Women’s best states – New Jersey ranks 17th in national study

In honor of Women's History Month, WalletHub analyzed 2015's Best and Worst States for Women and New Jersey was given an overall ranking of 17th in the nation. The study evaluated several factors including women's economic and social well-being as well as women's health care.

In recent years, women have made strides in areas once dominated by men. In fact, the percentage of women who took on leadership roles in the public and private sectors in 2014 increased and women also outpaced men in college enrollment, according to WalletHub. Despite the strides that have been made, there is still work to be done as women continue to fall behind men in a number of areas, including wages.

Dr. Teresa Boyer, executive director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University and assistant professor at the School of Management and Labor Relations.

The study looked at the 50 states and Washington D.C. by using 13 key metrics which ranged from median earnings for female workers to women's preventive health care. Key findings include the following:

• The median earnings for female workers (adjusted for cost of living) are two times higher in the District of Columbia than in Hawaii;
• The unemployment rate for women is four times higher in Nevada than in North Dakota;
• The percentage of women living in poverty is three times higher in Mississippi than in New Hampshire;
• The share of women-owned businesses is two times higher in the District of Columbia than in South Dakota;
• The high school dropout rate for women eight times higher in Arizona than in New Hampshire;
• The percentage of women who voted in the 2012 presidential election is two times higher in the District of Columbia than in West Virginia;
• The female uninsured rate is seven times higher in Texas than in Massachusetts.

According to the report, the best states for women are Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vemont, Maryland and New Hampshire. The bottom five are South Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.