Columbia, Md., is the best U.S. city for women, according to a Sept. 22 ranking from WalletHub. Columbia earned the No. 1 spot for having the highest median earnings for women, adjusted for cost of living, as well as the eighth-lowest female poverty rate in the country. The city also has the 10th-best female life expectancy at birth and the third-highest share of women who have received a mammogram in the past two years.

To compile its 2025 “Best & Worst Cities for Women” list, the personal finance website compared 182 cities — the 150 most populous in the U.S. and at least two of the most populous cities in each state — across two key areas: women’s healthcare and safety and women’s economic and social well-being. Metrics analyzed include quality of women’s hospitals, female uninsured ra

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