Women working in real estate as brokers, property managers, and clerks make more money than their male colleagues in these US cities — and they're not the places you'd expect
An analysis found women in most of these places make up over half of the real-estate workforce, earn over $50,000, and make more than their male counterparts.
The Good Brigade/Getty Images
- Women made up about half of the US real-estate workforce but generally earned less than men in 2021.
- An analysis found that in some cities, women made up most of the workforce and earned over $50,000.
- Cities including Toledo, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida, are the top places for women in real estate to work.
The best US cities for women working in real estate might not be where you'd think.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which uses data from the census, says jobs in the real-estate industry include residential and commercial brokers, property managers, landscapers, groundskeepers, and people in administrative roles such as office clerks and operations managers.
An analysis of US census data by MyEListing, a commercial-real-estate-technology company and marketplace, found that in 2021, nearly half of the real-estate industry's 3 million workers nationwide were women, but they earned only about 89% of the salaries of their male counterparts.
But the analysis also found several places where women outperformed men in number of employees and in pay. In several metropolitan areas, women made up a bigger share of the real-estate workforce and made more money than their male counterparts.
They're not big cities like New York and Los Angeles or popular spots like Miami and Austin, Texas, but 10 smaller hubs with vibrant economies such as Tucson, Arizona, and Poughkeepsie, New York.
Some aren't too far from urban centers — Poughkeepsie is just under 100 miles north of New York City, while Stockton, California, is about 80 miles east of San Francisco. Others are popular spots in the Midwest, such as Des Moines, the capital of Iowa.
The analysis suggests that in most of these metro areas in 2021, women made up a larger share of the real-estate workforce than men and made more than men did on average.
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Population of metro area: 543,200
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 55%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $58,247
Women's earnings as a percentage of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 91%
Owaki-Kulla/Getty Images
Population of metro area: 2.8 million
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 54%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $58,424
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 99%
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Population of metro area: 1.3 million
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 56%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $65,531
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 109%
Shutterstock/Sean Pavone
Population of metro area: 2.8 million
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 55%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $52,003
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 124%
Monte Goodyk/Getty Images
Population of metro area: 719,100
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 48%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $66,905
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 130%
Lightvision/Getty Images
Population of metro area: 681,400
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 58%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $57,034
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 120%
John Coletti/Getty Images
Population of metro area: 972,200
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 57%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $54,217
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 125%
iStock
Population of metro area: 701,600
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 51%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $63,947
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 103%
Terrance Emerson / Shutterstock
Population of metro area: 789,400
Percentage of women in the real-estate workforce in 2021: 58%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $86,818
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 155%
Getty Images
Population of metro area: 644,200
Percent of real estate workforce women made up in 2021: 59%
Median earnings for women in real estate in 2021: $78,782
Women's earnings as a percent of men's earnings in real estate in 2021: 136%