We’ve all heard that women make 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. But, believe it or not, sometimes the reverse is true. Now, the financial literacy website, NerdWallet.com, has ranked the top 22 cities where women earn more than their male counterparts.
Inglewood, California took the #1 spot on this list, with women earning $1.20 for every dollar a man makes. In Trenton, New Jersey (#2), women’s income as a percentage of men’s is 118.2%. Rounding out the top 5 were Orlando, FL, (113.3%); Albany, NY (111.3%); and Carson, CA (109.3%).
In addition to Inglewood and Carson, six California cities made the list: Oakland (#7), Elk Grove (#8), Hayward (#9), Escondido (#14), South Gate (#17), and Richmond (#19). But a look at median wages in these cities shows it’s not all good news.
Most of the cities on the list have menial incomes and high levels of poverty. In fact, just 6 of the 22 have incomes above $28,031—the national median in 2013. This suggests that women are faring better when it comes to low-wage work. Whether that progress will continue to translate to higher-paying sectors and areas, however, remains to be seen.
NerdWallet’s data was gleaned from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in 2005 and 2013. While the study showed a persistence in disparity across the board, the researchers found the wage gap had improved nationwide since 2005.
Read more about the reverse gender gap and see a full list here.