Table 4.1

How the States Measure Up: Women’s Status on the Poverty & Opportunity Composite Index and Its Components   

Composite Index

Percent of Women 18–64 Years Old with Health Insurance, 2013

Percent of Women with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older, 2013

Percent of Businesses That are Women- Owned, 2007

Percent of Women Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older, 2013

State

Score

Rank

Grade

Percent

Rank

Percent

Rank

Percent

Rank

Percent

Rank

Alabama

6.62

45

D–

81.2%

32

23.5%

46

28.1%

19

81.4%

46

Alaska

7.28

12

B–

78.0%

41

33.2%

12

25.9%

35

91.0%

1

Arizona

6.75

35

D+

78.6%

38

26.8%

35

28.1%

19

82.6%

38

Arkansas

6.36

50

F

77.4%

43

20.7%

50

24.5%

49

81.6%

45

California

7.03

23

C

78.6%

38

30.9%

18

30.3%

9

84.0%

32

Colorado

7.42

8

B–

83.3%

23

37.5%

4

29.2%

13

87.0%

12

Connecticut

7.56

4

B

88.8%

8

37.4%

5

28.1%

19

89.4%

4

Delaware

7.08

19

C

88.0%

9

29.3%

23

25.9%

35

87.0%

12

District of Columbia

8.00

1

A–

94.3%

2

53.5%

1

34.5%

1

81.1%

47

Florida

6.77

34

D+

73.8%

50

26.7%

36

28.9%

14

83.7%

33

Georgia

6.83

31

D+

75.5%

47

28.7%

26

30.9%

5

81.7%

43

Hawaii

7.52

5

B

90.8%

5

32.6%

14

31.0%

4

89.3%

5

Idaho

6.64

43

D

77.7%

42

25.4%

41

23.5%

50

84.8%

27

Illinois

7.24

14

C+

84.2%

21

32.7%

13

30.5%

6

85.5%

24

Indiana

6.72

37

D

81.9%

31

23.9%

44

26.8%

31

84.1%

31

Iowa

6.97

26

C–

89.3%

7

26.7%

36

25.5%

43

86.3%

19

Kansas

7.12

17

C+

83.0%

25

31.2%

17

27.5%

25

86.5%

15

Kentucky

6.46

48

D–

80.0%

34

22.7%

47

25.6%

41

80.9%

48

Louisiana

6.47

47

D–

76.4%

45

23.8%

45

27.3%

26

80.0%

49

Maine

7.08

19

C

86.8%

14

29.9%

22

25.6%

41

87.0%

12

Maryland

7.74

2

B+

88.0%

9

38.1%

3

32.6%

2

89.6%

3

Massachusetts

7.73

3

B+

96.2%

1

40.3%

2

29.8%

11

87.8%

9

Michigan

6.97

26

C–

85.8%

18

26.9%

33

30.4%

7

83.6%

35

Minnesota

7.39

9

B–

90.9%

4

34.0%

11

26.8%

31

88.7%

8

Mississippi

6.18

51

F

76.2%

46

21.6%

49

26.9%

30

75.7%

51

Missouri

6.82

32

D+

82.9%

27

27.1%

31

26.1%

33

84.2%

29

Montana

6.73

36

D

78.3%

40

30.0%

20

24.6%

48

82.4%

41

Nebraska

7.10

18

C

85.7%

19

30.7%

19

25.7%

40

87.1%

11

Nevada

6.69

39

D

74.3%

48

22.2%

48

28.6%

16

85.3%

25

New Hampshire

7.45

6

B–

86.0%

16

35.6%

9

25.8%

39

90.8%

2

New Jersey

7.38

11

B–

83.1%

24

35.8%

7

27.3%

26

88.9%

7

New Mexico

6.64

43

D

74.3%

48

27.0%

32

31.7%

3

78.5%

50

New York

7.28

12

B–

87.6%

12

34.5%

10

30.4%

7

84.2%

29

North Carolina

6.82

32

D+

79.4%

35

28.5%

28

28.2%

17

82.6%

38

North Dakota

6.97

26

C–

87.6%

12

28.2%

29

24.7%

47

86.4%

18

Ohio

6.90

30

C–

85.9%

17

25.9%

39

27.7%

23

84.7%

28

Oklahoma

6.57

46

D–

76.7%

44

24.0%

43

25.3%

45

83.3%

36

Oregon

6.99

25

C

80.8%

33

30.0%

20

29.7%

12

83.7%

33

Pennsylvania

7.07

21

C

88.0%

9

28.6%

27

27.0%

29

86.5%

15

Rhode Island

7.17

15

C+

86.5%

15

32.0%

16

27.3%

26

86.2%

21

South Carolina

6.67

41

D

79.4%

35

25.5%

40

27.6%

24

81.9%

42

South Dakota

6.68

40

D

82.0%

30

26.4%

38

22.1%

51

84.9%

26

Tennessee

6.65

42

D

82.7%

28

24.8%

42

25.9%

35

82.5%

40

Texas

6.72

37

D

71.7%

51

27.4%

30

28.2%

17

83.2%

37

Utah

6.95

29

C–

83.0%

25

28.9%

24

24.9%

46

86.5%

15

Vermont

7.39

9

B–

93.3%

3

37.2%

6

26.0%

34

86.3%

19

Virginia

7.44

7

B–

84.5%

20

35.8%

7

30.1%

10

87.7%

10

Washington

7.17

15

C+

82.1%

29

32.4%

15

28.7%

15

86.1%

23

West Virginia

6.45

49

D–

79.1%

37

19.1%

51

28.0%

22

81.7%

43

Wisconsin

7.05

22

C

89.4%

6

28.8%

25

25.9%

35

86.2%

21

Wyoming

7.03

23

C

83.4%

22

26.9%

33

25.5%

43

89.1%

6

United States

7.00

81.5%

29.7%

28.8%

84.5%

Note: Figures on women’s and men’s business ownership (see Appendix Table B4.1) do not add to 100 percent because they do not include firms that are jointly owned by women and men and those that are publicly held.

Sources: Data on health insurance, educational attainment, and poverty are based on IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Version 5.0). Data on women-owned business are from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2007 Survey of Business Owners accessed through American Fact Finder (IWPR 2015b).