stories
stories
HomeMoneyLifestyleNewsSportsEntertainmentTravelScienceLocal

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

·Jaclyn DeJohn, CFP for SmartAsset

IM_photo // Shutterstock
IM_photo // Shutterstock
Add Stacker as Preferred Source

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.
Table showing gender pay gap by state.

SmartAsset

1 / 2

Top 10 states with the highest relative pay for women

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

  1. 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
  2. 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 
  3. 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 
  4. 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 
  5. 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 
  6. 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 
  7. 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 
  8. 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 
  9. 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 
  10. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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 
  3. 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 
  4. 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 
  5. 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 
  6. 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
  7. 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 
  8. 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 
  9. 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 
  10. 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.

  1. 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
  2. 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 
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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 
  6. 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
  7. 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 
  8. 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
  9. 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 
  10. 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
Table showing gender pay gap by county.

SmartAsset

2 / 2

10 counties with the lowest relative pay for women

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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 
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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 
  10. 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.

Related stories

Trending stories