2023's Best & Worst States for Women

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.

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 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

% of Women in Poverty

Lowest

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. Utah
• T-3. Hawaii
• T-3. Maryland
• T-3. Minnesota

Highest

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

Best State vs. Worst State: 3x Difference

New Hampshire vs. Mississippi

% of Women-Owned Businesses

Highest

• 1. Alaska
• 2. Colorado
• 3. Virginia
• 4. Missouri
• 5. North Carolina

Lowest

• 47. Idaho
• 48. Utah
• 49. Nebraska
• 50. South Dakota
• 51. West Virginia

Best State vs. Worst State: 2x Difference

Alaska vs. West Virginia

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
• T-4. Hawaii
• T-4. Rhode Island

Highest

• T-46. Mississippi
• T-46. Wyoming
• 48. Florida
• 49. Georgia
• 50. Oklahoma
• 51. Texas

Best State vs. Worst State: 8x Difference

Massachusetts vs. Texas

Women's Life Expectancy at Birth

Highest

• 1. Hawaii
• 2. California
• 3. Massachusetts
• 4. New Hampshire
• 5. Washington

Lowest

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

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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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 strategies have proven effective in encouraging more women to run for elected office?
5. 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
Read More

Joyce Jacobsen
Andrews Professor of Economics – Wesleyan University
Read More

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 “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 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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