3 Louisiana Cities Rank Among Nation’s Worst for Women in 2025
NEW ORLEANS, La. (KPEL News) — Three of Louisiana's largest cities rank among the worst places for women to live and work in America, according to WalletHub's comprehensive 2025 analysis of 182 cities nationwide.
The study took a look at economic, health, and safety factors that affect women and has determined that New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport are among the worst when it comes to caring for and providing opportunities for women.
What Louisiana Women Need to Know
WalletHub studied 182 cities using 15 different measures, including women's wages, unemployment rates, healthcare access, and safety. Louisiana's cities performed badly across the board.
New Orleans came in at 165th place overall. The city ranked 150th for economic opportunities and 124th for healthcare and safety. Women here face lower wages and fewer business ownership opportunities than in most other cities.
Baton Rouge did worse at 175th overall. The capital city earned the 4th-worst economic ranking (173rd) in the entire country. Healthcare and safety ranked better at 141st, but that's still poor compared to most cities.
Shreveport ranked lowest among Louisiana cities at 179th overall. The city scored poorly in both major areas - 171st for economic opportunity and 167th for healthcare and safety.
Economic Problems for Louisiana Women
Women nationwide earn around 85 cents for every dollar men earn, and only 22 out of 250 metro areas have women under 30 earning as much as men. Louisiana's cities do much worse than even these low numbers.
The data shows multiple problems:
- Lower wages for women after adjusting for living costs
- Higher unemployment among women than in better-performing cities
- Fewer women-owned businesses and limited opportunities
- Higher poverty rates among women in all three Louisiana cities
These money problems get worse over time. The pay gap between men and women grows as people age, making early career choices about where to live really important for long-term financial security.
Healthcare and Safety Problems
Louisiana's cities also struggle with healthcare access and safety issues that hurt women's lives:
- Limited women's healthcare services including basic preventive care
- Lower health insurance coverage among women
- Less access to specialized women's hospitals and gynecological care
- Safety concerns that limit where women feel comfortable going
Healthcare access matters more now because different states handle women's health issues very differently, including abortion access and other women's health services.
How Louisiana Compares to Better Cities
The gap between Louisiana cities and the best performers shows how bad things really are. Columbia, MD ranks first with women earning $61,778 per year on average and only 8.2% of women living in poverty. Seattle, WA comes in second with only 11% of women in poverty and strong numbers for women-owned businesses.
Top 5 Cities for Women:
- Columbia, MD (Score: 81.88)
- Seattle, WA (Score: 76.22)
- Overland Park, KS (Score: 72.83)
- Raleigh, NC (Score: 70.02)
- South Burlington, VT (Score: 69.77)
Louisiana Cities:
- New Orleans: 165th (Score: 42.39)
- Baton Rouge: 175th (Score: 37.42)
- Shreveport: 179th (Score: 34.24)
What This Means for Louisiana Families
These rankings matter for real decisions Louisiana families face about careers, education, and planning for the future. Young women starting careers might need to look at jobs in other states, while people already here might push for changes to improve things locally.
The money problems especially hurt family planning. Women's earning power directly affects how stable families are financially and what opportunities kids get. Healthcare access becomes crucial for having healthy pregnancies, family planning, and staying healthy long-term.
Ways Louisiana Could Improve
Based on the information in the study, these bad rankings point to specific areas where Louisiana cities could do better:
Economic Development:
- Help women start and grow businesses
- Fix wage gaps through better policies and job training
- Create job training programs aimed at women
- Make childcare more available so women can work
Better Healthcare:
- Add more women's healthcare services and preventive care
- Make health insurance cheaper and easier to get
- Support specialized women's health clinics
- Address high maternal death rates and poor health outcomes
Safety and Quality of Life:
- Improve public safety, especially for women
- Make transportation better and safer
- Create community programs that help women
- Make housing more affordable
Looking at the Bigger Picture
Louisiana's poor performance matches what's happening across much of the South, with many Southern cities ranking low for women's quality of life. But some Southern cities do much better - Atlanta, GA (14th), Charlotte, NC (16th), and Charleston, SC (43rd) prove that being in the South doesn't mean women have to struggle.
The study looked at both city-specific factors and state policies, including abortion laws and access. States with 20 types of abortion restrictions versus 10 protective policies got scored differently. These policy differences significantly affected the healthcare and safety scores.
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