The top 10 cities where women are the most successful
Despite dismal news about the persistence of the gender pay gap , data shows that there are some areas where women today are making major strides towards achieving economic parity.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the unemployment rate for women hit a low of 3.7% in March, which is less than half of the 8% unemployment rate women faced seven years ago. When it comes to creating their own opportunities, data from American Express shows that between 2017 and 2018, women in the U.S. started an average of 1,821 new businesses per day.
Personal finance site SmartAsset used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to identify the top cities where women are the most successful. To come up with the list, SmartAsset looked at 100 cities and ranked each location based on the percent of women with a bachelor's degree, the median earnings for full-time working women, the percent of women-owned businesses, the unemployment rate for women, housing costs and the percent of full-time women who earn at least $75,000.
Madison, Wisconsin, is the top city, moving up from the third spot last year . In Madison, women face a low unemployment rate, and about 21% of women earn an annual income of $75,000 or more. Roughly 42% of businesses in Madison are owned by women.
Take a look below to see which other cities round out the top 10 list for where women are the most successful:
10. Alexandria, Virginia
Median earnings for women: $65,994
Percent of women-owned businesses: 35%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 33%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 45%
9. Fremont, California
Median earnings for women: $67,818
Percent of women-owned businesses: 38%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 42%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 45%
8. Scottsdale, Arizona
Median earnings for women: $60,323
Percent of women-owned businesses: 28%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 28%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 37%
7. Chandler, Arizona
Median earnings for women: $51,227
Percent of women-owned businesses: 42%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 31%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 28%
6. Durham, North Carolina
Median earnings for women: $45,169
Percent of women-owned businesses: 46%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 29%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 21%
5. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Median earnings for women: $50,074
Percent of women-owned businesses: 33%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 28%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 28%
4. Seattle, Washington
Median earnings for women: $62,930
Percent of women-owned businesses: 36%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 33%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 41%
3. Arlington, Virginia
Median earnings for women: $76,396
Percent of women-owned businesses: 33%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 32%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 53%
2. Plano, Texas
Median earnings for women: $52,028
Percent of women-owned businesses: 41%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 33%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 21%
1. Madison, Wisconsin
Median earnings for women: $48,472
Percent of women-owned businesses: 42%
Housing costs as a percent of women's earnings: 30%
Percent of women making $75,000 or more: 21%
Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!
Don't miss: 8 successful women share how they negotiated their first big raise—and the advice they'd give others looking to do the same
More From CNBC
