Here is where Arizona ranks among best and worst states for women’s equality (2026)

With Women’s Equality Day around the corner and the U.S. ranking just 43rd for gender equality worldwide, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on the Best and Worst States for Women’s Equality in 2026 to determine where women receive the most equal treatment in American society.

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key metrics. The data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men to the income gap.

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Best vs. Worst

• In every state, women earn less than men. Maryland has the lowest gap, with women earning 1.40 percent less, whereas Utah has the highest, 26.90 percent. 
• In nearly every state, women represent the highest share of minimum-wage workers. Alaska, Hawaii and North Dakota have an equal ratio of women to men. Delaware and Georgia have the highest minimum-wage workers gap, at 70.00 percent.
• Arkansas and New Mexico have the highest unemployment-rate gap favoring women, with 1.90 percent more unemployed men. Georgia and Maryland have the highest gap favoring men, with 0.70 percent more unemployed women. The unemployment rate is equal for men and women in Kansas, Texas and Utah. 
• In nearly every state legislature, male lawmakers outnumber their female counterparts. Nevada has the highest gap favoring women, with 62.50 percent more women. West Virginia has the highest gap favoring men, with 86.44 percent more men.

Women in the U.S. have made significant progress since the passage of the 19th Amendment, but gender inequality remains a persistent challenge. Despite decades of advancement, many women still face barriers to equal opportunities in the workplace and beyond. In 2025, the U.S. ranked just 42nd out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, improving by only one spot from the previous year.

The workplace provides further evidence of this inequality. Despite decades of progress, women remain disproportionately underrepresented in leadership positions. Women make up more than half of the U.S. population but hold only around one-third of legislative seats and 35% of S&P 500 board positions.

To identify where women enjoy the greatest level of equality, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 17 key indicators of gender equality. Our analysis examines factors ranging from the gap between female and male executives to differences in unemployment rates between women and men.

Best States for Women’s Rights

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Workplace Environment Rank	Education & Health Rank	Political Empowerment Rank
1	Hawaii	77.74	1	4	1
2	Maryland	73.36	3	2	12
3	Alaska	71.51	8	7	2
4	Maine	70.09	7	18	3
5	Vermont	69.66	2	1	27
6	New Mexico	69.31	10	5	10
7	Iowa	68.04	13	8	8
8	Oregon	67.41	4	24	15
9	California	66.75	5	12	19
10	Illinois	65.60	6	26	16
11	New York	65.41	11	22	13
12	Michigan	62.95	39	27	4
13	Massachusetts	62.73	33	15	14
14	Minnesota	62.17	26	31	7
15	West Virginia	61.21	20	13	23
16	Tennessee	60.62	16	3	32
17	Wisconsin	60.50	31	20	17
18	Connecticut	60.40	17	9	26
19	Washington	60.27	34	32	9
20	Florida	58.42	29	21	21
21	Nevada	57.93	18	44	10
22	Arizona	57.82	15	34	22
23	North Dakota	56.79	23	10	47
24	New Jersey	55.32	21	36	24
25	New Hampshire	54.76	44	39	6
26	Kansas	54.59	19	28	31
27	Pennsylvania	54.33	36	6	37
28	Delaware	54.27	41	41	5
29	Colorado	54.15	22	42	20
30	Nebraska	54.08	28	23	30
31	Rhode Island	53.87	25	19	38
32	Indiana	53.86	24	16	46
33	Mississippi	52.96	40	17	33
34	Kentucky	52.24	35	11	45
35	Wyoming	50.98	27	47	18
36	South Dakota	50.47	30	37	35
37	North Carolina	49.39	14	40	36
38	Ohio	49.37	32	33	41
39	Alabama	48.25	49	25	28
40	Missouri	48.22	38	29	49
41	Louisiana	47.76	48	14	43
42	Montana	46.62	12	48	34
43	Virginia	46.47	45	43	25
44	Georgia	46.46	43	35	40
45	Arkansas	46.38	9	45	50
46	South Carolina	42.87	46	38	44
47	Idaho	41.30	50	30	48
48	Texas	40.94	37	49	39
49	Oklahoma	40.67	42	46	42
50	Utah	32.18	47	50	29