3. Minnesota
California is the No. 2 state for gender equality in the US, with a top-five ranking for workplace environment, a top-10 ranking for political empowerment, and a top-20 ranking for education and health.
California has the seventh-smallest income gap in the country, with women earning 86.8% of what men do — $1,062 in median weekly earnings compared to $1,223.
The “Golden State” also has one of the smallest advanced educational attainment gaps, with 13.8% of women 25 and older earning graduate or professional degrees compared to 13.7% of men 25 and older, according to the Census’s 2022 ACS five-year estimates.
WalletHub also reported that California has a particularly low gender disparity among higher-income earners, as “only 8.1% more men achieve salaries of $100K+ than women.” (Vermont is the only state where this gap is lower).
One-third of California’s seats in Congress belong to women, as well as more than 40% of its state legislature and 50% of its statewide elective executives.