PROVIDENCE – Oxfam’s latest report on U.S. working conditions by state placed Rhode Island as the 14th best state for workers overall, and the 15th best for working women.
The U.K. charitable organization released its annual “Best and Worst States to Work in America 2023” index on Thursday, which saw the Ocean State rise one place from last year in each category from 2022, when it ranked 15th best overall and 16th best for working women.
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Oxfam determines the rankings based on 26 policies, all of which fall under the broader categories of wages, worker protections and rights to organize. The report includes the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and considers policies in place by July.
In the three highlighted categories, the report ranked Rhode Island 18th overall for wage policies, 12th for worker protections and 14th for rights to organize.
Like last year, Rhode Island placed below its New England neighbors, with the exception of New Hampshire. Massachusetts and Connecticut led the region at 6th and 7th overall, respectively, swapping places from the 2022 report.
Vermont ranked 11th overall, Maine 12th and New Hampshire 29th.
California, Oregon, Washington, D.C., New York and Washington rounded out the top five states for workers. North Carolina placed last, preceded by Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.
While the report shows a broad need for policy reform across the U.S., it again highlights stark regional disparities, noted Kaitlyn Henderson, senior research adviser at Oxfam America’s U.S. Domestic Policy Program and the report’s lead author.
“Millions of working families across the U.S. are stuck in cyclical patterns of poverty because of the federal government’s failure to provide essential policies like access to paid leave and livable wages,” Henderson said in a statement.
“But the impacts of this inaction are not affecting all communities equally. At the end of the day, it comes down to where these workers live and what jobs they have, and it’s clear that these realities are exacerbating inequality in the U.S., especially on lines of gender, race and class.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
