BALTIMORE, MD—With Women’s History Month coming up in March, the personal-finance website WalletHub this week released its report on the Best & Worst States for Women in 2024, to highlight the areas that provide an ideal living environment for women and the places that are in need of improvement.

Maryland came in at No. 6 on this year’s list.  Massachusetts topped the list with the District of Columbia coming in at No. 2.

To identify the most women-friendly states, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics. The data set ranges from median earnings for female workers to women’s health care to the female homicide rate.

“Women in the U.S. still face a lot of adversity, so living in the right state can greatly impact their quality of life. The best states for women provide equitable economic conditions, encourage robust political participation, have quality health care, and ensure safety for the women who reside there,” said Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst. “Massachusetts is the best state for women in 2024, in part because it has one of the lowest unemployment rates for women and the lowest share of women who don’t have health insurance. Massachusetts hospitals rank third in the nation for women’s health care, and the state has the third-highest life expectancy for women, too.”

Woman-Friendliness of Maryland (1=Best, 25=Avg.):

• Overall Rank: 6th
• 6th – Median Earnings for Female Workers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
• 1st – Unemployment Rate for Women
• 4th – Share of Women in Poverty
• 2nd – Share of Women-Owned Businesses
• 12th – High School Graduation Rate for Women
• 5th – Share of Women Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election
• 15th – Female Uninsured Rate
• 23rd – Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth
• 28th – Quality of Women’s Hospitals
• 3rd – Women’s Preventive Health Care

The full report is available here on WalletHub.

More in the video below.