Rankings

The state of Maryland ranks No. 1 for Gender Equality, according to U.S. News & World Report. The ranking is based on five categories: education, economy, health, representation and power, and family planning and care.

Maryland is the most diverse state on the East Coast and the third-most diverse state in the U.S. (excluding Washington D.C.).

When comparing 182 cities across 15 key indicators of living standards for women, WalletHub ranks Columbia as the #1 best city for women to thrive.

According to Lendio, Maryland has the lowest minority unemployment rate, the second-highest number of microloans per capita, the third-largest share of black-owned businesses, and the fifth-highest share of minority-owned businesses, making it a great state for minority entrepreneurs.

Minority-owned businesses thrive the most in Maryland. In Maryland, minority-owned companies have the fourth-highest pay per employee relative to all businesses. Over a quarter (25.4%) of companies in Maryland are minority-owned, the sixth-highest share in the U.S. Additionally, the state scores high for the longevity of its minority-owned businesses.

Towson University is North America’s #1 university for gender equality in education

Maryland tied with one other state for the lowest gender gap among tech workers at 38%.

Maryland ranks second in the percentage of women-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (23.5%).

Maryland ranked third in the ratio of Black or African American representation in the tech workforce (22%).

Baltimore places fourth among large metros where African Americans are doing the best economically. The ranking is based on average income, home ownership, and self-employment.