GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — New research says America still has a long way to go when it comes to women getting a fair shake, but underlines that Minnesota is among the best states in the union for females to build a good life.
WalletHub's 2023 Best & Worst States for women report compared the 50 states and Washington D.C. across 25 key indicators of living standards for women, and found Minnesota ranked fourth-best, behind only Vermont, New York and Massachusetts. The high ranking was based on high finishes in a number of categories including unemployment rate, median earnings, share of women in poverty and percentage of who voted in the 2020 presidential election.
Here are some of those rankings.
- 2nd – Median Earnings for Female Workers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
- 1st – Unemployment Rate for Women
- 3rd – Share of Women in Poverty
- 4th – High School Graduation Rate for Women
- 2nd – Share of Women Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election
- 6th – Female Uninsured Rate
- 7th – Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth
- 14th – Quality of Women’s Hospitals
- 23rd – Women’s Preventive Health Care
Make no mistake, there is work to do. WalletHub says women still make up 2/3 of all minimum wage workers, and while females make up 51% of the population, only 24% of U.S. Senators and 28% of U.S. Representatives are women.
The study also found that blue (democratic-leaning) states are more friendly for women.
Among other midwestern states, Iowa ranked number 13, Wisconsin 19, North Dakota 21 and South Dakota 24.
WalletHub says the worst states for women to live are Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with Oklahoma coming in dead last.
For more on the study and the methodology behind it, check out the WalletHub website.
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