Where Ohio Ranks Among Best States For Women

CLEVELAND — When it comes to opportunities and a safe environment for women, some places in the United States offer more than others, according to a new WalletHub list that ranks Ohio and others.

Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, WalletHub compared all states and the District of Columbia across 24 key indicators of living standards to determine this year’s best states for women. Indicators fell under two primary categories — women’s economic and social well-being, and women’s health and safety.

Ohio ranked 20th overall among best states for women.

Here’s where our state ranked in other categories:

• Total score: 59.26
• Women’s economic and social well-being rank: 19
• Women’s health and safety rank: 27

To determine a state’s ranking, WalletHub graded each metric on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for women.

WalletHub then determined each state’s and the District of Columbia’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score, which it used to determine its 2020 ranking.

This year, Massachusetts was ranked the best state for women with an overall score of 75.7. Rounding out the top 10 best states were:

1. Massachusetts
2. Minnesota
3. Iowa
4. Maine
5. Colorado
6. District of Columbia
7. Hawaii
8. Connecticut
9. Rhode Island
10. Vermont

The worst state for women, according to this year’s ranking, is Louisiana, followed by Mississippi and Arkansas, respectively.

Additional insight included in the ranking is the women-friendliness of so-called blue states and red states. The average score of blue states is 33.8 compared with 14.9 for red states, according to the list.

When addressing which states are best for women, Jo Reger, a gender and society professor at Oakland University, told WalletHub it’s important to keep in mind how experiences will vary depending on the woman.

“While the temptation of some research is to make ‘women’ a universal category, women of different races, ethnicities, religions, education level and sexual and gender identities fare very differently depending on the environment around them,” Reger said. “When we begin to talk about how women fare when it comes to the states they live in, it is essential we talk about which women."