Women’s Employment and Earnings -- A Ranking by State

[theHandpuppet]

Washington, DC, Ranks Highest for Women’s Employment and Earnings; West Virginia Ranks Lowest


Washington, D.C.
According to a new analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), states across the nation vary widely in their progress towards achieving equality for women in the workplace, with the District of Columbia ranking the highest in the nation for women’s employment and earnings, while West Virginia ranked the lowest. The analysis includes state-by-state rankings and letter grades based on a composite score of economic indicators, including women’s labor force participation, median annual earnings for women, the gender earnings ratio between women and men employed full-time and year-round, and the percentage of employed women in managerial or professional occupations. IWPR has been calculating and tracking state rankings in this area since 1996.

How the States Measure Up
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Since the composite was last calculated in 2006, Alaska and California have dropped out of the top eleven. New Mexico has seen the greatest improvement in its ranking, moving up 21 places from 44th to 23rd, while Missouri has seen the greatest decline, moving from 19th in 2006 to 38th.

“Washington, D.C. stands out as the best place for women in terms of employment and earnings potential and is, in fact, the only jurisdiction to receive a grade of A,” said IWPR President Heidi Hartmann. “The top states are characterized by modern, white collar economies that provide strong opportunities to women, and Washington, D.C., is even further buoyed by the presence of government jobs.”

In addition to Washington, DC, the top states for women in employment and earnings are: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Virginia. Eight of these top eleven states that received a grade of B or higher are in the Northeast. In addition to West Virginia, seven of the fourteen lowest ranked states, which received a grade of D+ or lower, are located in the South: Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Wyoming, Idaho, Oklahoma, Indiana, Utah, and Missouri round out the bottom group.

- See more at: http://www.iwpr.org/press-room/press-releases/washington-dc-ranks-highest-for-women2019s-employment-and-earnings-west-virginia-ranks-lowest#sthash.sr8SsAIm.dpuf

[Brigid]

1. I shoulda known IN would be in the lowest category.

The state's ranking for men is probably just as bad.

[theHandpuppet]

2. This was a comparative gender-based study

Not a study of general employment.