Maryland Is 2026’s 5th Best State for Women – WalletHub Study

With March being Women’s History Month, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on the Best & Worst States for Women in 2026, to highlight the areas that provide an ideal living environment for women and the places that are in need of improvement.

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.

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

• Overall Rank: 5^th
• 11^th – Median Earnings for Female Workers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
• 5^th – Share of Women in Poverty
• 8^th – Share of Women-Owned Businesses
• 26^th – High School Graduation Rate for Women
• 9^th – Share of Women Who Voted in 2024 Presidential Election
• 18^th – Female Uninsured Rate
• 19^th – Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth
• 24^th – Quality of Women’s Hospitals
• 3^rd – Women’s Preventive Health Care

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-women/10728

Key takeaways and WalletHub commentary are included below in text and video format.

“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. 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.”
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“Massachusetts is the best state for women in 2026, in part because it has one of the largest share of women with good or better health. The Bay State, whose governor is a woman, also has the lowest share of women who lack health insurance, at 2%, along with the second-best hospitals for women’s health care. The good quality health care that women receive contributes to the fact that the state has the second-highest life expectancy for women. Finally, Massachusetts is a great state for women who plan to have children. It ranks as the best state to have a baby in and the best state for working moms.”

– Milvionne Chery Copeland, WalletHub Analyst