The 10 Best Cities for Women in Tech

What do New York, Denver, Philadelphia, and D.C. have in common? Well, besides being the home to four of our offices (shameless plug) they also happen to be some of the best cities for women in Tech in the country, according to Smart Asset’s latest research for its annual Best Cities for Women in Tech report.

Where Women in Tech Should Call Home

The gender pay gap and overall gender talent gap in Tech is a topic that is difficult to escape these days. We’ve covered everything from creative, Tech gender gap solutions to the benefits of having more women work in Tech to shed light on the insights we’ve gathered from prioritizing gender diversity internally, along with the Tech talent we place externally.

For the Smart Asset report on the best cities for women in Tech, the tech-based company looked at data from the Census Bureau for the 59 largest U.S. cities where there were enough Tech workers to provide reliable stats. It determined the rankings by assigning cities an index of one to 100, 100 being the best possible score, based on four metrics: the gender pay gap in Tech, income after housing costs, women as a percentage of the Tech workforce, and four-year Tech employment growth.

For companies looking to net more diverse, high-end Tech talent, these are the cities where you’ll find the most qualified female Tech professionals in the country. For women in Tech looking to escape exclusionary work environments or unbalanced pay scales found in major Tech hotbeds (looking at you, Silicon Valley), consider a career move to one of these ten cities.

The Best Cities for Women in Tech

• Washington, D.C. | Index Score: 88.18
  • D.C. continues to rank as the best city for women in Tech. This is the third year the city has been awarded the ranking by Smart Asset, in large part due to their high percentage of female Tech workers. According to the report, female Tech workers now make up 41 percent of the Tech workforce in D.C., a significant departure from the nationwide percentage of just 26 percent of Tech jobs held by women.
• Kansas City, MO | Index Score: 83.25
  • A surprising contender for the best cities for women in Tech, Kansas City has maintained its number 2 spot for the past three years in large part due to women working in Tech making more than their male counterparts. However, it fails to nab the top spot since the number of roles held by women in Tech continues to decline.
• Baltimore, MD | Index Score: 81.53
  • Following close behind is Baltimore where there has been a 4.2 percent increase in the number of Tech jobs held by women since 2016. The city’s tech workforce has also grown remarkably in the past five years with more than 12,400 computer and mathematical jobs added since 2012.
• Indianapolis, IN | Index Score: 73.65
  • You might not immediately think of Indianapolis when you think of Tech talent hotbeds, but that is exactly what it is for female Tech talent. Tech startups are thriving in this affordable city and women benefit from a gender pay gap that actually favors them over men.
• New Orleans, LA | Index Score: 73.40
  • New Orleans is one of the cities with the best environment for women in Tech overall. Pay is relatively equal regardless of gender, and the number of Tech jobs grew by 32 percent from 2012 to 2015, which is the largest four-year change in Tech employment growth in Smart Asset’s analysis.
• Fremont, CA | Index Score: 71.43
  • While it’s not the first California city you’d expect to find on this list, being home to the Tesla factory definitely helps. Women hold around 27 percent of the Tech jobs in the city and earn around 16 percent less than their male counterparts.
• New York, NY | Index Score: 70.69
  • While NYC is a notable Tech talent and startup hotbed, it ranks lower due to the 10 percent gender pay gap for women working in Tech and the 15 percent growth in the number of Tech jobs over the past four years, substantially less than higher-ranking cities like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Fremont.
• Detroit, MI | Index Score: 70.20
  • Another surprising contender for the best cities for women in Tech, Detroit is one of just three cities listed with a reverse gender pay gap. Here, women working in Tech make 5 percent more than their male counterparts. Female Tech workers also make up 42 percent of the Tech workforce in Detroit, just barely beating out top-ranked D.C. for the highest percentage of female Tech workers in the country. The city gets docked for lower income ranges on average compared to other cities listed.
• Denver, CO | Index Score: 70.20
  • Tied with Detroit, Denver comes in at the number 8 spot on this list as well. Pay equity is an issue, with women making 6 percent less on average than men for the same job, but overall women tend to make salaries that afford them a higher quality of living here.
• Philadelphia, PA | Index Score: 69.95
  • Last but not least, Philadelphia rounds out this list of the best cities for women in Tech. This is largely due to the increased ratio of female-to-male earnings which currently sits at 92 percent, up from 89.5 in 2016. Philadelphia also ranks high for its proportion of female Tech professionals in the workforce.

Diversification in Tech talent is crucial to your company’s continued success and U.S. efforts to remain a leader in Tech innovation. The only way to pursue Tech-based innovation is by providing different types of Tech talent a seat at the table. Decades of research have shown that collaborating with people of different genders, sexual orientations, and race leads to increased innovation and enhanced problem-solving. If you’re a female working in Tech today, consider what a career in these cities might look like and the impact it can have on your overall satisfaction level at work, compensation, career growth, and quality of living.

If you lack the diverse Tech talent you need to drive innovation, and you’re located in New York City, Denver, Philly, or D.C., contact Mondo today. We’ll match you with the high-end, local Tech talent you’re missing.