{"id":35524,"date":"2023-04-19T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T07:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/?p=35524"},"modified":"2025-03-25T14:36:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T11:36:38","slug":"best-u-s-cities-for-women-stem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialcafe.com\/blog\/best-u-s-cities-for-women-stem\/","title":{"rendered":"Best U.S. Cities for Women in STEM (2023 Update)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized long-standing inequities and added to the challenges in the pipeline of women in stem, it also shone a light on women scientists who have been hard at work at the forefront of making the world a healthier place for years \u2014 such as Dr. Katalin Karik\u00f3, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, and Dr. \u00d6zlem T\u00fcreci, who were instrumental in mRNA vaccine research and development.<\/p>\n

But, as their own stories have shown, a key early element in women\u2019s eventual success is representation. And, while improvement in this sense has been slow, some places in the U.S. have made more progress than others. So, in the article below, we set out to identify\u00a0which U.S. cities ranked best for representation of women in STEM<\/strong>. Specifically, we used a methodology<\/a> that was refined to focus on what we considered to be highly relevant factors, including indicators tracking local STEM employment and the representation of women within it, as well as the levels and evolution of income for women relative to the overall sector in the local economy.<\/p>\n

Additionally, following our city ranking highlights are insightful contributions<\/a> from women STEM professionals who shared what motivated them to pursue a STEM career, as well as some of the challenges they faced.<\/p>\n

Western U.S. Claims 6 of 10 Best Cities for Women in STEM<\/h2>\n

Although\u00a0New York City earned the highest overall score<\/strong>\u00a0and took the #1 spot in the ranking, top-scoring Western U.S. cities contributed to a strong presence among the top entries. More precisely, of the 10 U.S. cities that earned the highest composite scores, six were in the Western U.S. region. They included Seattle \u2014 which earned\u00a0the second-best overall score in the national ranking<\/strong> \u2014 as well as five California cities that each stood out with notable performance across several of the indicators we analyzed. Meanwhile, the remaining three entries to make the top 10 were Midwestern powerhouse Chicago at #9, along with Southern entries Austin, Texas, (#6) and Washington, D.C. (#10).<\/p>\n

Below, see the best-scoring indicators for each of the 10 best cities. Then, read on for details on the best-performing U.S. cities for women working in STEM occupations in each of the four main U.S. regions.<\/p>\n

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New York City Earns Highest Overall Score, Has Largest Female STEM Workforce<\/h2>\n

Despite a decrease in the number of residents from 2020 to 2021, New York remained the most populous city in the country by far. As such, it was not surprising that New York City also boasted not just one of the biggest, but also one of the most highly diversified economies in the country: An economy in which both the STEM sector and women\u2019s representation within it have grown considerably in the past few years.<\/p>\n

In fact, New York City was home to the\u00a0largest number of women in STEM<\/strong>\u00a0in 2021 (nearly 80,000), which marked a representation of 33.2% among local STEM jobs. The city also stood out among the rest for\u00a0most women STEM workers added\u00a0<\/strong>in five years. Here, 23,111 more women have joined the local STEM workforce since 2017.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the city also claimed the\u00a0largest number of STEM employees<\/strong> overall among the cities we analyzed: STEM occupations in NYC amounted to more than 240,400 jobs, which accounted for 6.3% of total local employment. This followed a five-year increase of 49,200 STEM jobs since 2017 \u2014 the\u00a0most STEM jobs added\u00a0<\/strong>among the locations we surveyed for this report.<\/p>\n

Outside of NYC, another Empire State location earned the highest score for the percentage of local STEM jobs held by women: In Yonkers, N.Y., women accounted for just less than 50% of the local STEM workforce, marking the largest STEM employment representation<\/strong>\u00a0among the 123 cities we compared. Notably, the overall STEM sector here was relatively small: STEM jobs added up to a little more than 3,300 in 2021, which represented 3.5% of total local employment. Although Yonkers received the top score for its percentage of women holding local STEM jobs, the city scored out of the top 10, overall.<\/p>\n

San Jose Gets Top Score for Earnings of Women in STEM<\/h2>\n

Census data showed that the best-paying STEM jobs for women were in the heart of Silicon Valley. Namely, in\u00a0San Jose, Calif.,<\/strong>\u00a0the median income for women in STEM occupations was just less than $122,400 \u2014 the highest value among the cities we compared and just ahead of nearby Fremont, Calif., where the median STEM income for women was $122,156 in 2021.<\/p>\n

Similarly, women STEM workers in\u00a0Santa Clarita, Calif.,<\/strong>\u00a0earned the third-highest median income (nearly $109,000), followed by those in San Francisco (fourth-highest with about $103,500) and women in STEM occupations in Seattle (fifth-highest at nearly $102,800).<\/p>\n

At the same time,\u00a0Fremont\u00a0<\/strong>earned the top score for highest median income of STEM occupations overall ($146,736), as well as for STEM representation overall within the local economy. STEM jobs here accounted for nearly 40% of total employment in the city, which was the largest such share among the cities we compared for this report.<\/p>\n

See values scored across all indicators considered for all participating U.S. cities in the interactive table below.<\/em>
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