Top 10 US counties where women earn the most and least compared to men

By Stacker

Published April 10, 2024 7:44 pm

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Top 10 US counties where women earn the most and least compared to men

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Different factors can affect the gender pay gap, depending on where you live. Family economics, social values and gender selection trends among different industries can each contribute to the gap in a given economy. While no one factor alone may explain the whole story, there are noticeable trends in women’s pay compared with men’s that are specific to each state and county.

With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked 282 of the largest U.S. counties as well as all 50 states to determine where the gender pay gap is most and least prominent.

Key findings

There’s only one county where women make more than men. Women make $1.09 for every $1 men make in Prince George’s County, MD. The median pay for women working full-time is $62,568, compared to $57,276 for men. The median income for all households is $89,689.
Women earn less than 75% of what men make in these states. The gender pay gap is widest for full-time year-round workers in Wyoming, where women make 68.4 cents for every dollar men make. Utah (70.8 cents), Louisiana (71.2 cents), Alabama (74.1 cents) and West Virginia (74.4 cents) also rank for the lowest relative pay for women.
Women and men are almost at parity in the Bronx and Queens. The Bronx and Queens are nearly at pay parity for full-time workers. Women make 99.1% and 98.1% of men’s median pay, respectively. This puts the Bronx in second place and Queens in third when it comes to where women make most relative to men. In Manhattan, or New York County, the median full-time earnings for women is 80.9 cents per every dollar men earn.
Statewide, the gender pay gap is smallest in Vermont. Women bring in a median $48,672 compared to $54,858 for men, or 88.7 cents on the dollar. For all households, the average income is $72,415, or 16th-highest nationwide.
Among counties, women have the highest median full-time pay in San Francisco. Women in San Francisco County out-earn women in the other 281 largest counties, bringing in $87,245 (82.1% of the median for men at $106,194.)
Statewide, women earn the most in Massachusetts. Women in Massachusetts who work full-time earn $62,628 on average, more than in any other state. This is 83.1% of the men’s median pay of $75,301. Massachusetts ranked 10th overall when it comes to women’s pay as a percentage of men’s.
High-income areas tend to have larger discrepancies in median pay. Many counties with the highest median household incomes also rank at the bottom when it comes to women’s pay as a percentage of men’s, including Loudoun County, VA; Santa Clara County, CA. One exception to this trend is San Mateo County, CA, which has the 13th-highest women’s pay when compared with men (89.6 cents per dollar). The median household pay is fifth-highest studywide here at $131,151.

SmartAsset

Top 10 states with the highest relative pay for women

Table showing gender pay gap by state.

Pay statistics are for full-time, year-round workers in 2023.

Vermont
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.887
Median women’s pay: $48,672
Median men’s pay: $54,858
Median total household income: $72,415
Maryland
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.866
Median women’s pay: $60,599
Median men’s pay: $69,948
Median total household income: $90,129
New York
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.864
Median women’s pay: $55,664
Median men’s pay: $64,403
Median total household income: $74,230
California
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.860
Median women’s pay: $53,866
Median men’s pay: $62,668
Median total household income: $84,831
Delaware
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.851
Median women’s pay: $50,670
Median men’s pay: $59,573
Median total household income: $71,636
Nevada
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.848
Median women’s pay: $43,487
Median men’s pay: $51,292
Median total household income: $66,194
Florida
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.840
Median women’s pay: $41,496
Median men’s pay: $49,411
Median total household income: $63,054
Alaska
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.834
Median women’s pay: $53,722
Median men’s pay: $64,397
Median total household income: $78,437
Hawaii
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.832
Median women’s pay: $48,269
Median men’s pay: $58,013
Median total household income: $85,547
Massachusetts
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.832
Median women’s pay: $62,628
Median men’s pay: $75,301
Median total household income: $89,577

10 states with the lowest relative pay for women

Pay statistics are for full-time, year-round workers in 2023.

Wyoming
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.684
Median women’s pay: $41,338
Median men’s pay: $60,414
Median total household income: $66,508
Utah
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.709
Median women’s pay: $42,595
Median men’s pay: $60,116
Median total household income: $79,449
Louisiana
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.712
Median women’s pay: $39,564
Median men’s pay: $55,537
Median total household income: $52,090
Alabama
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.742
Median women’s pay: $39,279
Median men’s pay: $52,944
Median total household income: $53,990
West Virginia
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.745
Median women’s pay: $38,263
Median men’s pay: $51,384
Median total household income: $51,122
Oklahoma
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.751
Median women’s pay: $38,752
Median men’s pay: $51,568
Median total household income: $55,829
Idaho
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.757
Median women’s pay: $39,425
Median men’s pay: $52,095
Median total household income: $66,318
Mississippi
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.763
Median women’s pay: $36,128
Median men’s pay: $47,379
Median total household income: $48,871
Indiana
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.763
Median women’s pay: $41,870
Median men’s pay: $54,853
Median total household income: $62,723
Michigan
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.769
Median women’s pay: $44,758
Median men’s pay: $58,217
Median total household income: $63,444

Top 10 counties with the highest relative pay for women

Pay statistics are for full-time, year-round workers in 2023.

Prince George’s County, MD
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $1.092
Median women’s pay: $62,568
Median men’s pay: $57,276
Median total household income: $89,689
Bronx County, NY
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.991
Median women’s pay: $43,972
Median men’s pay: $44,357
Median total household income: $43,143
Queens County, NY
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.981
Median women’s pay: $53,956
Median men’s pay: $54,996
Median total household income: $72,807
Suffolk County, MA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.953
Median women’s pay: $64,202
Median men’s pay: $67,401
Median total household income: $77,163
Baltimore city, MD
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.933
Median women’s pay: $51,953
Median men’s pay: $55,695
Median total household income: $54,068
Los Angeles County, CA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.929
Median women’s pay: $49,949
Median men’s pay: $53,778
Median total household income: $77,356
Kings County, NY
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.916
Median women’s pay: $57,526
Median men’s pay: $62,829
Median total household income: $66,943
Santa Barbara County, CA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.913
Median women’s pay: $50,729
Median men’s pay: $55,561
Median total household income: $83,185
DeKalb County, GA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.910
Median women’s pay: $50,921
Median men’s pay: $55,951
Median total household income: $70,756
Durham County, NC
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.904
Median women’s pay: $51,301
Median men’s pay: $56,724
Median total household income: $71,436

SmartAsset

10 counties with the lowest relative pay for women

Table showing gender pay gap by county.

Pay statistics are for full-time, year-round workers in 2023.

Williamson County, TN
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.633
Median women’s pay: $60,280
Median men’s pay: $95,154
Median total household income: $123,474
Forsyth County, GA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.635
Median women’s pay: $63,192
Median men’s pay: $99,506
Median total household income: $120,919
Utah County, UT
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.637
Median women’s pay: $40,377
Median men’s pay: $63,340
Median total household income: $86,597
Douglas County, CO
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.662
Median women’s pay: $65,680
Median men’s pay: $99,229
Median total household income: $129,839
Davis County, UT
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.664
Median women’s pay: $44,525
Median men’s pay: $67,105
Median total household income: $93,260
Loudoun County, VA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.678
Median women’s pay: $76,695
Median men’s pay: $113,069
Median total household income: $153,716
Collin County, TX
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.681
Median women’s pay: $58,240
Median men’s pay: $85,465
Median total household income: $102,119
St. Tammany Parish, LA
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.690
Median women’s pay: $45,081
Median men’s pay: $65,346
Median total household income: $68,616
Hamilton County, IN
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.690
Median women’s pay: $59,212
Median men’s pay: $85,784
Median total household income: $108,203
Madison County, AL
Women’s pay per $1 earned by men: $0.693
Median women’s pay: $46,638
Median men’s pay: $67,339
Median total household income: $78,386

Data and methodology

Data is for 2023 and comes from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Gender pay gap metrics compare the median annual pay for women working full-time, year-round to that of men.

This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

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