A recent study conducted by NerdWallet ranks Austin as the second best large city in the U.S. for women in the workforce to call home. Why, you ask? Female vs. male income equality, people! Equal pay for women is not just a dream — we’re getting close to that becoming a reality here in Austin.
It has long been estimated that working women in the United States make an average of only 77 cents to every man’s dollar wage. Well, believe it or not, according to NerdWallet’s study, Austin women are actually enjoying more than 93% income equality to Austin men. While 100% is obviously the ideal, it’s clear we’re making big strides toward evening things up and paying women what they’re worth.
Let’s take a look at how the numbers break down.
By analyzing median income for female full-time, year-round workers, women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings for full-time, year-round work, median gross rent, and population growth, as quantified bv the 2012 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, NerdWallet found that, out of 61 large U.S. cities, the five best metropolises for women in the workforce are:
- Aurora, CO
- Austin, TX
- Washington, DC
- Albuquerque, NM
- Fresno, CA
Women working full-time in Austin make an annual average of $40,356, which is 93.34% of what Austin men are making. Factor those numbers in with Austinites’ median monthly rent cost of $974 and our 6.58% population growth between 2009 and 2012, and ATX achieved a final ranking score of 76.09. We beat Washington, D.C. by almost half a percent, and fell just short of front-runner Aurora, CO’s tidy 76.99.
“Austin boasts the highest population growth rate of the top 10 cities in our list, along with a low cost of living and a small gender pay gap,” NerdWallet added. “The University of Texas and several technology companies are among the city’s biggest employers. The Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas, which focuses on the economic empowerment of women in the state, is based in Austin.”
Curious minds will be interested to know that Fort Worth also made it onto NerdWallet’s large cities list as number 17 with 85.88% income equality. The Woodlands and Grand Prairie ranked 6th and 18th respectively, among the 241 medium-sized cities boasting between 100,000 and 300,000 residents. Texas even got two small towns on the board: Pharr ranked first among cities with a sub-100,000 population, and Edinburg scored a solid fourth out of the 220 on that list.
So, good work, Austin! Let’s keep pushing to win hard-working ladies that last 7%.
———
Featured photo: Flickr user Andréa Portilla, creative commons licensed.
