UNDATED – With March being Women’s History Month and women still lagging behind men when it comes to earnings and executive positions in businesses, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the Best & Worst States for Women in 2025, along with expert commentary.
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics. The data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to the quality of women’s health care to the female homicide rate.
South Dakota ranked 26th overall.
| Best States for Women | Worst States for Women |
| 1. Massachusetts | 42. Missouri |
| 2. Minnesota | 43. Georgia |
| 3. District of Columbia | 44. West Virginia |
| 4. New York | 45. Wyoming |
| 5. Maryland | 46. Alabama |
| 6. Maine | 47. Texas |
| 7. Vermont | 48. Louisiana |
| 8. New Jersey | 49. Arkansas |
| 9. Washington | 50. Oklahoma |
| 10. Hawaii | 51. Mississippi |
Best vs. Worst
- The District of Columbia has the highest median earnings for female workers (adjusted for cost of living) – 1.8 times higher than Hawaii, which has the lowest.
- The District of Columbia has the highest share of women who voted in the 2020 presidential election – 1.5 times higher than West Virginia, which has the lowest.
- New Hampshire has the lowest share of women living in poverty – 2.6 times lower than Louisiana, which has the highest.
- Florida has the highest share of women-owned businesses – 1.8 times higher than South Dakota, which has the lowest.
- Massachusetts has the lowest percentage of women without health insurance – 7.3 times lower than Texas, which has the highest.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-women/10728
