The Best-Paying Cities for Moms

April 22, 2021

Working mothers with children under 18 account for a significant share of the labor force. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, over 70% of these moms are employed, accounting for 24.7 million workers overall. The median annual wage for full-time working moms is $45,000, but moms in some parts of the country earn far more.

Working mothers are most commonly employed in the education, health care, and social assistance sectors, which account for approximately 23% of all workers, but over 40% of working moms. This industry group includes school teachers and nurses, which are some of the most common occupations for women. Working mothers are also overrepresented in the finance, insurance, and real estate sectors, but typically underrepresented in other fields.

Nearly 72% of all moms are employed either full-time or part-time, which is higher than the overall level of 63% for the general population. However, the employment status and labor force participation rates of mothers depend on their children's ages. Moms that have school-age kids only (aged 6-17) are the most likely to be employed, at nearly 77%. On the other hand, moms with both young children (under 6) and school-age kids have the lowest employment rate, at 64%. This group is also the least likely to be in the labor force, with one-third of these moms opting out.

While the median annual wage for full-time working moms is $45,000 nationally, moms in some cities and states earn significantly more or less. Moreover, differences in cost of living across the country determine how comfortable it is to live on a given annual wage.

Despite living costs that tend to be higher than average, moms living in the Northeast are still well-paid compared to those in other parts of the country. Relatively low costs of living also mean that Midwestern moms fare well, even though wages in these states are not that much, if at all, higher than the national average. Out of all states, moms in Massachusetts and Connecticut earn the most after adjusting for cost of living. The median cost-of-living-adjusted annual wage for full-time working moms is $58,877 in Massachusetts and $57,143 in Connecticut. Conversely, Florida moms earn the least—median cost-of-living-adjusted earnings for full-time working moms is just $38,614 in the Sunshine State.

To find the best-paying metropolitan areas for moms, researchers at HireAHelper analyzed the latest data on wages from the U.S. Census Bureau and cost-of-living data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The researchers ranked metro areas according to the cost-of-living-adjusted median annual wage for full-time working moms with kids under 18. Researchers also calculated the unadjusted median annual wage for moms, the percentage of working moms that are full-time, and the labor force participation rate for moms.

To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis. Additionally, metro areas were grouped into the following cohorts based on population size:

• Small metros: 100,000–349,999
• Midsize metros: 350,000–999,999
• Large metros: 1,000,000 or more

Here are the best-paying metropolitan areas for moms.

The Best-Paying Large Metros For Moms

15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

14. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

13. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

12. St. Louis, MO-IL

11. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

10. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

9. Raleigh, NC

8. Pittsburgh, PA

7. Columbus, OH

6. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

5. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

2. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Detailed Findings

The best-paying locations for moms include expensive metros with high-paying jobs and well-educated workforces as well as more affordable Rust Belt areas. While the San Jose and San Francisco metros are the most expensive in the country, working moms earn enough there to make up for the high cost of living. At the same time, working moms in the Columbus, OH metro area earn much less, $50,000 at the median, but the relative affordability of Columbus means that their cost-of-living-adjusted wages are almost $55,000—nearly as much purchasing power as that held by working moms in San Francisco.

Moms in the best-paying metros tend to have higher labor force participation rates. At the national level, the labor force participation rate for moms is 74.7% overall. Some metros boast rates of 80% or higher. Despite higher labor force participation rates, moms living in the best-paying metros are not more likely to work full-time. Nationally, 68.3% of working moms are full-time, but this figure is lower in some of the best-paying metros for moms, including the top 3 best-paying large metros—San Jose, Hartford, and Boston.

Methodology

To find the best-paying metropolitan areas for moms, researchers at HireAHelper analyzed the latest data on wages and employment from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample and cost-of-living data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2019 Regional Price Parity dataset. To make wages comparable across locations, wages in expensive metros were adjusted down to reflect lower purchasing power while wages in relatively affordable metros were adjusted up to reflect higher purchasing power.

The researchers ranked metro areas according to the cost-of-living-adjusted median annual wage for full-time working moms with kids under 18. In the event of a tie, the metro with the larger percentage of working moms that are full-time was ranked higher. Researchers also calculated the unadjusted median annual wage for moms and the labor force participation rate for moms.

To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis. Additionally, metro areas were grouped into the following cohorts based on population size:

• Small metros: 100,000–349,999
• Midsize metros: 350,000–999,999
• Large metros: 1,000,000 or more