Best and Worst States for Working Women

Oxfam’s Best States for Working Women index shines a light on the best and worst states for working women in 2025. In its fifth edition, we take a fresh look at where states across the country are treating women with dignity and respect in the workplace—and where some are falling short.

Working women face daunting challenges in the U.S. today. But it’s not the same for everyone: from one state to the next, policies around wages, protections, and rights vary dramatically. Essentially, where a woman lives and works defines whether or not she can care for herself and her family.

The index focuses specifically on policies tracked in our Best States to Work Index (BSWI) that either directly or disproportionately impact working women. These include tipped wages (a wage that disproportionately impacts working women), paid sick and family leave, domestic worker protections, and collective bargaining for public teachers (a profession overwhelmingly comprised of women).

This map illustrates those disparities and points the way for states to do better for working women and their families.

Last updated: August 28, 2025

Methodology

All data is based on laws and policies in effect as of July 1, 2025.

The index is based on state policies in three dimensions: wages (20% of overall score); worker protections (60% of overall score); and rights to organize (20% of overall score).

View full spreadsheets of the data.

Wage policies

This dimension considers whether the state has raised the tipped minimum wage above the federal minimum of $2.13; women make up the vast majority of the tipped workforce.

  • What is the ratio of the tipped minimum wage to cost of living for one earner and two dependents?

Worker protection policies

This dimension considers policies affecting quality of life for working women, especially mothers. Among the data points in this dimension:

  • Mandate that pumping breaks for breastfeeding workers be paid breaks.
  • Mandates for equal pay, pay secrecy, and no salary history.
  • Mandates for paid family and sick leave.
  • Protections around flexible scheduling, reporting pay, split shift pay, advance notice.
  • Protections against sexual harassment.
  • Extension of workers’ rights and protections to domestic workers (a federally excluded labor group).

Right to organize policies

This dimension considers policies affecting public school teachers, more than three-quarters of whom are women.

  • Right to organize for public school teachers.