A recent WalletHub study ranked the U.S. states best and worst for women in 2026. WalletHub framed the analysis against national context: women comprise nearly 51 percent of the U.S. population, yet hold two-thirds of minimum-wage jobs and occupy 26 percent of Senate seats and 29.4 percent of House seats, underscoring gaps in pay, leadership and representation that state environments can help narrow or widen. The personal-finance site compared all states and the District of Columbia across 25