2018's Best & Worst States for Women

In 2018, 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 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 22% of the Senate and 19.3% of the House of Representatives. And the prevalence of sexual harassment has become a prominent issue in 2018’s political landscape, from #MeToo to #TimesUp.

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 23 key indicators of living standards for women. Our data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to women’s preventive health care to female homicide rate. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.