Louisiana ranks 51 for women in 2026, according to a new WalletHub study. WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key quality-of-life indicators to assess how women are doing and identify where they have the strongest opportunities.
Women across the United States continue to face significant disadvantages—even though they outnumber men in most states. Women account for nearly 51% of the U.S. population, yet they make up more than two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers nationwide. Their political representation also lags, with women holding just 26% of Senate seats and 29% of seats in the House of Representatives.
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“Despite improvements over the years, women still lag behind men when it comes to economic prospects, executive positions and political representation," said WalletHub Analyst Milvionne Chery Copeland. "The best states for women are more equitable economically and politically than the country as a whole, and they also ensure that female residents have access to high-quality health care, receive the same educational opportunities as men, and live in safe communities.”
Below, you can see how Louisiana stacks up against the competition when it comes to women's economic and social well-being, health care, and safety.
In-Depth Look at Louisiana
Overall, Louisiana ranks 51 out of the 50 states when it comes to women's living standards, but it succeeds in some aspects while it struggles in others. Louisiana puts its best foot forward when it comes to quality score of the women's hospitals, where it ranks seventh, and the share of women who stay up to date on preventive health screenings (have had recommended pap tests or mammograms), where it ranks 8th. Women who want to ensure equity in those areas may want to consider making Louisiana their home.
On the other hand, Louisiana doesn't do as well when it comes to the share of women living below the poverty level, where it ranks 51st, and ranking of the state for favorable conditions for working mothers, where it ranks 51st. Women wanting to prioritize those factors will find that other states suit their needs better.
10 Best States for Women in 2026
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Women's Economic & Social Well-Being Rank | Women's Health Care & Safety Rank |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 73.66 | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 71.48 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Maine | 70.84 | 1 | 12 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 69.84 | 4 | 6 |
| 5 | Maryland | 69.11 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | Vermont | 69.03 | 7 | 5 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 67.46 | 11 | 3 |
| 8 | Hawaii | 67.05 | 9 | 8 |
| 9 | New York | 66.99 | 12 | 2 |
| 10 | Oregon | 65.84 | 6 | 16 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for each metric category.
The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.
