The Best Cities for Women to Launch Careers was originally published on Forage.
International Women’s Day is an occasion to reflect on past progress toward gender equity in the workplace and the challenges that still remain. In 2021, women in the U.S. earned about $0.82 for every dollar men earned. Hispanic or Latina women earned about $0.58, and Black women earned about $0.63 for every dollar white men earned, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Census Bureau.
The gender pay gap and other measures of gender equity in the workplace differ by location. In this guide, we ranked U.S. cities based on criteria that indicate the degree to which women are set up to succeed in their careers.
In this guide, we cover:
- Methodology: How We Ranked the Cities
- The Best Cities for Women to Launch Careers
- Comparing the Best Cities for Women to Launch Careers
- Finding the Best City to Work for You
- Full Methodology
Methodology: How We Ranked the Cities
We evaluated 399 U.S. principal cities of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). We scored and ranked these cities on 12 criteria, including measures of gender equity, such as the wage gap and the gender breakdown of people in management positions, as well as indicators tied to employment, cost of living, public safety, and health care.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of our data sources:
- Median female earnings (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021)
- Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021)
- Female unemployment rate (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021)
- Job growth (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2021 – November 2022)
- Percentage of people in management positions who are women (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2021)
- Price level as a percentage of the national price level (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2021)
- Infant care costs as a share of median family income (Source: Economic Policy Institute, October 2020)
- Violent crime rate (Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2020)
- Access to birth control (Source: U.S. News, 2022)
- Maternal mortality rate (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC, 2018-2020)
- Maximum length of paid family leave allowed (in weeks) in the state (Source: National Partnership for Women & Families, October 2022)
- Maximum additional paid medical leave allowed for pregnancy and childbirth (in weeks) in the state (Source: National Partnership for Women & Families, October 2022)
Get the list of The Best Cities for Women to Launch Careers
The post The Best Cities for Women to Launch Careers appeared first on Forage.
