Seattle is having a pretty good year when it comes to women’s economic and health outcomes. According to a new report from personal-finance site WalletHub, Seattle ranks No. 2 among the best U.S. cities for women in 2026.
WalletHub compared 182 cities using 15 different measures, looking at everything from women’s earnings and unemployment to access to health care, hospital quality and overall well-being.
For Seattle women, the numbers are encouraging. Nearly 11% of women in the city live in poverty, giving Seattle the 25th-lowest rate nationwide. Women here also have a median annual wage of $50,138 after adjusting for the cost of living, which ranks 18th among the cities studied.
Seattle also stands out for entrepreneurship: The city has the seventh-highest percentage of women-owned businesses in the country.
Health is another area where Seattle scores well. Just 3.4% of women lack health insurance, the ninth-lowest percentage in WalletHub’s ranking. Women in Seattle also have the 11th-highest life expectancy at birth among the cities studied.
And if you’ve ever wondered whether all those Seattle walks, hikes and bike rides are making a difference, the numbers suggest they might be. Seattle has the second-highest percentage of physically active women in the country.
The city also has the 10th-lowest obesity rate among women, adding another positive mark for women’s health and wellness.
Overall, the report paints a favorable picture of Seattle for women, highlighting strong numbers across economic opportunity, health coverage, physical activity and other measures that can shape women’s quality of life.
These are the top 10 U.S. cities for women according to WalletHub:
- Columbia, MD
- Seattle, WA
- Fremont, CA
- South Burlington, VT
- Washington, DC
- San Francisco, CA
- Overland Park, KS
- Raleigh, NC
- Gilbert, AZ
- Santa Clarita, CA
You can see the full study on the WalletHub website.
