These are the U.S. states where women are the most—and least—likely to wield power

Emma Hinchliffe

Joey Abrams

Good morning! Alex Cooper signs a deal with the NWSL, Kamala Harris is reportedly considering a run for governor of California, and how powerful you can be may depend on where you live. &#8211; Power moves. If you want to be a woman with power and influence in the U.S., consider living in Washington, D.C. <div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



That&#8217;s the finding of a <a href="https://futureforwardwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Final-FFW-Power-and-Influence-Index-Report-1.pdf">new report</a> called the U.S. Women&#8217;s Power and Influence Index. The report by the organization Future Forward Women and unveiled in partnership with <a href="https://wearethemeteor.com/">the Meteor</a> ranks the 50 U.S. states (plus D.C.) from most to least likely to foster power and influence for women. States were assigned scores across a variety of factors. For economic power, women&#8217;s labor force participation, union membership, unemployment, education, median earnings, and poverty rates were the key criteria. For women&#8217;s health and wellbeing, maternal mortality rates, insurance coverage, sexual harassment, and reproductive rights contributed to final scores. And for women&#8217;s political power, the report tracked the number of women serving in national and statewide elected office as well as women&#8217;s voting power.



The nation&#8217;s capital comes out on top. Women in D.C. earn more—a median income of $87,000—than women anywhere else. While this research was conducted during the Biden administration, report author C. Nicole Mason says she doesn&#8217;t expect D.C.&#8217;s ranking to slip because of the Trump administration. &#8220;D.C. is ranked first in part because of its great women-and-family friendly policies and the number of women in power, holding a significant number of leadership positions,&#8221; she explains. &#8220;Women in the District also have the highest earnings in the nation, and high levels of educational attainment.&#8221; Oregon fares well too, with the highest ranking for women&#8217;s political and legislative power. 



Rather, Mason expects women in states ranked last to suffer over the next four years because of cuts to federal programs like <a href="https://fortune.com/company/snap/" target="_blank">SNAP</a>. Coming in last place in this index is Alabama, where women face great challenges accessing economic and political power. However, solely based on economic criteria, Mississippi in fact fares worse than Alabama. 



While the report covers issues of general health and wellbeing, it makes the connection between women&#8217;s overall support in a state and their level of influence. Where women&#8217;s basic wellbeing is in question, women are less likely to wield power. 



Mason hopes the project makes clear the different realities facing women in different parts of the U.S. right now. &#8220;Women’s health, economic well-being, safety and political power hinges on the state they reside in,&#8221; she says. &#8220;This shouldn’t be the case.&#8221; 



Emma Hinchliffe <a href="mailto:emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com">emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com</a>



The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today’s edition was curated by Joey Abrams. Subscribe <a href="https://fortune.com/newsletters/mpw-daily?">here</a>.<h3>ALSO IN THE HEADLINES</h3>- Ready to race again. Sources close to Politico have signaled that Kamala Harris is weighing a run for governor of California in 2026. A recent poll in the state found that 57% of voters were prepared to vote for her if she entered the race. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/07/kamala-harris-california-governor">The Guardian</a>
- Sri Lanka’s first her-tel. A new resort in Sri Lanka that’s entirely staffed by women is trying to bring more women into the country’s male-dominated hospitality industry. “This is a place where women can realize their potential. They will not be inside the shell. Instead, they will come out and try to perform better,” said Jeewanthi Adikari, who runs the resort’s operations. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sri-lanka-tourism-women-hotel-1812d3dcc7031ca09a2283dc1ead8050?utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;s=31">AP</a>
- Warren’s warnings. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Trump’s AI and crypto czar David Sacks on Friday demanding that he disclose any potential conflicts of interest. In the letter, Warren references Sacks’ time spent at Craft Ventures, which has backed multiple crypto companies. <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/07/trump-warren-sacks-crypto-czar-reserve-stockpile">Axios</a>
- Alex Cooper scores soccer deal. The National Women’s Soccer League announced that it has signed a season-long deal with Unwell Hydration, the beverage brand of “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper. The partnership will see Cooper, described by NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman as the “Gen Z whisperer,” attend games and promote the league. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/womens-soccer-league-signs-sponsorship-with-gen-z-whisperer-alex-cooper-50225d17?mod=latest_headlines">Wall Street Journal</a>
<h3>MOVERS AND SHAKERS</h3>Direct Relief, the fifth largest charity in the U.S., appointed Amy Weaver as CEO. Weaver is currently the outgoing finance chief of Salesforce, where she served 12 years and made the rare jump from chief legal officer to CFO. Weaver begins her tenure at Direct Relief in early May.
AI4ALL, a nonprofit focused on diversity and inclusion in the AI space, appointed Tess Posner as interim CEO. Posner was the organization’s founding CEO from 2017 to 2021 and currently sits on its board of directors.
CoinFund, a crypto investment firm, named Margaret Gabriel chief people officer. She was previously the firm’s head of people at talent.
Rivian named Sreela Venkataratnam chief accounting officer. Most recently, she was VP of finance and business operations at Tesla.
Exchange Bank appointed Holly Hawkins as SVP and CHRO. She most recently served as SVP, human resources at Vintage Wine Estates.
Meridian Capital Group, which provides real estate financial services, appointed Amy Heller as a senior managing director. Most recently, Heller founded and served as president and co-chief lending officer of Forbright Bank’s healthcare and housing and urban development lending divisions.
<h3>ON MY RADAR</h3>Switzerland told it must do better on climate after older women’s ECHR win <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/07/switzerland-do-better-climate-older-womens-echr-win-human-rights">The Guardian</a>
Justice Amy Coney Barrett ignites anger on the right after ruling against Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/06/amy-coney-barrett-trump-criticism-supreme-court/">Washington Post</a>
Millennial moms want more kids—they just can’t afford them <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-kids-birth-rates-rising-costs-student-loan-debt-2025-3">Business Insider</a>
<h3>PARTING WORDS</h3>“It’s healthier to not have a dividing line and to integrate those two things into one whole human being. The healthiest thing for me was owning that I’m a female artist and that living an artistic life was my choice.”
— Lady Gaga on <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c981w6zexj2o">finding a way to balance the private and artistic aspects of her life</a></div>

Future Forward Women measured women's wellbeing and power state by state.

The U.S. states where women wield power

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