In a recent study by personal finance website WalletHub, Georgia cities fared poorly in a nationwide ranking of the best and worst places for women in 2024. The report, which compared 182 cities across the United States based on 15 key metrics, focused on factors such as women’s economic status, health, and safety.
The Details: Columbus and Augusta were among the bottom 10 cities in the ranking. Columbus ranked 173rd, while Augusta placed even lower at 179th. The study examined metrics like median earnings for women, unemployment rates, access to women’s hospitals, and preventative health care. These two major cities in Georgia face significant challenges in these areas, according to the data.
The study’s findings suggest that women in these cities may have fewer economic opportunities and less access to essential health services compared to those in top-ranking cities. For example, Columbia, Maryland, which ranked first overall, has the highest adjusted median earnings for female workers. This stands in sharp contrast to Georgia cities at the lower end of the list.
In Context: The cities that ranked highest are largely located in more affluent areas with strong healthcare systems, like Columbia, Maryland, and Fremont, California. On the other hand, the cities ranked lowest, including Columbus and Augusta, tend to struggle with higher poverty rates and unemployment for women, factors that significantly impact quality of life.
Additionally, regions like South Burlington, Vermont, reported the lowest rates of uninsured women, which is a key indicator of access to healthcare. Meanwhile, Brownsville, Texas, which ranked 180th overall, had the highest uninsured rate—one of the factors contributing to its low ranking. Augusta, Georgia’s similar challenges in access to healthcare likely contributed to its poor performance in the study.
Why It Matters: This report brings to light the ongoing disparity in women’s economic and health conditions across different parts of the United States. Cities like Columbus and Augusta could benefit from targeted policy changes aimed at improving access to healthcare, increasing job opportunities for women, and addressing the wage gap.
As the conversation about gender equality continues nationwide, this study serves as a reminder that significant work remains to be done in cities like those in Georgia, where the conditions for women’s health and economic prosperity are particularly difficult.
What’s Next? The WalletHub study provides a comprehensive look at the challenges women face across U.S. cities, offering a potential roadmap for policymakers. For cities like Columbus and Augusta, this data can serve as a starting point for discussions on how to improve economic and healthcare conditions for women.
For more information on how other cities performed or to explore the full report, visit WalletHub’s report.
