With March being Women’s History Month and women experiencing 55% of the net job losses since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best & Worst States for Women, as well as accompanying videos.
2021’s Best & Worst States for Women
In 2021, women in some parts of America still get the short end of the stick — even as they outnumber men in most states.
The data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to women’s preventive health care to the female homicide rate.
For instance, women represent nearly two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers in the U.S. Their political representation also suffers, as women make up 51% of the U.S. population but only 24% of the Senate and 27.1% of the House of Representatives.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially harmful financially for women, too, as they have lost their jobs at greater rates than men.
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 26 key indicators of living standards for women.
The data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to women’s preventive health care to the female homicide rate.
Best States for Women |
Worst States for Women |
| 1. Minnesota | 42. New Mexico |
| 2. Maine | 43. West Virginia |
| 3. Vermont | 44. Nevada |
| 4. North Dakota | 45. Texas |
| 5. District of Columbia | 46. South Carolina |
| 6. Iowa | 47. Oklahoma |
| 7. Washington | 48. Louisiana |
| 8. Massachusetts | 49. Arkansas |
| 9. Wisconsin | 50. Alabama |
| 10. South Dakota | 51. Mississippi |
Best & Worst States for Women
-
- The District of Columbia has the highest median earnings for female workers (adjusted for cost of living), $35,574, which is 1.5 times higher than in California, the lowest at $23,049.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of women who voted in the 2016 presidential election, 77.20 percent, which is 1.6 times higher than in Hawaii, the lowest at 49.30 percent.
- New Hampshire has the lowest share of women living in poverty, 8.30 percent, which is 2.7 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest at 22.30 percent.
- Alaska has the highest share of women-owned businesses, 22.87 percent, which is 1.6 times higher than in South Dakota, the lowest at 14.04 percent.
- Massachusetts has the lowest female uninsured rate, 2.10 percent, which is 7.9 times lower than in Texas, the highest at 16.50 percent.
