What cities are the best places to be if you're a woman working in a technology career?
1. Washington, D.C.
For the third year in a row, Washington, D.C. ranks as the No.1 city for women in the tech industry. Between 2014 and 2015, the percentage of tech jobs filled by women rose by about 1.5%. So female employees now make up 41% of the tech workforce in D.C. The bad news? The gender pay gap has slightly widened. The female-to-male earnings ratio in D.C. is 94.8%, down from 99.3% in last year’s analysis.
2. Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City ranks as the second-best city for women in tech for the third consecutive year. Census Bureau data reveals that there is still no gender pay gap in the city. In fact, women earn more. In 2015, median pay for women and men in computer and mathematical occupations was $69,770 and $67,461, respectively.
Tech employment in Kansas City grew by 10% between 2012 and 2015. But unfortunately, the percentage of tech jobs filled by women has declined over time. Women now make up about 30% of the workers in computer and mathematical roles. In 2014, they made up roughly 34% of that segment of the tech workforce in KC.
3. Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is another frequent flyer on our list of the top cities for women in tech. It now ranks as the third-best city, up from fourth place in last year’s analysis.
Charm City’s tech workforce has grown substantially within the past four years. More than 12,400 computer and mathematical jobs were added between 2012 and 2015. Women make up 32.5% of the people with those jobs. Compared to what we found in the 2016 edition of our study, that’s a 4.2% increase in the number of tech jobs filled by women.
4. Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is one of several major cities without a gender pay gap. Median pay for women in computer and mathematical roles is around $61,497. That’s about $1,300 more than the median pay for men with the same jobs. After paying housing costs like property taxes and homeowners insurance, women end up with about $51,393 that can go toward other living expenses and savings.
5. New Orleans, Louisiana
Compared to other big cities across the country, New Orleans appears to be one of the ones with a better environment for female tech workers. Women and men in mathematical and computer occupations earn about the same amount of money. And women fill about 35% of those positions.
The number of tech jobs (math and computer-related positions) in New Orleans grew by about 32% between 2012 and 2015. That’s the largest four-year change in tech employment growth in our study. Based on our analysis, the only other city with an equally large increase in tech jobs is Mesa, Arizona.
6. Fremont, California
Women make up only 27% of mathematical and computer jobs in Fremont and on average earn 16% less than their male counterparts. Median annual earnings for men and women in 2015 were $110,900 and $93,320, respectively. Fremont is home to startups like Emantras and GlassPoint Solar. The Tesla factory is also located in the city.
7. New York, New York
Despite NYC’s reputation for being a major tech and startup hub, employment in computer and mathematical occupations only grew by about 15% between 2012 and 2015. Women make up less than a third of that part of the tech workforce and earn 10% less than men, on average.
8. (tie) Detroit, Michigan
The Detroit metro area recently ranked as the eighth-best place for pay in STEM. The Motor City also ranks well when it comes to pay for female tech workers. Women in mathematical and computer occupations earn nearly 5% more than their male counterparts. But men’s earnings have caught up. When we published last year’s study, the female-to-male earnings ratio was 122.8%.
Although Detroit has fallen in the rankings since we last looked at the best cities for women in tech, it ranks first for having the highest percentage of computer and mathematical jobs filled by women. Female employees make up 42% of that portion of the tech workforce.
8. (tie) Denver, Colorado
Along with Detroit, Denver ranks as the eighth-best city for women in tech. Since we released last year’s analysis, the gender pay gap in Denver has widened. The average woman in the city now earns almost 6% less than the average man in a computer and math-related job.
A lack of pay equity is a problem. But, fortunately, the average female tech worker earns enough to afford to live in Denver. Census Bureau data reveals that the average woman in computers and mathematics has about $56,680 left over after covering the cost of housing expenses. If that inspires you to want to buy a house in Denver, it’s best to do so while you can. It recently ranked as one of the top 10 hottest housing markets.
10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In terms of the cities with the highest percentage of women in math and computer-related jobs, Philly ranks eighth. What’s more, its gender pay gap has narrowed. The female-to-male earnings ratio is 92%, up from 89.5% in last year’s study. Nationwide, women in computer and math-related roles earn about 15% less than men.
The full list is at https://smartasset.com/mortgage/best-cities-women-in-tech-2017
