Maryland Is 2026’s 5th Best State for Women, Per 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