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Top 10 US counties where women earn the most and least compared to men
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April 10, 2024
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This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
Top 10 US counties where women earn the most and least compared to men
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.
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Top 10 states with the highest relative pay for women
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
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10 counties with the lowest relative pay for women
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.
