WalletHub releases report on 2018’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality

August 25, 2018

Women’s Equality Day is August 26 and the U.S. ranking No. 49 out of 144 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index – falling 4 spots since the previous year.

The personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality.

In order to determine where women receive the most equal treatment in American society, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 16 key metrics. The dataset 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

1 New York

2 Minnesota

3 Maine

4 Nevada

5 Hawaii

6 Delaware

7 Alaska

8 North Dakota

9 Washington

10 New Mexico

Worst States for Women’s Equality

1 Oklahoma

2 Florida

3 Arkansas

4 Louisiana

5 South Carolina

6 Virginia

7 Arizona

8 Texas

9 Idaho

10 Utah

Best vs. Worst

In every state, women earn less than men. Vermont has the lowest gap, with women earning 9.8 percent less, whereas Utah has the highest, 30.1 percent.

In nearly every state, women represent the highest share of minimum-wage workers. Delaware has an equal ratio of females to males. Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire and North Dakota have the highest minimum-wage workers gap at 50 percent.

Alaska has the highest unemployment-rate gap favoring women, with 2.9 percent more unemployed men. Arizona has the highest gap favoring men, with 1.3 percent more unemployed women. The unemployment rate is equal for men and women in Mississippi, South Dakota and North Carolina.

In every state legislature, male lawmakers outnumber their female counterparts. Arizona and Vermont have the lowest gap, with 33.33 percent more males. Wyoming has the highest, with 87.50 percent more males.