Girls’ sports participation is booming across the U.S, but depending on where you live, opportunities can look wildly different.

Some states offer tons of sports options, strong participation rates, and thriving athletic infrastructure. Others lag behind, with fewer programs and limited access for young athletes.

To find the best places for girls’ sports, we analyzed participation levels and opportunity gaps across the country to create a Girls’ Sports Opportunity Index—ranking states based on participation per capita, number of sports offered, gender parity, and pro sports presence.

Below are the Top 10 best states for girls’ sports in 2026.

Key Findings

• Minnesota ranks #1 overall thanks to the strongest all-around performance in the dataset, combining elite girls’ participation per capita with strong sport access and relatively strong gender parity.
• Michigan (#2) is the national leader in girls’ sports variety. With 60 girls’ sports offered, Michigan ranks near the top because it provides one of the broadest menus of athletic opportunities in the country.
• On average, there are 21 girls’ sports offered per state. California offers the most (66), while West Virginia offers the least (9).
• The lowest-ranked states for girls’ sports are Nevada, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and D.C., largely due to low participation, limited sport offerings, and minimal pro sports presence.
• Massachusetts and Connecticut lead in visibility of professional women’s sports relative to population, making them the best states for girls to see and aspire to higher-level women’s athletics.
• Volleyball is the most popular sport for girls in 23 states, followed by Track and Field (21 states) and Soccer (5 states).
• Ohio is the only state to have Competitive Spirit as the most popular girls' sport.

Below you can see the most popular girls' sport in each state:

Top 10 Best States for Girls’ Sports

1. Minnesota

Final Index Score: 66.57
Participating Girls: 101,441
Girls' Sports: 25
Most Popular Sport: Track and Field Outdoor

Minnesota ranks #1 overall thanks to one major advantage: girls participate at one of the highest per-capita rates in the entire country. Pair that with strong sport variety and a competitive athletic culture, and it’s clear why Minnesota leads the pack. Minnesota also benefits from being home to the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and the PWHL Minnesota Frost, showing young athletes women can compete at the highest levels. Minnesota's top 3 most popular girls' sports are track and field, volleyball, and softball.

Why it stands out: Highest all-around balance of participation, sport access, and parity.

2. Michigan

Final Index Score: 60.10
Participating Girls: 120,207
Girls' Sports: 60
Most Popular Sport: Volleyball

Michigan dominates in one huge category: sports variety. With 60 girls’ sports offered, it ranks among the most diverse states for opportunities—making it an ideal place for girls to try everything from traditional team sports to niche athletic programs. While Michigan offers a plethora of sports options, volleyball remains the most popular choice for girls in the Great Lake State.

Why it stands out: One of the largest selections of girls’ sports in the country.

3. Maine

Final Index Score: 57.23
Participating Girls: 20,265
Girls' Sports: 52
Most Popular Sport: Soccer

Maine might not be the first state people associate with powerhouse sports—but the numbers tell a different story. Maine ranks high because of strong participation per capita and an impressive breadth of sports offerings relative to its small population. Maine is one of only 5 states to have soccer as the most popular girls' sport.

Why it stands out: Small state, huge access.

4. Connecticut

Final Index Score: 52.56
Participating Girls: 48,012
Girls' Sports: 21
Most Popular Sport: Track and Field Outdoor

Connecticut is one of the strongest states for girls’ sports access and opportunity, boosted by high program availability and one of the highest pro sports-per-capita scores in the dataset—helping reinforce a strong overall sports culture. Connecticut girls are most likely to participate in track and field.

Why it stands out: Strong infrastructure + high opportunity.

5. Kentucky

Final Index Score: 50.02
Participating Girls: 52,318
Girls' Sports: 24
Most Popular Sport: Volleyball

Kentucky lands in the top five thanks to an impressive mix of participation and opportunity. It also scores relatively high in pro sports involvement per capita, signaling a state where athletics are culturally prioritized.

Why it stands out: Competitive sports culture and solid program availability.

6. Alaska

Final Index Score: 45.90
Participating Girls: 9,184
Girls' Sports: 25
Most Popular Sport: Volleyball

Alaska is one of the most surprising top-10 states. Despite geographic barriers, it ranks highly due to strong participation per capita and a relatively high sports access score compared to similarly sized states.

Why it stands out: High participation rates in a remote environment.

7. California

Final Index Score: 45.75
Participating Girls: 363,610
Girls' Sports: 66
Most Popular Sport: Soccer

California ranks high largely because of one major advantage: variety. The state offers 66 girls’ sports, one of the highest totals in the country. Even with a lower participation-per-capita rate than some smaller states, the opportunity scale is massive. California girls play soccer in the highest numbers.

Why it stands out: The biggest menu of sports opportunities in the U.S.

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8. Mississippi

Final Index Score: 45.61
Participating Girls: 53,593
Girls' Sports: 18
Most Popular Sport: Volleyball

Mississippi quietly performs extremely well in participation per capita—ranking among the highest states in the dataset. That strong participation rate lifts it into the top 10 overall.

Why it stands out: Girls show up and compete at elite rates.

9. Massachusetts

Final Index Score: 45.08
Participating Girls: 95,119
Girls' Sports: 20
Most Popular Sport: Track and Field Outdoor

Massachusetts scores well thanks to strong overall infrastructure and high pro sports presence per capita, reinforcing a state environment where athletics are visible, supported, and culturally valued.

Why it stands out: Pro sports culture + strong access.

10. Kansas

Final Index Score: 42.98
Participating Girls: 50,006
Girls' Sports: 18
Most Popular Sport: Volleyball

Kansas rounds out the top 10 due to one key factor: high participation per capita. The state also maintains a strong balance between opportunity and parity.

Why it stands out: Strong statewide participation culture.

The Worst States for Girls’ Sports 

While some states are thriving, others fall behind in participation, access, and opportunity.

These states ranked lowest overall:

• #51 Nevada (5.92)
• #50 West Virginia (10.53)
• #49 South Carolina (11.10)
• #48 North Carolina (11.68)
• #47 Washington, D.C. (11.88)
  

These rankings don’t necessarily mean girls aren’t talented there—it suggests they may have fewer programs, fewer options, or fewer pathways to participate.

The Bottom Line: The Best Girls’ Sports States Aren’t Always the Biggest

If you want the best environment for girls’ sports—where participation is high, opportunities are broad, and girls have access to a wide range of athletic programs—states like Minnesota, Michigan, and Maine are leading the way.

But the biggest story is this: some of the strongest girls’ sports states aren’t the ones with the biggest cities or the biggest budgets. Instead, they’re the ones building the most consistent participation culture statewide where girls have the opportunity to play sports and receive all the benefits that come with them.

The Best States For Girls' Sports, From Best To Worst

Methodology: How We Ranked the Best States for Girls’ Sports

To identify the best U.S. states for girls’ youth sports, we built a Girls’ Sports Opportunity Index using a combination of participation data, sport access, gender equity, and professional sports presence from the NFHS 2023–24 High School Athletics Participation Survey.

We evaluated each state across four key factors:

• Girls’ Sports Participation Per Capita

We measured how many girls participate in high school athletics relative to each state’s total population. Higher participation rates suggest stronger youth sports culture, greater access, and more opportunities for girls to compete.

• Number of Girls’ Sports Offered

We counted the number of sanctioned high school sports available to girls in each state. States offering a wider range of sports provide more pathways for participation beyond traditional options like basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

• Gender Equity in Sports Availability

To measure equity, we calculated the gap between the number of sports offered to girls versus boys. States with a smaller difference (meaning girls have access to nearly as many sports as boys) scored higher.

• Pro & Semi-Pro Women’s Sports Presence (Per Capita)

To capture the broader women’s sports ecosystem, we measured the number of professional and semi-professional women’s teams located in each state, adjusted for population size. States with more women’s teams per capita scored higher, reflecting stronger visibility, role models, and long-term pathways for girls in sports.

From there, each factor was normalized on a 0–100 scale to ensure fair comparisons across states of different sizes. We then combined all four metrics into a single composite score:

States were ranked from highest to lowest final index score to determine the overall best states for girls’ sports participation, access, and opportunity.

You can see the full dataset here.