Best, Worst Cities in America for Women

Jackson, Mississippi, lands at bottom of WalletHub list, while Maryland's Columbia is No. 1
Posted Oct 4, 2025 5:30 AM CDT
Best Cities in America for Women
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From health care needs to gender pay gaps, women have to consider multiple factors when deciding where to set down roots. WalletHub took a peek at more than 180 of the biggest cities in the nation to try to determine where the ladies are best off, examining 15 metrics in two main categories: women's economic and social well-being, which encompasses everything from earnings, job security, and unemployment rates to the share of women-owned businesses; and women's health care and safety, which covers abortion access, quality of women's hospitals, women's suicide rates, and the like. The site's findings: The Maryland city of Columbia appears to be the best bet, with a decent job market, low poverty rate, and good life expectancy for women. Jackson, Mississippi, comes in last on the list. The top and bottom 10:

Best cities

  1. Columbia, Maryland (No. 1 in "Women's Economic/Social Well-Being" category)
  2. Seattle
  3. Overland Park, Kansas
  4. Raleigh, North Carolina
  5. South Burlington, Vermont
  6. Fremont, California
  7. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  8. Minneapolis
  9. Durham, North Carolina
  10. Jersey City, New Jersey

Worst cities

  1. Mobile, Alabama
  2. Montgomery, Alabama
  3. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  4. Brownsville, Texas
  5. Augusta, Georgia
  6. Gulfport, Mississippi
  7. Shreveport, Louisiana
  8. Fort Smith, Arkansas
  9. Huntington, West Virginia (last in "Women's Health Care/Safety" category)
  10. Jackson, Mississippi
See where other cities landed on the list here. (These are the best states for women.)

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