The best and worst states for women

Tomorrow kicks off Women’s History Month and all things considered, we have a lot to celebrate. Not only is one of the front-running presidential candidates a woman, but for the first time ever, women in the military can be trained for combat roles.

And the momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Earlier this month, Mattel came out with new tall, petite and curvy Barbies, and when the new $10 bill is reissued — by the year 2020 — it will feature a woman.

But a new study from WalletHub shows that not all states are created equal. The study compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 15 key metrics, including the median earnings for female workers, rate of unemployed women, percentage of women living in poverty, share of women-owned businesses and the female homicide rate.

When it comes to making money, if you’re a woman you might want to consider moving to D.C., the place with the highest median earnings for female workers (adjusted for the cost of living). The state with the lowest: Hawaii. Mississippi is the state with the highest percentage of women living in poverty, at 24.8 percent while New Hampshire has the lowest, at 2.8 percent. The most dangerous place for women is South Carolina, the state with the highest female homicide rate (2.32 per 100,000 women), while South Dakota seems to be the safest with a female homicide rate of .48 per 100,000 women.

Looking at the full study, there is no one state that gets it all right; every state has areas of equality that need work. But it is interesting to see how different state compare.

Check out the 10 best states for women and the 10 worst states for women below and see the study’s full results here.

Best States for Women:
1. Minnesota
2. Vermont
3. New Hampshire
4. Maine
5. Massachusetts
6. North Dakota
7. Maryland
8. Wisconsin
9. Nebraska
10. Hawaii

Worst States for Women:
1. Louisiana
2. South Carolina
3. Nevada
4. Alabama
5. Arkansas
6. Mississippi
7. New Mexico
8. West Virginia
9. Oklahoma
10. Texas

Follow Emily on Twitter: @EmLaurence