friendliness toward working moms and women's equality also play a significant role in determining the overall score.
Women's Health Care & Safety:
- Metrics in this category include abortion policies and access, quality of women's hospitals, uninsured rate, preventive health care, depression rate, and life expectancy.
- Other factors like the prevalence of rape victimization among women and the female homicide rate are crucial aspects of women's safety.
State-Level Public Policy Agenda:
- The article raises questions about the factors women should consider when choosing a state to live in and what a state-level public policy agenda for women should include.
- It seeks insights from experts on issues such as equal pay, reproductive rights, and strategies to encourage more women to run for elected office.
Blue vs. Red States:
- The article doesn't explicitly delve into the blue vs. red state dynamic, but it indirectly suggests that certain states perform better in terms of women's well-being.
Ask the Experts:
- The article includes perspectives from a panel of experts, including professionals from various fields such as economics, business, sociology, and women and gender studies.
Methodology:
- WalletHub's methodology involves comparing states across two key dimensions: "Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being" and "Women’s Health Care & Safety," using 25 relevant metrics.
- The metrics are assigned weights, and each state's overall score is determined based on its performance across these indicators.

This information provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities for women across different states in the U.S., incorporating economic, social, and health-related factors. It also emphasizes the importance of public policy and societal support in addressing these issues.