Columbia, Maryland, Tops WalletHub’s 2026 Ranking Of Best U.S. Cities For Women; Jackson, MS, Comes Last

WalletHub’s 2026 analysis of 182 U.S. cities names Columbia, Maryland, the best city for women, citing high cost-of-living–adjusted earnings, low unemployment and a strong share of women-owned businesses. Seattle and Fremont, California, round out the top three, while Jackson, Mississippi, ranks last in the study.

Top Cities For Women

The WalletHub ranking used 15 measures across two categories — women’s economic and social well-being (60% of the score) and women’s health care and safety (40%). Columbia earned an overall score of 78.20 out of 100, placing second in economic and social well-being and third in health care and safety.

1. Columbia, Maryland
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Fremont, California
4. South Burlington, Vermont
5. Washington, D.C.
6. San Francisco, California
7. Overland Park, Kansas
8. Raleigh, North Carolina
9. Gilbert, Arizona
10. Santa Clarita, California

Why Columbia Ranks First

Columbia’s strongest metric was women's earnings: WalletHub reports the city has the highest cost-of-living–adjusted median annual earnings for female workers, $63,920. The local female unemployment rate is just above 3%, about 8.2% of women live in poverty, and roughly 23% of businesses are women-owned — all factors that contributed to Columbia’s top score.

Highlights From Other Top Cities

Seattle (score 72.85) scored well on both economic and health metrics; women there have an adjusted median annual income of about $50,138 and an uninsured rate near 3.4%. Fremont (score 71.93) stands out for health measures, including the lowest share of uninsured women, the fourth-lowest female obesity rate, and a female life expectancy at birth nearing 85 years.

Bottom Cities

Jackson, Mississippi, placed last with a score of 24.17 and ranked at the bottom for economic and social well-being; it also ranked poorly on health and safety (179th). The lowest-ranked cities reflect persistent challenges in earnings, job security, access to care and safety.

1. Jackson, Mississippi
2. Huntington, West Virginia
3. Shreveport, Louisiana
4. Gulfport, Mississippi
5. Brownsville, Texas
6. Fort Smith, Arkansas
7. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
8. Laredo, Texas
9. Augusta, Georgia
10. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Regional Notes

Several Ohio cities fell into the lower half of the ranking: Columbus (108th), Cincinnati (140th), Cleveland (158th), Akron (169th) and Toledo (171st).

Methodology And Data Sources

WalletHub evaluated 182 cities (the 150 most populated U.S. cities plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state) using 15 indicators such as women's earnings, unemployment, job security, poverty, share of women-owned businesses, hospital quality for women, health insurance coverage, preventive care, physical activity, obesity, life expectancy and abortion policy/access. Data were current as of Aug. 24, 2026, and came from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CDC, FBI, the Guttmacher Institute and U.S. News & World Report.

Reporter: Anthony Thompson ([email protected]). This article originally appeared on USA TODAY.

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