Worst States for Women

North Dakota ranks as one of the worst states for women in large part because women hold a very small share of the leadership positions in the state in both the public and private sector. Just 22.0% of legislative seats are held by women, one of the lowest shares among all states. Also, just 31.2% of management level jobs are held by women, the absolute lowest share of any state.

North Dakota has a relatively large gender wage gap, as women make less than 80% of what men do, one of the widest gaps in the country. Though the state has a relatively high female life expectancy at birth of 81.7 years, not all health indicators are positive. North Dakota’s infant mortality rate is the fourth highest in the country, with 7.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

The median annual earnings for a female worker in Idaho is $38,012 – the second-lowest median of all states and more than $8,000 lower than the national median. The state has the fourth-largest gender wage gaps in the country, with female workers earning just 75.7% of what male workers do.

Women also hold a low share of leadership positions in Idaho. Just 36.5% of management jobs are held by women, nearly 5 percentage points lower than the share nationwide. The state’s legislature is made up of 30.5% female legislators, just slightly lower than the nationwide rate. Idaho has never had a female governor.

Indiana ranks as one of the worst states for women in nearly every economic, leadership, and health measure. The state’s female life expectancy at birth is 79.3 years, almost two full years lower than the life expectancy nationwide.

Female workers in Indiana have a median annual earnings of almost $5,000 less than the median nationwide. The state also has one of the largest gender wage gaps, as female workers earn just 77% of what male workers do.

Wyoming ranks as the second-worst state for women in large part because of the economic disparities between men and women in the state. Female workers make roughly three-quarters of what male workers do. With a median annual earnings of $41,340, female workers in Wyoming earn about $5,000 less than what female workers around the country earn.

Wyoming is also one of just a handful of states with no state preschool program, which can make life more difficult for working parents. Women also have a relatively low share of leadership positions in Wyoming. Just 16.7% of state legislature seats are held by women.

Mississippi ranks as by far the worst state in the country for women. Its female workers have median annual earnings of $35,100 – the lowest in the country. This median is also just 76.9% of what men in the state earn, the seventh largest gender wage gap among states. College degrees can help bolster earnings, but Mississippi is one of three states in which fewer than a quarter of women 25 and older have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Mississippi has by far the highest infant mortality rate of any state, at 8.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. No other state has a rate of even 8.0 per 1,000 births, and the nationwide rate is 5.6 deaths per 1,000 births. The state also has the second-lowest life expectancy at birth for female residents, at 77.5 years.