It’s no secret that women are woefully underrepresented in the field of technology. With that said, they’re faring far better in some cities than others. Where are these cities and what makes their female-friendly tech industries tick? New York-based financial technology company Smart Asset has the answer.
To find the best cities for women in tech, we pulled data on men and women in computer and mathematical occupations. We looked at 59 of the largest U.S. cities in which there are enough tech workers to provide statistically reliable data from the Census Bureau. Then we ranked them across four metrics: the gender pay gap in tech, income after housing costs, women as a percentage of the tech workforce and four-year tech employment growth.
Washington, D.C. ranked No. 1 for the third year in a row. It was followed by Kansas City, MO; Baltimore, MD; Indianapolis, IN; and New Orleans, LA. Fremont, CA came in at No. 6.
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.
Evidently, Silicon Valley isn’t all that friendly to women. Perhaps it’s time for our STEM leaders to take note.
"Women don't have to move to Silicon Valley—they can find good paying tech jobs in many areas around the country,” said Smart Asset Vice President of Content AJ Smith. “Some of these cities should want to do better, or women will take their talents elsewhere.”
Read Smart Asset's full study here.