Rankings: New Mexico among worst for women

(The Center Square) – New Mexico is among the worst states in the U.S. for women, ranking 42nd in a new study by personal finance website Wallethub.

“New Mexico is the tenth worst state for women,” Wallethub analysts Jill Gonzalez told The Center Square. “In terms of women’s economic and social well-being, the median earnings for female workers in the state are just above $26,000, among the lowest in the country, and over 20% of women are living in poverty, the third largest share nationwide. New Mexico also has a low high school graduation rate for women – 76%, as well as a low percentage of women who voted in the 2016 presidential election – just above 58%.”

To come up with its rankings, Wallethub compared the 50 states and Washington D.C. across 26 metrics that measure living standards for women, including median earnings for female workers, women’s preventive health care and the female homicide rate.

“Looking at health care and safety, we found that New Mexico lacks in the quality of women’s hospitals, and just over 65% of women say they have a personal doctor or health care provider,” Gonzalez said. “This is most likely one of the reasons that only about 77% of women report being in good health, and why the state ranks low for women’s preventive health care. Additionally, New Mexico has a high suicide rate for women, a high female homicide rate, and a high prevalence of rape among women.”

Minnesota ranked as the top state for women, followed by Maine and Vermont.

At the bottom of the rankings is Mississippi, followed by Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana.

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