Metropolitan areas in the Midwest didn’t rank high on a new list of the best cities for working women, with one exception: Minneapolis.
According to the study, released in March by Apartment List in partnership with social network Fishbowl, Minneapolis ranks as the fifth best city in the United States for working women.
To determine how to rank cities, Apartment List polled members of its Women’s Employee Resources Group to understand what factors matter most for working women. According to these members, income equity, employment opportunities and a fulfilling and diverse community are the keys to making a city a good fit.
So, what are the best cities for working women, according to this new survey?
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Austin, Texas
- Washington, D.C.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Richmond, Virginia
- Denver, Colorado
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- San Francisco, California
To determine these rankings, Apartment List created four scores and added them up.
The Economic Opportunity score factors in the female employment rate, female college graduation rate, median female earnings and the earnings gap between men and women.
The Community Satisfaction score considers violent crime rates, primary and secondary school enrollment rates, racial and ethnic diversity and female satisfaction with social and dating opportunities.
The Business Representation score looks at the share of local businesses that are owned by women, the share of local physicians who are women and the share of public administration jobs that are held by women.
The Housing & Affordability score includes the homeownership rate among women who live alone, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment and the share of women who say they are satisfied with local affordability.
Apartment List added these four scores for each of more than 80 cities in the United States, creating a final composite score between 0 and 100.
Raleigh, which topped the list, finished with a composite score of 69.83. In its fifth-place finish, Minneapolis attained a composite score of 62.90.
Apartment List cited the economic opportunities in the area, the overall strength of the community and the large number of local businesses owned by women in ranking Minneapolis so high.
Fishbowl said that 67% of its female users said that women were well-represented at their companies in Minneapolis. Apartment List found that 42% of businesses in the metro area are women-owned. The female homeownership rate here is 54% and the median female income is $36,352 a year, comparable to other major cities in the country.