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Top 10 U.S. Cities Where Women Make ALMOST As Much Money as the Men Do!

Men and Women Wage Gap

Whether it's referred to as wage gap, income disparity, or female-to-male earnings ratio, it all means the same thing. It's the difference between what women earn compared to men for the same job. When you're talking about wage gaps, just remember that smaller is better. Usually.

In the U.S., the wage gap averages about 19 percent, meaning women earn about 81 percent of what men are paid for the same job. But in some U.S. states, the wage gap is smaller. According to an article published by U.S. News and World Report, the following cities were the top 10 with the smallest wage gap. An interesting fact is that half of these cities are located in Florida.

The top 10 list* (Men/Women/Percent Diff.):
  1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA - $44,953/ $40,059/ 89.1%
  2. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL - $41,226/ $34,915/ 84.5%
  3. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island - $53,742/ $45,242/ 84.2%
  4. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL - $41,593/ $34,824/ 83.7%
  5. Fresno, CA - $41,114/ $34,311/ 83.5%
  6. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA - $62,149/ $51,830/ 83.4%
  7. Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL - $37,234/ $30,947/ 83.1%
  8. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV - $43,024/ $35,370/ 82.2%
  9. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL - $40,590/ $33,354/ 82.2%
  10. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL - $40,337/ $32,989/ 81.8%
* Information taken from American Community Survey (2008-2010)

Reasons for the small wage gap

The Institute for Women's Policy Research points out that a small wage gap isn't necessarily a good sign. Wage gaps tend to be smaller in areas where the wages are lower everywhere. It can also be associated with cities that have been severely affected by the housing crisis. Wage gaps are also generally smaller among Hispanics and African-Americans which may account for some of the heavily-populated Hispanic Florida cities being on the list.

The bottom line is that women who are looking for cities with narrow wage gaps really need to do their homework. The list above may represent the top 10 cities with the smallest wage gaps, but the reasons for the small gaps vary widely and may be either a good sign or a not-so-good sign for women seeking pay equality.

Read more at www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/23/the-10-cities-with-the-smallest-wage-gap