Here are the best and worst states in the U.S. for women’s equality

If you are a woman or present as female or are woman-identified, here are some states that might offer you a better — or worse — experience for travel, retirement, or residency.

It’s not just your imagination: The situation for women has drastically deteriorated in the United States, even in just the past year. In 2023, the U.S. failed to even make it to the top 30 of the World Economic Forum’s ranking of 146 countries based on gender equality. The U.S. ranked 43rd, which is a startling drop from the previous year’s rank of 27th. Old patriarchal problems such as a deficit of women in leaderships roles, and the gender pay gap are still with us. But more shockingly, the U.S. is currently ranked 87th globally when it comes to the gender gap in health and survival. 

With Women’s Equality Day around the corner on Aug. 26, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its helpful report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality, as well as expert commentary.

In order to determine where women receive the most equal treatment in American society, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key metrics. The data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men.

Best States for Women’s Equality	Worst States for Women’s Equality
1. Hawaii	41. Oklahoma
2. Alaska	42. Alabama
3. Maine	43. Louisiana
4. Delaware	44. Kansas
5. Vermont	45. North Dakota
6. California	46. Missouri
7. Oregon	47. Georgia
8. New York	48. Idaho
9. New Mexico	49. Texas
10. Nevada	50. Utah

Asked why the U.S. is ranked 37th globally when it comes to the gender gap in political empowerment, Angela J. Hattery, Professor, Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware said: “This is not surprising because the world’s oldest democracy was built on a foundation of white supremacy and heteropatriarchy.

“The Constitution was written and designed to extend citizenship and its associated rights only to white men. Period. And the entire history of the United States can be characterized as a battle by everyone else (women, black people, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ+ community) for equal citizenship.”

Best vs. Worst

• In every state, women earn less than men. Rhode Island has the lowest gap, with women earning 8.50 percent less, whereas Utah has the highest, 25.40 percent.
   
• In nearly every state, women represent the highest share of minimum-wage workers. Alaska, Hawaii and North Dakota have an equal ratio of women to men. Delaware and Georgia have the highest minimum-wage workers gap, at 70.00 percent.
   
• Connecticut has the highest unemployment-rate gap favoring women, with 1.60 percent more unemployed men. Kentucky has the highest gap favoring men, with 1.50 percent more unemployed women. The unemployment rate is equal for men and women in Missouri, Nevada, Ohio and North Dakota.
   
• In nearly every state legislature, male lawmakers outnumber their female counterparts. Nevada has the highest gap favoring women, with 62.50 percent more women. West Virginia has the highest gap favoring men, with 87.39 percent more men.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, please go here.