Womenâs earnings in the U.S. make up about 81% of menâs, according to Census Bureau data from the past several years. Though this figure has steadily grown over the course of decades, researchers predict the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could set back pay for women. Bureau of Labor Statistics data unequivocally shows that the COVID-19 crisis has had a disproportionate impact on womenâs participation in the labor force and unemployment, and many analysts theorize this will carry over to womenâs earnings.
In this study, SmartAsset uncovered the best cities for womenâs pay leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared the 150 largest U.S. across four metrics: median earnings for women, growth in womenâs earnings, womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings and the change in womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings. Both metrics that examine changes over time consider the years 2017 and 2019. For details on our data sources and how we put all the information together to create our final rankings, check out the Data and Methodology section below.
This is SmartAssetâs third annual study on the best cities for womenâs pay. Check out the 2020 version here.
Key Findings
1. Raleigh, NC
Raleigh, North Carolina ranks in the top quartile of cities for all four metrics in our study. It has the 32nd-highest median earnings for women (about $50,300), and womenâs earnings make up the 10th-highest percentage of menâs earnings (almost 96%). Between 2017 and 2019, Raleigh had the sixth-greatest increase in earnings for women (18.62%) and fourth-highest increase in womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings (13.05%).
2. Tacoma, WA
Women in Tacoma, Washington earn roughly $49,700 on average. Though this figure does not fall in the top fifth of the study, Tacoma ranks within the top 15 cities for our other three metrics: Womenâs earnings increased by more than 17% between 2017 and 2019 and womenâs earnings make up about 93% of menâs earnings â almost 10% higher than in 2017.
3. Huntington Beach, CA
Womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings increased the most in Huntington Beach, California compared to any other city in our study. Census Bureau data shows that the gender pay gap closed by almost 16% between 2017 and 2019. Huntington Beach also has the 12th-highest median earnings for women, at $61,148.
4. Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, California has the smallest pay gap of all 150 cities in our study. In 2019, womenâs earnings made up 99.05% of menâs earnings. This figure is 7.27% higher than it was 2017. As a gross figure, median earnings for women in Sacramento are about $50,400, 31st-highest of the cities we considered.
5. Jersey City, NJ
Earnings for women in Jersey City, New Jersey grew by the second-highest rate of any city in the study. Between 2017 and 2019, median womenâs earnings increased by 22.82%. As a result of that growth, 2019 median earnings for women in Jersey City are the seventh-highest overall, at $62,530.
6. St. Petersburg, FL
Womenâs earnings in St. Petersburg, Florida have grown substantially over the past couple years. In 2017, median earnings for women were less than $40,400, and in 2019, they were greater than $45,700 â marking a two-year growth of 13.39%, 19th-highest in our study. Relative to men, women in St. Petersburg earn about 8% less on average.
7. Honolulu, HI
Honolulu, Hawaii ranks in the top third of our study for all four metrics we considered. It has the 38th-highest median earnings for women (about $47,700) and ranks 45th-best for womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings (88.51%). Between 2017 and 2019, the capital of Hawaii had the 20th-greatest increase in womenâs earnings (13.24%) and 19th-largest change in womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings (almost 7%).
8. Portland, OR
From 2017 to 2019, median earnings for women in Portland, Oregon increased by 18.40% â the third-highest increase of any city in our top 10 and seventh-largest overall. With that increase, Portland has the 17th-highest 2019 median earnings for women, at more than $55,200.
9. Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, Maryland ranks in the top 20 cities of the study for two metrics: womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings (92.31%) and growth in womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings (6.47%). Census Bureau data from 2019 shows that median earnings for women in Baltimore are about $47,500, 39th-highest across all 150 cities in our study.
10. Boston, MA
Boston, Massachusetts rounds out our list of the top cities for womenâs pay. Womenâs earnings in Boston are the 11th-highest in our study, at roughly $61,700. Boston additionally ranks in the top 25 for womenâs earnings as a percentage of menâs earnings (91.88%) and the two-year growth in womenâs earnings (12.23%).
Data and Methodology
To find the best cities for womenâs pay, SmartAsset looked at the 150 largest cities in the U.S. We compared those cities across four metrics:
In all cases, earnings figures are for full-time workers 16 years and older.
To determine our final list, we ranked each city in every metric, giving a full weighting to all metrics. We then found each cityâs average ranking and used the average to determine a final score. The city with the best average ranking received a score of 100. The city with the lowest average ranking received a score of 0.
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Questions about our study? Contact us at [email protected].
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Source: smartasset.com