The 10 Best and Worst Cities for Working Women in 2023

With the women's labor force participation rate reaching 57.7% in August, the highest it has been since February 2020, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst Cities for Women, as well as expert commentary.

To identify the most women-friendly cities, WalletHub compared 182 cities across 15 key metrics. The data set ranges from the median earnings for female workers to the quality of women’s hospitals to suicide rates for women.

Best Cities for Women

1. Columbia, MD
2. South Burlington, VT
3. Irvine, CA
4. Fremont, CA
5. Santa Clarita, CA
6. Seattle, WA
7. Gilbert, AZ
8. Overland Park, KS
9. Yonkers, NY
10. Pearl City, HI

Worst Cities for Women

1. Jackson, MS
2. Gulfport, MS
3. Brownsville, TX
4. Huntington, WV
5. Shreveport, LA
6. Augusta, GA
7. Charleston, WV
8. Laredo, TX
9. Mobile, AL
10. New Orleans, LA

Best Vs. Worst

• Columbia, Maryland, has the highest median earnings for female workers (adjusted for cost of living), $51,526, which is 2.8 times higher than in Santa Ana, California, the city with the lowest at $18,351.
• Pearl City, Hawaii, has the lowest share of women living in poverty, 4.10 percent, which is eight times lower than in Huntington, West Virginia, the city with the highest at 32.90 percent.
• Anchorage, Alaska, has the highest share of women-owned businesses, 26.44 percent, which is 3.9 higher than in Charleston, West Virginia, the city with the lowest at 6.78 percent.
• South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest female uninsured rate, 1.80 percent, which is 16.5 times lower than in Brownsville, Texas, the city with the highest at 29.70 percent.
• Portland, Maine has the lowest unemployment rate for women, 2.04 percent, which is 6.6 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 13.51 percent

To view the full report and your city's rank, click here.