These Are the Best States for Women
These states offer women the best health care, safety, economic opportunities and social well-being, a new report finds.
People participate in the Women's March as they protest against the U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 18, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Women comprise 51% of the U.S. population and outnumber men in most states, yet they are still far underrepresented in politics and face a significant pay gap.
Though Title IX guarantees the right to education free of sex discrimination, women still face obstacles in education, including the fact that some public schools still separate boys and girls in the classroom based on stereotypes that they learn differently. Women continue to face other barriers, including gender-based violence and pregnancy discrimination at work.
In a recent report, WalletHub identified the best states for women to live based on how well they promote women's economic and social well-being, as well as health and safety. The result: Massachusetts is the best state in America for women.
A few of the 24 metrics considered were the share of women living in poverty, women's high school graduation rate, share of women who voted in the 2016 presidential election, the share of uninsured females, prevalence of rape victims among females and the share of women receiving preventative health care. Sources included the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and the United Health Foundation.
Massachusetts boasts the lowest percentage of females who are uninsured, among the lowest female homicide rates and one of the highest life expectancies for women, according to WalletHub.
These are the top 10 states, plus Washington, D.C., for women in America:
| State | Women's Economic and Social Well-Being Rank | Women's Health and Safety Rank |
| 1. Massachusetts | 5 | 1 |
| 2. Minnesota | 1 | 4 |
| 3. Iowa | 3 | 10 |
| 4. Maine | 6 | 11 |
| 5. Colorado | 4 | 17 |
| 6. District of Columbia | 2 | 20 |
| 7. Hawaii | 16 | 2 |
| 8. Connecticut | 15 | 3 |
| 9. Rhode Island | 9 | 7 |
| 10. Vermont | 8 | 13 |
Southern states dominate the bottom of the list. Louisiana, which has one of the highest poverty rates for women and one of the highest unemployment rates for women, is in last place, according to WalletHub.
| State | Women's Economic and Social Well-Being Rank | Women's Health and Safety Rank |
| 51. Louisiana | 51 | 46 |
| 50. Mississippi | 50 | 49 |
| 49. Arkansas | 46 | 51 |
| 48. Alabama | 48 | 44 |
| 47. Oklahoma | 50 | |
| 46. South Carolina | 47 | 43 |
| 45. Idaho | 49 | 28 |
| 44. West Virginia | 39 | 47 |
| 43. Texas | 42 | 39 |
| 42. Georgia | 43 | 37 |
The report also explored the best states for women based on political party. Democratic states tend to be more female-friendly, WalletHub found, with blue states averaging a 14.86 ranking among the 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Republican states ranking an average of 33.8.
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