This article looks at 20 states with highest female to male ratio in the US and examines women’s representation in the workplace.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, around 50.5% of America’s population is female. The United States has had more women than men since 1946. However, gender discrimination continues to remain a major obstacle faced by women every day. A 2023 study by the PEW Research Center revealed that the gender pay gap in the country has not changed over the past two decades, with women earning about 82% of what men make.
READ ALSO: 25 Cities with Highest Female to Male Ratio in the World and 20 Countries in the World With the Most Female Billionaires.
The gap is narrower among younger workers, with women between 25 and 34 making an average of 92 cents for every $1 earned by a man from the same age group. Several notable corporations are taking affirmative action to increase women’s representation in the workforce and reduce pay disparity. A recent report by McKinsey noted that women today make up 29% of C-suite positions, up from just 17% in 2015.
In its 2024 Global Diversity & Inclusion Report released in October, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) shared that the representation of women in its workforce increased by 40 basis points year-over-year to 31.6%. Moreover, the role of women in technical roles stood at 27.2%, up from 26.7% in the year prior. The company is also committed to the principle of pay equity.
Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) in 2017 announced an ambitious plan to reach a gender-balanced workforce by 2025. It appears to be on track to meet its goal. About 48% of its current global workforce comprises women, helped by 52% of all new hires being females. Additionally, 45% of its board of directors and 30% of its managing directors are women. Considering Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN)’s commitment to parity and inclusivity, it is ranked as the sixth-best workplace in the world by Fortune for 2024.
During its most recent Q4 2024 earnings call on September 26, the professional services company highlighted achieving gender equality in its advanced technology centers in India and reiterated its adherence to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Revenue for the full year was posted at $65 billion, representing a 2% growth from fiscal 2023. Adjusted operating margin expanded by 10 basis points and EPS also registered a 2% year-over-year increase.
The strong financial performance has raised investor optimism around the stock. According to Insider Monkey’s database for Q3 2024, 60 hedge funds held a stake in Accenture. Wall Street analysts are also bullish on the stock, with a consensus Buy rating and an average share price upside potential of 4.84%.
While we acknowledge the potential of ACN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ACN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Methodology
For this article, we obtained sex population data for all states in the U.S. from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates 2023 (download date: December 10, 2024). Using the data, we calculated the female-to-male ratio, per 100 males, for each state and then listed the top 20 states in ascending order of their respective ratios.
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20 States with Highest Female to Male Ratio in the US:
20. Missouri
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 102.70
Missouri is home to nearly 6.2 million people, with females representing 50.67% of the overall population. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in the state had median weekly earnings of $915, well below the median weekly earnings of their male counterparts ($1,091).
19. Ohio
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 102.72
Over half of Ohio’s population is female. According to the Census Bureau, around 18% of all employer firms in the state are women-owned. It is among the states with the highest female to male to ratio in the US.
18. Pennsylvania
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 102.86
Pennsylvania is home to approximately 13 million people, of which 50.71% are women. About 57.1% of the women in the state are part of the workforce. Lima, a census-designated place in Pennsylvania’s Delaware County ranks 11th in the world among cities with the highest female-to-male ratio.
17. Arkansas
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 102.87
Arkansas is next on our list of states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. The state has a population of close to 3.1 million, of which about 1.55 million are females. According to Women in the States – a website that provides data on women’s progress across states – females in Arkansas earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by a male.
16. New Jersey
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 103.16
The northeastern U.S. state of New Jersey is among the states with the highest female to male ratio. Women comprise 50.8% of the state’s population, according to the Census Bureau, and own around 19% of all employer firms in New Jersey. Moreover, the labor participation rate for women in the state is 57.5%, as of 2022.
15. Florida
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 103.40
With a population of over 22.6 million residents, Florida is the third most populated state in the U.S. Women in the state account for nearly 51% of the population, and contribute significantly to Florida’s economy through business ownership and participation in the labor force.
14. Connecticut
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 103.70
Next up is the state of Connecticut, situated in southern New England. It is one of the states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. It has an impressive 60.6% rate of female participation in the labor workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women also own over 12,000 businesses in the state.
13. Maine
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 103.72
About 51% of Maine’s population comprises women, making it one of the states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. While a sizable number of women are part of the labor workforce in Maine, the gender pay gap continues to remain a challenge. According to Women of the State, the median annual earning of men is $8,000 higher than women.
12. Tennessee
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 103.79
Tennessee is a landlocked American state, located in the south. It has a population of over 7.1 million, of which around 51% are women. Despite being more in number, women face disparities in earnings. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2023, women who worked full-time had median usual weekly earnings of $905, compared to $1,123 for their male counterparts.
11. North Carolina
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 103.98
North Carolina is among the states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. Approximately 56.1% of the women are part of the state’s labor workforce. Women also own about 20% of all businesses in North Carolina. The state has made great progress in reducing the gender pay gap. Its women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has improved considerably, from a low of 75.6% in 1999 to 85.7% in 2022.
10. Louisiana
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 104.54
Louisiana is one of the poorest states in the U.S., with a high poverty rate and challenging economic conditions, which has meant that locals struggle to make ends meet. The situation is much more difficult for working women, who make only 77.3 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts in Louisiana.
9. Massachusetts
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 104.65
Massachusetts is home to over 7 million people, of which 51.14% are females. It became the first state in the U.S., in 1945, to pass the equal pay law. However, the gap persists. Full-time working women in the state make up only 84.3% of what men earn.
8. Rhode Island
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 104.66
Rhode Island, situated in New England, is popular for its colonial towns and sandy coastlines. It is among the states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. According to the Census Bureau, there are over 4,000 women-owned employer firms in Rhode Island, representing 17.5% of all businesses in the state.
7. New York
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 104.89
New York is home to over 19.5 million residents, of which 51.2% are female. In March this year, the state’s Department of Labor recognized the ongoing challenges associated with gender pay gaps and reiterated its commitment to achieving pay equity. New York has made great strides in reducing the gap, which is now narrower than the national average. Women in the state earn 87.5 cents for every dollar earned by a male.
6. Georgia
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 105.06
Next on our list of states with the highest female to male ratio in the US is Georgia. More than 5.6 million women reside in the state, accounting for 51.23% of its population. It has a female labor force participation rate of 55.8%. Moreover, women run nearly 36,000 employer firms in Georgia, representing 21% of all businesses in the state.
5. Maryland
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 106.00
Maryland is a Mid-Atlantic state, known for its coastlines and waterways. It has the fifth highest female to male ratio in the country, with 106 females for every 100 males. There are nearly 3.2 million women in the state, with a labor force participation rate of 59.3%.
4. South Carolina
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 106.28
South Carolina is fourth in our list of states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. Despite outnumbering their male counterparts, women lag when it comes to salaries and wages. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time female wage and salary workers have median weekly incomes of $921, well below $1,075 per week for men.
3. Mississippi
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 106.31
The southern U.S. state of Mississippi has a population of around 2.94 million, of which 51.53% are women. Of these, only 51.1% are part of the labor workforce. As far as business ownership is concerned, about 16% of employer firms in the state are owned by women.
2. Alabama
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 106.67
Alabama is home to several major landmarks from the American Civil Rights Movement. However, it has one of the highest gender pay gaps in the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in the state earn only 80.5% of what their male counterparts make.
1. Delaware
Female to Male Ratio (per 100 males): 106.79
Delaware tops the charts for states with the highest female to male ratio in the US. The state has a population of a little over one million. According to the Census Bureau, 51.64% of the population comprises women. Females in the state have a workforce participation rate of 57% and own 16% of all employer firms in the state.
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