Photo courtesy of Texas Women’s Foundation.
Lake Highlands-based nonprofit Texas Women’s Foundation released its Closing the Gaps to Economic Opportunity for Texas Women report and a searchable index tool on Tuesday, Oct. 27, allowing users to compare economic opportunity for women across 252 Texas counties.
The Texas Women’s Economic Opportunity Index provides county-level scores on a scale of one to 100 and will be updated as new data becomes available.
“This index helps identify where progress is being made, where gaps remain and where targeted action can help create a strong and vibrant Texas for all,” Karen Hughes White, president and CEO of Texas Women’s Foundation, said in a statement.
The index combines 12 measures across four areas to assess the conditions affecting women’s economic security, health, education and opportunities for advancement. Those areas include work and economic security, health and well-being, childcare and family, and education and workforce development, according to the foundation.
The report builds on data previously published in Texas Women’s Foundation’s Economic Issues for Women in Texas Report from 2014 to 2024.
According to the index, Dallas County scored 76.3 out of 100 overall, indicating relatively strong economic opportunities for women and families compared with other Texas counties.
The county scored 94.5 out of 100 in work and economic security and 92.1 out of 100 in workforce development and education. However, Dallas County scored 21.9 out of 100 in health and well-being, placing it among Texas counties with low scores in that category.
Dallas County also received a score of 41.2 out of 100 in childcare and family, indicating moderate access to childcare compared with other counties, according to the index.
The Texas Women’s Economic Opportunity Index and its searchable county-level data are available on the Texas Women’s Foundation’s website.
