Bussiness
Ohio is the worst state for women in business in the US, according to study. Here’s why
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Black women are leaving corporate America to start their own businesses
Black women are leaving corporate America to start businesses. Reporter Erica Thompson talks with Jennifer Walton, who owns Sky Nile Consulting.
Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio is home to many businesses on the Fortune 500 list and is a great place to start a small business.
But according to a study by business building experts at Wix.com, Ohio is the worst state to be in if you’re a woman in business.
Here’s why Ohio lands at the bottom of the list.
Why did Ohio rank among the worst states for women in business in the U.S.?
This study looked at all 50 states and analyzed five categories: Female-to-male ratios across management occupations, top executives, and financial managers, along with the total number of companies per 100k people and business survival rates.
Ohio ranked as the worst place for women in business, earning a score of 5.51 out of 10. South Dakota, the second-worst state, scored a 5.71.
In addition to the overall score, Ohio earned low marks in other areas:
- 0.37 female-to-male ratio among top executives, sixth-worst in the study
- 1.04 female-to-male ratio in financial managers, which was eighth-worst
- 0.71 female-to-male ratio in management positions, tied for 14th-worst in the rankings
Ohio also has 1,339 companies per 100,000 people (only Mississippi was worse at 1,332) and a 76.55% business survival rate, which was actually one of the best in the rankings.
Ohio may be the worst state for women in business, but several employers buck the trends. Cincinnati’s Procter & Gamble, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, and Cleveland-based Progressive Insurance are some of the best employers for women in the U.S.
And the Buckeye State still ranks as the best place in the country to start a small business and is home to several companies on the Fortune 500 list, including Cardinal Health, Nationwide, Marathon Petroleum, Procter & Gamble and Kroger.
Rankings in the Midwest: How Indiana and Kentucky fared for women in business
Indiana (5.73) took third place as the worst state for women in business, not too far from Ohio, while West Virginia (6.18) was No. 6 and Kentucky (6.21) took the No. 8 spot.
The top 5 best and worst states for women in business
According to the Wix.com analysis, these were the five best and five worst states for women in business.
Top 5 best states for women in business
- Vermont (8.91)
- Massachusetts (8.68)
- Rhode Island (8.68)
- Maryland (8.50)
- New Mexico (8.45)
Top 5 worst states for women in business
- Ohio (5.51)
- South Dakota (5.71)
- Indiana (5.73)
- Louisiana (5.79)
- Alabama (6.10)