Massachusetts Named Fifth Best State for Women

Illustration by Kyle Clauss

Massachusetts is the fifth friendliest state to women, according to a new report published on the eve of Women’s History Month.

New England dominated the ranking, compiled by personal finance social network WalletHub, with Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine placing second, third, and fourth, respectively. Connecticut ranked 11th, while Rhode Island was named the worst state in New England for women at No. 26.

To compile the list, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of the Columbia using 15 key metrics, including median earnings for female workers, unemployment rate for women, share of women-owned businesses, percentage of uninsured women, quality of preventative care and women’s hospitals, and crime data.

Massachusetts had the lowest female uninsured rate in the country. Vermont was tied with Minnesota for the third lowest unemployment rate for women, but had the fifth lowest share of women-owned businesses. New Hampshire boasted the lowest percentage of women’s living in poverty, as well as the lowest high school dropout rate for women.

Minnesota was named the best state in America for women, while Louisiana came in dead last.

WalletHub also broke down the rankings by political party, based on how each stated fell in the 2012 presidential election. Blue states—that is, states that voted Democrat—scored an average ranking of 19.96, while Red states, which went Republican, had an average rank of 32.79.

You can check out the full ranking here.