It’s a presidential election season, which means we’re sure to hear plenty about the persistent pay gap between men and women in this country. But do not despair. If the first major party nomination of a female candidate for president wasn’t proof enough that women are shattering glass ceilings all over the place, the real estate site Redfin.com has just developed a list of cities where they’re outearning men to the tune of $100k or more per year.
“In superstar cities across the country, the number of single women making six figures outpaces the number of men,” says Redfin chief economist Nela Richardson. “That’s a great counterpoint to the disappointing reality that the U.S. is still far from having equal pay between sexes. It must be balanced by the fact that as women marry and have children their earning potential is hampered by rigid employer practices, expensive child care and lack of maternal leave. Regardless of the gender—it’s still really hard to afford a home with only one income in many cities, even if it is in the six figures!”
At the top of the list is the nation’s capital. The percentage of single females earning at least $100k in Washington, D.C. is at 4.05 percent, compared to .84 percent of single males, according to Redfin. In Boston (No. 2), those figures are at 3.38 percent and 1.19 percent respectively. In San Francisco, (No. 3), 2.89 percent of single women are earning $100k or more, compared to 1.44 percent of single men. New York and Baltimore, MD rounded out the top 5.
Unfortunately, if you’re living in San Francisco, a $100k per year paycheck won’t get you very far. Redfin also crunched the numbers to determine the percentage of homes that would be affordable in each of these cities at different salaries. For those earning $100,000 per year, 44 percent of homes in D.C. and 38 percent in Boston would be within reach. In San Francisco? Just 12 percent.