We are still celebrating Women’s History Month all of March. As part of that celebration, Apartment List and Fishbowl, a social network for professionals, conducted a study to uncover the best cities for working women. And one North Carolina city topped the working women list!
Fishbowl first polled women to understand what factors are important to them. Their conversations discovered that income equity, employment opportunities, and being surrounded by a fulfilling and diverse community are priorities when choosing a new place to live. Therefore, their rankings are based on economic equity, business representation, affordability, and community satisfaction for women. We find the best cities for working women are:
Fishbowl Defined each of these metrics as:
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The Economic Opportunity score identifies places where women succeed in the workplace. This score considers the female employment rate, female college graduation rate, median female earnings, and the earnings gap between women and men.
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The Community Satisfaction score identifies places where women (and their families) thrive within their broader community. This score considers violent crime rates, primary and secondary school enrollment rates, racial and ethnic diversity, and female satisfaction with social and dating opportunities.
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The Business Representation score identifies places where women are properly represented in key societal functions. This score considers 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 (e.g., local government) that are held by women.
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The Housing & Affordability score identifies places where women are least burdened by increasing cost-of-living expenses. This score considers the homeownership rate among women who live alone, the median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, and the share of women who say they are satisfied with local affordability.
Read the full study here