Best & Worst States for Women (2025)

In 2025, women across America still get the short end of the stick – even as they outnumber men in most states. For instance, women make up nearly 51% of the U.S. population, but represent more than two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers in the U.S. Their political representation also suffers, with women making up only 24% of the Senate and 29.2% of the House of Representatives.

In order to determine how women are faring and where they can find the best opportunities, 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 the quality of women’s health care to the female homicide rate.

“Despite improvements the U.S. has made over the years, women still lag behind men when it comes to economic prospects, executive positions and political representation. On top of tackling these important issues, the best states for women also ensure that they have access to high-quality health care, receive the same educational opportunities as men, and live in safe communities.”

Milvionne Chery Copeland, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Best States for Women

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

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

Highest

• 1. District of Columbia
• 2. Minnesota
• 3. Virginia
• 4. Ohio
• 5. Georgia

Lowest

• 47. Wyoming
• 48. New Mexico
• 49. Idaho
• 50. California
• 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. Vermont
• T-1. North Dakota
• T-1. Nebraska
• T-1. Alabama

Highest

• T-46. Kentucky
• T-46. Nevada
• T-46. New Jersey
• 50. Alaska
• 51. District of Columbia

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

South Dakota vs. District of Columbia

% of Women in Poverty

Lowest

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. Utah
• 3. Colorado
• T-4. Minnesota
• T-4. Vermont

Highest

• 47. Kentucky
• 48. West Virginia
• 49. New Mexico
• 50. Mississippi
• 51. Louisiana

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

New Hampshire vs. Louisiana

% of Women-Owned Businesses

Highest

• 1. Florida
• 2. Maryland
• 3. Virginia
• 4. Colorado
• 5. Oregon

Lowest

• 47. Vermont
• 48. Mississippi
• 49. Idaho
• 50. Arkansas
• 51. South Dakota

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Florida vs. South Dakota

High School Graduation Rate for Women

Highest

• T-1. Nebraska
• T-1. Wisconsin
• 3. North Dakota
• 4. Minnesota
• 5. Iowa

Lowest

• 47. Alabama
• 48. New Mexico
• 49. Georgia
• 50. Mississippi
• 51. Nevada

% of Women Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election

Highest

• 1. District of Columbia
• 2. Minnesota
• 3. New Jersey
• 4. New Hampshire
• 5. Maryland

Lowest

• T-46. Louisiana
• T-46. Oklahoma
• 48. Alabama
• 49. South Dakota
• 50. Arkansas
• 51. West Virginia

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

District of Columbia vs. West Virginia

Female Uninsured Rate

Lowest

• 1. Massachusetts
• 2. District of Columbia
• 3. Vermont
• 4. Hawaii
• 5. Rhode Island

Highest

• 47. Alaska
• 48. Nevada
• 49. Oklahoma
• 50. Georgia
• 51. Texas

Best State vs. Worst State: 7x Difference

Massachusetts vs. Texas

Women's Life Expectancy at Birth

Highest

• 1. Hawaii
• 2. Massachusetts
• 3. Connecticut
• T-4. New Jersey
• T-4. New York

Lowest

• 47. Tennessee
• T-48. Alabama
• T-48. Kentucky
• 50. Mississippi
• 51. West Virginia

Female Homicide Rate (per 100,000 Females)

Lowest

• 1. Pennsylvania
• 2. Massachusetts
• 3. Delaware
• 4. Vermont
• 5. New York

Highest

• 44. Louisiana
• T-45. Arkansas
• T-45. Wyoming
• T-45. Oklahoma
• T-45. Alaska

Best State vs. Worst State: 14x Difference

Pennsylvania vs. Alaska

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In-Depth Look at the Best States for Women

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is the best state for women in 2025, in part because it has one of the lowest unemployment rates for women. The Bay State, whose governor is a woman, also has the lowest share of women who lack health insurance, at 2.1%.

Women in Massachusetts can rely on great health care in general, as the state’s hospitals rank fifth in the nation for women’s health care. In addition, Massachusetts has the second-lowest share of women who couldn’t afford to see a doctor in the past year and the second-highest share who’ve had a mammogram within the past two years. The high quality health care that women receive in Massachusetts contributes to the fact that the state has the second-highest life expectancy for women.

Finally, Massachusetts is a great state for women who plan to have children. It ranks as the best state to have a baby in and the best state for working moms.

Minnesota

Minnesota is the second-best state for women, in large part because it creates excellent economic opportunities for women. Minnesota has the second-highest median income for women, at $44,526, adjusted for the cost of living. It has one of the lowest unemployment rates among women, too. In addition, only 10% of Minnesota’s women live in poverty, the fourth-lowest rate in the country.

Minnesota has one of the best four-year high school graduation rates for women, and it had the second-highest voter turnout rate for women during the 2020 presidential election. The education and political systems in the state are clearly helping women succeed and make their voices heard.

To top things off, Minnesota boasts the fourth-highest share of women in good or better health, along with the fifth-highest life expectancy for women.

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia is the third-best place for women to live, and it has the highest median income for women, at $50,936, adjusted for the cost of living. It’s also our nation’s capital and home to Congress, which currently has a record number of women serving. And speaking of political participation, D.C. has the highest share of women who voted in the 2020 presidential election, at 86%.

In addition to higher-than-average earnings, women in the District of Columbia enjoy the eighth-best job security in the country, which means they’re less susceptible to layoffs than women in other states. Many women even work for themselves, as the District has the 11th-highest share of women-owned businesses in the country.

Finally, women lead healthy lives in the District of Columbia, which has the highest percentage of women in good or better health, at over 88%, as well as the highest share of women who are physically active. D.C. has the third-lowest obesity rate for women, too. Plus, it has the second-lowest share of women who lack health insurance.

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:

1. What factors, financial or otherwise, should women consider when choosing a state to live in?
2. What should a state-level public policy agenda for women include?
3. Are states converging or diverging in issues of importance to women including equal pay, reproductive rights, etc.?
4. What can companies do to improve workplace conditions for women?

Ask the Experts

Elizabeth S. Smith
Professor, Department of Politics and International Affairs; Assistant Faculty Director of the Cothran Center – Furman University
Read More

Laura Mattoon D'Amore
Ph.D. – Professor of Cultural Studies – Roger Williams University
Read More

Shannon R. Wooden
Ph.D. – Professor, Department of English – Missouri State University
Read More

Ozlem Altiok
Ph.D., M.P.S.A. – Principal Lecturer, Women's & Gender Studies, and International Studies – University of North Texas – Denton
Read More

Miriam Liss
Professor of Psychology – University of Mary Washington
Read More

Jo Reger
Professor, Sociology and Department Chair, WGS affiliate faculty – Oakland University
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 2023 - Number of Female Employees in 2022) / Number of Female Employees in 2022.
• 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 2014 and 2019.
• 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 “Best & Worst States for Working Moms” ranking.
• Friendliness Toward Women’s Equality: Triple Weight (~12.00 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Women's Equality” 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 “Best & Worst States to Have a Baby” 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 as of February 3, 2025 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, Guttmacher Institute and WalletHub research.

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