Now in its sixth edition, Oxfam’s annual index highlights widening policy gaps among states.
Ahead of Labor Day, Oxfam, the global organization fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice, released its annual Best States to Work Index (BSWI), a robust database and interactive map that measure policies supporting working families in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This year, the District of Columbia earned the top spot in the index as the “best” state for workers, followed closely by California (#2), Oregon (#3), New York (#4), and Washington (#5). By contrast, North Carolina falls at the very bottom of the index as the “worst” state for the third year in a row, followed by Mississippi (#51), Georgia (#50), Alabama (#49), and South Carolina (#48).
The index tracks 27 policies across three dimensions—wages, worker protections, and rights to organize—that seek to capture which states have stepped in to fill the gaps left by federal inaction to support low-wage workers and working families. Building on previous iterations of the index, BSWI 2024 measures one new policy on warehouse worker protections, as the increased use of technology to monitor workers and implement quota systems has led to increased worker injuries in warehouses. The inclusion of this new policy in the index helped solidify the strong performance of the five states with warehouse worker protection laws on the books, including California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
“As part of Oxfam’s mission to combat inequality around the world, our Best States to Work Index is an important tool in our ongoing fight against working poverty and the unfair labor practices we see in our own backyard here in the United States. Too many working families across the country are struggling to make ends meet, and our government must do more to support them: it’s time to raise wages, strengthen worker protections and protect the right to organize across the country,” said Abby Maxman, President and CEO of Oxfam America.
“When states invest in strong labor policy landscapes, it pays off in a serious way. Measures of both worker wellbeing and economic outlook are strongly correlated with high placement on our index, and it’s clear these policies benefit everyone,” said Dr. Kaitlyn Henderson, report author and senior researcher at Oxfam America. “Continued federal inaction on basic things like living wages and paid leave has trapped millions of families across the U.S. in cycles of working poverty and exacerbated inequality along lines of race, class, and gender. Federal policymakers should take inspiration from the states at the top of our index. We have the models, and we know they work.”
The top five states in the index feature some of the strongest minimum wages in the country, provide paid leave, and ensure rights to organize in private and public sectors; three of the five (California, Oregon, and Washington) have heat standards for outdoor workers as well as warehouse worker protections. On the end of the spectrum, the five bottom states all have a minimum wage stuck at the federal level of $7.25, lack paid leave provisions, and have so-called “right-to-work” laws in place.
For the most part, state rankings have stayed within a few points of the 2023 index, underscoring the importance of federal policy change to move the needle for all workers, regardless of location within the United States. However, outside of the top five states, Minnesota continues to distinguish itself in 2024 as one of the few that has eliminated the subminimum tipped wage, passed paid leave, and also passed a warehouse worker protection policy – all of which pushed Minnesota up to #11 from #17 in 2023.
Together with BSWI, Oxfam also released the fourth edition of the Best States for Working Women, which ranks states based on policies that either directly or disproportionately support women workers, such as equal pay, flexible scheduling, and paid leave. In this Index, Oregon is the “best” state for working women, followed by New York (#2), California (#3), the District of Columbia (#4), and Illinois (#5).
The Best States to Work Index is meant to inspire a race to the top for all states and serve as an advocacy tool to help policymakers identify areas for improvement. Workers need more robust protections at both the state and federal levels. Oxfam recommends a suite of urgent policy initiatives to help support workers and their families, including:
Raise Wages: Oxfam calls on policymakers to raise the wage at both the state and federal levels. Subminimum tipped wages should be abolished, minimum wage exclusions of certain workers must end, and the minimum wage needs to be lifted.
Strengthen Worker Protections: We need more robust worker protections at the state and federal levels, including paid family and medical leave, stronger equal pay laws, heat protection standards, paid pumping breaks, and protections for domestic workers.
Protect Rights to Organize: The federal government must protect and expand workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain. States must repeal “right-to-work" laws, which undermine worker power; protect public employees’ rights to collectively bargain; and extend organizing rights to excluded workers.
Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. The future is equal. Join us at oxfamamerica.org.
/ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Download the full report, “Best and Worst States to Work in the U.S. 2024,” here.
Explore the BSWI 2024 interactive map and state scorecards here.
Explore the “Best and Worst States for Working Women” interactive map here.