The Best & Worst Cities For Equal Pay In America

GoodHire analyzed data from the 100 largest US cities, by population size, to reveal the best cities for equal pay; where the smallest and largest American gender pay gaps exist; cities that offer the highest earning potential for women; and much more.

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In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered job loss in the labor market on a scale not seen since the Great Depression. Since then, the employment situation has improved and a new report estimates the labor market will fully recover all jobs lost during the pandemic by August 2022. 

While the US approaches a major jobs milestone, it’s important to remember that much has changed since March 2020 when COVID-19 upended our lives, the workplace, and the workforce as we knew it. 

One group that was disproportionately impacted by the pandemic is women. Nearly 2.3 million women left their jobs between February 2020 and February 2021, according to Fortune. Furthermore, women with children were three times more likely to lose their jobs early on in the pandemic than fathers, according to one analysis. 

But as COVID-19 fears lessen for many Americans, and schools and childcare facilities return to full capacity and normal hours, women who have long-served critical roles in the workforce are returning to the job market. This is great news for organizations that are struggling to hire in an extremely tight and competitive labor market. 

How can employers adapt their recruiting and hiring efforts to meet the new expectations of today’s candidates and attract top talent—both women and men—who are looking for better work-life balance, fair and flexible work arrangements, higher wages, improved benefits, and other important aspects of employment?

One way to set your organization apart from the competition is to prioritize pay equity as a business goal–and many businesses are taking note. A recent Payscale survey showed 66% of organizations are planning a pay equity analysis in 2022, the first year this type of initiative has been planned by over half of surveyed organizations. Businesses that offer equal pay are more effective in creating a competitive workforce which leads to many organizational benefits: demonstrating key values to employees, attracting top talent, increasing motivation, improving retention, and aligning corporate social responsibilities. 

To find out where US organizations are having the most success in closing the gender pay gap, GoodHire ranked America’s most opportunistic cities for women workers by analyzing US Census Bureau data for the largest 100 cities based on population size. 

After ranking cities by the ratio of the female median income to male median income, we also analyzed the median earnings of all full-time workers, both male and female median annual income, the total number of males and females making $100,000 or more, and the total number of extra days women would have to work in each city to achieve equal pay. 

Let’s take a look at the data.

Are Some Cities Finally Closing In On Equal Pay?

Here’s a look at the US cities with the largest and smallest gender pay gaps. 

Above you’ll see that Los Angeles, CA is the big winner, showcasing the smallest gender pay gap in America with women earning 91% of what men earn. In the City of Angels, women would have to work 25 days more than men to earn equal pay. 

Rounding out the top-five and joining Los Angeles with some of the smallest gender pay gaps are Durham, NC, Fresno, CA, Fort Myers, FL, and Miami, FL. 

Others in the top-ten for smallest gender pay gaps are Las Vegas, NV, Winston-Salem, NC, Springfield, MA, San Diego, CA, and Albuquerque, NM. 

While equal pay still doesn’t exist across the country — the national average shows that women earn only 81% of what men earn — 40 additional cities join the top-10 list in exceeding the national average for the women-to-men equal pay ratio.

On the other end of the spectrum, we find that some cities have a much longer way to go when it comes to equal pay. 

Struggling at the bottom are lowest-ranked Provo, UT, Baton Rouge, LA, Ogden, UT, San Jose, CA, and Detroit, MI. Joining them in places six through ten are Augusta, GA, Tulsa, OK, Salt Lake City, UT, Pittsburgh, PA, and Oklahoma City, OK. 

The gender pay gap is a real and concerning issue, but as many women search for work in the post-pandemic world, there are clearly some cities that provide higher earning potential and are getting closer to achieving equal pay. 

To view more detailed data about the gender pay gaps by city, please view the full data set at the end of this report.

Where Women Can Earn Highest Salaries In The US

The data shows that gender pay gaps clearly exist across the country, but this doesn’t mean women can’t carve out promising careers and high earnings in the US. Additionally, many cities have shown great improvement from 1960 when women earned just 60 cents for every dollar earned by men. 

Regardless of what men earn, it’s still important to be aware of the best cities for women seeking to earn high wages. To find out, we analyzed median salaries across the country. 

To start, two California cities—San Jose and San Francisco—boast the highest median salaries for women at just over $70,000 annually. Rounding out the top-five are Washington, DC, Stamford, CT, and Boston, MA. 

Women looking for median salaries of more than $53,000, should look no further than the rest of the top-ten list: Seattle, WA, New York, NY, Hartford, CT, Baltimore, MD, and Poughkeepsie, NY. 

For a complete list of median income by city, see the full data set at the end of this report. 

Moving on, let’s take a look at some of the cities where women are earning more than the national median salary and into the six-figure range. 

Where Women Are Most Likely To Earn Six-Figures

Looking at the map above, you’ll see that for women in the US, geography plays a big factor in securing a six-figure (or greater) salary. Let’s look at which cities offer the highest earning potential for women. 

Again, our data reveals that San Jose, CA and San Francisco, CA are the top cities for women who are looking to make $100,000 or more. In San Jose, 34% of all women earn $100,000 or more, while 31% do the same in San Francisco. 

In Washington, DC, 27% of all women make six-figures, while Stamford, CT (25%), Boston, MA (21%), New York, NY (21%), Seattle, WA (20%), Baltimore, MD (17%), Thousand Oaks, CA (17%), and Hartford, CT (16%) round out the cities with the most women earning $100,000 or more. 

Overall, a gender pay gap clearly still exists in America. Women, at a national level, earn just 81% of what men earn, and their median salary is more than $10,000 less than their male counterparts. 

Also, just 11% of women make six-figures on a national level, while 21% of men are earning that same amount. And across the country, women need to work 62 extra days to earn simply the same amount as men. 

The gender pay gap is decreasing, but clearly, there is still progress to be made. And while stubborn inequality in the average wages between men and women persists throughout America, many forward-thinking organizations in select cities are taking steps to shrink the gender pay gap. 

Is your organization located in one of the leading cities? 

Take a look at our full data set below and consider which steps you can take as an employer to prioritize closing the gender pay gap and make equal pay for women the biggest benefit to come out of the Great Resignation.  

The Full List Of Cities With The Smallest & Largest Gender Wage Gaps 

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Rank	City	Female Income as % of Male Income	Male Median Income	Female Median Income	Female Extra Work Days For Equal Pay
	National Average	81%	$54,323	$44,220	62
1	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area	91%	$52,722	$48,117	25
2	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metro Area	90%	$53,760	$48,580	28
3	Fresno, CA Metro Area	89%	$46,493	$41,462	32
4	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Metro Area	89%	$43,928	$39,111	32
5	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Metro Area	88%	$44,870	$39,443	36
6	Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area	88%	$46,616	$40,897	36
7	Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area	86%	$45,799	$39,549	41
8	Springfield, MA Metro Area	86%	$57,823	$49,914	41
9	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area	86%	$58,779	$50,721	41
10	Albuquerque, NM Metro Area	86%	$47,705	$40,975	43
11	Madison, WI Metro Area	86%	$58,442	$50,039	44
12	Stockton, CA Metro Area	86%	$52,242	$44,719	44
13	Tucson, AZ Metro Area	86%	$47,180	$40,379	44
14	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area	85%	$45,581	$38,923	44
15	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area	85%	$49,246	$42,040	45
16	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area	85%	$66,803	$56,917	45
17	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area	85%	$61,316	$52,061	46
18	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area	85%	$47,402	$40,128	47
19	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area	85%	$51,625	$43,683	47
20	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Metro Area	84%	$60,792	$51,320	48
21	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area	84%	$77,418	$65,344	48
22	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA Metro Area	84%	$83,843	$70,597	49
23	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area	84%	$55,072	$46,270	49
24	Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Metro Area	84%	$41,539	$34,793	50
25	Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area	84%	$52,553	$44,016	50
26	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Metro Area	84%	$44,128	$36,909	51
27	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA Metro Area	84%	$55,279	$46,213	51
28	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area	84%	$61,687	$51,560	51
29	Urban Honolulu, HI Metro Area	83%	$56,010	$46,714	52
30	Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT Metro Area	83%	$68,158	$56,796	52
31	Greensboro-High Point, NC Metro Area	83%	$47,092	$39,215	52
32	Syracuse, NY Metro Area	83%	$55,609	$46,160	53
33	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metro Area	83%	$62,195	$51,621	53
34	Jacksonville, FL Metro Area	83%	$50,475	$41,844	54
35	Rochester, NY Metro Area	83%	$55,096	$45,656	54
36	Richmond, VA Metro Area	83%	$56,523	$46,752	54
37	North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL Metro Area	83%	$48,759	$40,311	54
38	Columbus, OH Metro Area	83%	$56,143	$46,384	55
39	El Paso, TX Metro Area	83%	$40,143	$33,126	55
40	Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area	82%	$52,197	$43,039	55
41	New Haven-Milford, CT Metro Area	82%	$64,654	$53,241	56
42	Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Metro Area	82%	$49,511	$40,681	56
43	Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY Metro Area	82%	$65,078	$53,465	56
44	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area	82%	$67,556	$55,499	56
45	Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area	82%	$55,943	$45,874	57
46	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area	82%	$58,842	$48,164	58
47	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area	82%	$55,413	$45,317	58
48	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area	82%	$50,969	$41,677	58
49	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area	82%	$64,778	$52,968	58
50	Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metro Area	82%	$53,141	$43,331	59
51	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX Metro Area	81%	$55,548	$45,193	60
52	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area	81%	$75,313	$61,202	60
53	Bakersfield, CA Metro Area	81%	$48,062	$39,045	60
54	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area	81%	$62,123	$50,453	60
55	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area	81%	$60,697	$49,190	61
56	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metro Area	81%	$62,284	$50,342	62
57	Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metro Area	81%	$56,010	$45,228	62
58	Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area	81%	$52,300	$42,192	62
59	Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area	81%	$57,189	$46,109	62
60	Columbia, SC Metro Area	81%	$49,140	$39,588	63
61	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area	81%	$60,608	$48,813	63
62	Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area	80%	$50,002	$40,189	63
63	Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area	80%	$49,377	$39,613	64
64	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area	80%	$64,539	$51,707	65
65	Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area	80%	$63,146	$50,289	66
66	Worcester, MA-CT Metro Area	79%	$65,562	$52,107	67
67	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area	79%	$53,311	$42,150	69
68	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area	79%	$57,326	$45,319	69
69	Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metro Area	79%	$56,090	$44,336	69
70	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area	79%	$54,540	$43,108	69
71	McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area	79%	$37,987	$30,021	69
72	Akron, OH Metro Area	79%	$54,094	$42,634	70
73	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Metro Area	79%	$51,655	$40,653	70
74	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area	79%	$56,948	$44,741	71
75	Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metro Area	78%	$53,520	$41,921	72
76	Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metro Area	78%	$55,708	$43,615	72
77	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metro Area	78%	$80,497	$62,860	73
78	Dayton-Kettering, OH Metro Area	78%	$53,591	$41,835	73
79	Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area	78%	$57,526	$44,814	74
80	Boise City, ID Metro Area	78%	$51,298	$39,908	74
81	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area	78%	$73,997	$57,541	74
82	Jackson, MS Metro Area	78%	$49,223	$38,156	75
83	Toledo, OH Metro Area	77%	$52,578	$40,720	76
84	Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI Metro Area	77%	$53,597	$41,360	77
85	Knoxville, TN Metro Area	77%	$50,750	$39,019	78
86	Wichita, KS Metro Area	77%	$51,654	$39,681	78
87	St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area	77%	$58,897	$45,164	79
88	Greenville-Anderson, SC Metro Area	77%	$50,625	$38,770	80
89	Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metro Area	77%	$55,011	$42,108	80
90	New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area	76%	$53,588	$40,994	80
91	Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area	76%	$51,184	$39,142	80
92	Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area	76%	$59,397	$45,369	80
93	Salt Lake City, UT Metro Area	76%	$55,730	$42,395	82
94	Tulsa, OK Metro Area	75%	$51,745	$39,046	85
95	Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area	75%	$50,509	$37,903	86
96	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area	75%	$61,471	$45,892	88
97	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area	72%	$98,344	$70,743	101
98	Ogden-Clearfield, UT Metro Area	69%	$58,620	$40,504	116
99	Baton Rouge, LA Metro Area	68%	$59,873	$40,992	120
100	Provo-Orem, UT Metro Area	62%	$60,302	$37,423	159

For more information on GoodHire’s research or to request graphics or an interview about this study, please contact press@goodhire.com.  

SURVEY Methodology

To rank America’s most promising cities for women workers, GoodHire analyzed US Census Bureau data for the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas based on population size and ranked them by the ratio of the female median income to male median income (i.e. the female median as a percent of the male median). Also included in the data are the median earnings of all full-time, year-round workers, both male and female median annual income, males and females making $100,000 or more, and the total number of extra days women would have to work in each city to achieve equal pay. 

About GoodHire

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