best states for women
Report claims Texas ranks among worst states for women in 2026
Texas has the highest rate of uninsured women in the nation, WalletHub found.
The Lone Star State has a lot of work to do to improve its livability for women after being dubbed the fourth worst state for women in 2026.
The ranking comes from WalletHub's annual study that compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on women's economic opportunities, social well-being, health care factors, and overall safety.
The five best states for women this year are Massachusetts (No. 1), District of Columbia (No. 2), Maine (No. 3), Minnesota (No. 4), and Maryland (No. 5).
Texas, on the other hand, ranked No. 48 in 2026, a one-spot drop from 2025's ranking. The three states that performed worse than Texas are Arkansas (No. 49), Oklahoma (No. 50), and Louisiana (No. 51).
Texas came in nearly dead last – 50th – in the report's "economic and social well-being" rank, which analyzed factors such as women's job security, the median earnings for female workers, the share of women living in poverty, high school graduation rates, a "friendliness toward working moms" score, and more.
The state also ranked 44th in the "women's health care and safety" ranking, which assessed the quality of women's hospitals, abortion policies and access, the female uninsured rate, the share of women who were up-to-date on cervical and breast-cancer screenings, suicide rates, the prevalence of rape victimization, the number of women murdered by men, and others.
Additional research from the study revealed Texas has the highest rate of uninsured women in the country, and the fourth-lowest percentage of women who voted in the 2024 presidential election.
On a national level, women make up more than half (51 percent) of the country's total population, but women disproportionally account for more than two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers nationwide, WalletHub says. They are also severely underrepresented in Congress; only 26 percent of U.S. Senate seats are held by women, and 29.4 percent in the House of Representatives.
Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found 91 percent of rape victims are women and 9 percent are men.
"Despite improvements the U.S. has made over the years, women still lag behind men when it comes to economic prospects, executive positions, and political representation," said WalletHub analyst Milvionne Chery Copeland. "On top of tackling these important issues, the best states for women also ensure that they have access to high-quality health care, receive the same educational opportunities as men, and live in safe communities."
The 10 best states for women in 2026 are:
- No. 1 – Massachusetts
- No. 2 – District of Columbia
- No. 3 – Maine
- No. 4 – Minnesota
- No. 5 – Maryland
- No. 6 – Vermont
- No. 7 – Connecticut
- No. 8 – Hawaii
- No. 9 – New York
- No. 10 – Oregon
