U.S. Cities With the Largest Gender Pay Gaps in 2026

Key Findings

• Women working full-time year-round jobs in the United States earn 17% less than men, based on an analysis of the American Community Survey.
• In 97% of the largest U.S. cities (166 out of 170), women’s average hourly wages are lower than men’s.
• Fremont, California, Frisco, Texas, and Cary, North Carolina have the most significant gender pay gaps among major U.S. cities, with full-time working women earning at least $35,000 less than men each year. 
• Women working full-time earn less than men in every U.S. state, with the widest gaps observed in Wyoming, Utah, Louisiana, Washington, and New Jersey.
• Across 553 occupations, women working full-time earn less than men in nearly 90% of roles. 
• The most significant occupational pay gaps are found in financial securities and commodities sales, financial advising, mine engineering, and podiatry, with substantial disparities also appearing in medical professions, chief executive roles, and transportation occupations.

The gender pay gap remains one of the most persistent economic inequalities in America. It continues to shape outcomes for women in business, but its impact varies dramatically depending on where they live.

Using American Community Survey data, we examined gender pay gaps across 170 of the largest U.S. cities, all 50 states, and 553 occupations. Women working full-time today earn 17 percent less than men nationwide, but in some cities and professions, the pay gap exceeds 30 percent! 

Let’s explore where this issue crops up the most, and why the gender pay gap still exists in 2026. 

What U.S. Cities Have the Largest Gender Pay Gap? 

Typically, American women working full-time earn $55,678 annually, compared to $66,965 for men. This is a difference of $11,287. However, the difference between men’s and women’s wages varies widely across the country. 

Fremont, California had the most significant gender pay gap among the 170 largest U.S. cities we analyzed. Women working full-time in Fremont earned $41,037 (or 33 percent) less each year than men. 

U.S. Cities With the Largest Gender Pay Gaps

Difference between men’s and women’s median annual earnings, among full-time, year-round workers

When examining pay gaps between full-time, year-round workers, we noticed an interesting geographic pattern: California leads with 16 cities in the top 50 (32 percent of the list), including Fremont in the number one spot on the list. The Bay Area cluster (San Francisco, Sunnyvale, San Jose) all appear in the top 20, demonstrating that even in progressive tech hubs, massive pay disparities persist for women who work as much as men.

Texas claims the second-highest concentration with nine cities, particularly in the Dallas suburbs, where Frisco (#2), McKinney (#4), and Plano (#5) show women earning $29,000-$41,000 less than men annually. Arizona suburbs around Phoenix—Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert, and Glendale—represent eight percent of the list. 

Where Do Women Earn More Than Men?

Women’s median annual earnings are higher than men’s in just four out of the 170 cities we analyzed: 

1. Glendale, California: women’s median earnings were $8,452 higher than men’s.
2. Oakland, California: women earn $4,500 more than men per year. 
3. Yonkers, New York: women’s median earnings are $1,722 more than men’s median annual earnings. 
4. Fayetteville, North Carolina: the median annual pay for women is just $388 higher than it is for men. 

What States Have the Largest Gender Pay Gaps? 

In every single state, women’s median earnings are less than men’s, but some states have broader gaps than others. For example, Wyoming women typically earn $19,076 less than men, a 32 percent difference. Utah women’s median annual earnings are $17,521 less than men’s, or a 29 percent gap. 

States With the Largest Gender Pay Gaps

Difference between men’s and women’s median annual earnings, among full-time, year-round workers

The top 10 worst states reveal an unexpected geographic mix: energy-dependent states (Wyoming, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma), high-cost coastal states (Washington, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut), and traditional manufacturing regions (Alabama, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana).

Surprisingly, some wealthier states show significant absolute gaps despite having strong pay equity policies. Washington (#4), New Jersey (#5), Massachusetts (#15), and Connecticut (#12) all rank among the 15 worst states. While these states may have smaller percentage gaps than other states, their high overall wage levels translate into large absolute dollar losses for women. A typical woman in Massachusetts working full-time year-round earns $62,628 annually—the highest median salary among all states—yet she’d still lose $12,673 compared to her male counterparts’ $75,301.

What Jobs Have the Worst Gender Pay Gaps? 

In nearly 90 percent of the 553 occupations we analyzed, women’s median annual pay was less than men’s. Overall, women’s annual wages tended to be lower than men’s, but some jobs exhibit extreme pay discrepancies of up to 50 percent. We’ll explore a few of those fields below. 

50 Occupations With the Largest Gender Pay Gaps

Difference between men’s and women’s median annual earnings, among full-time, year-round workers

Financial services

The largest occupational pay gaps exist in financial services, with full-time securities and commodities sales agents showing a staggering $69,955 annual gap, the worst in America. Personal financial advisors had the second-largest gap, at $63,934, and “other financial specialists” ranked seventh-worst, with women earning $45,658 less than men.

Financial managers, financial clerks, and financial examiners were among the 25 occupations with the most considerable pay disparities, demonstrating that gender pay gaps pervade every level of the finance industry—from entry-level clerks to senior managers.

Medical and healthcare

Despite requiring extensive education and training, medical occupations show substantial pay gaps. Female Podiatrists typically earn $54,576 less annually, cardiovascular technologists lose $42,311, and diagnostic medical sonographers face a $42,027 gap. Even full-time female nurse anesthetists, one of the highest-paid nursing specialties, earn about $36,298 less annually than men.

A 2023 study found that over a lifetime, female physicians earn $2 million less than male physicians over a simulated 40-year career, even after adjusting for specialty, practice type, and other factors. Significant gaps between dentists and optometrists in our analysis confirm this pattern persists across medical specialties.

Executive and professional roles

Women hold just 10 percent of chief executive positions in Fortune 500 companies, and when they do reach these roles, they may earn substantially less than their male counterparts even when working the same hours year-round. According to our analysis, female CEOs typically earn $40,746 less than male CEOs in the same role. 

Female lawyers face a $32,659 gap, and judges and magistrates have a $38,385 disparity between men and women. These are highly credentialed professions where education and experience, in theory, should eliminate pay gaps, yet significant disparities persist.

Race, Ethnicity, and Age Compound Gender Wage Gaps

Research from the National Women’s Law Center confirms that while all women are susceptible to wage gaps, women of color tend to face even more significant disparities in their wages compared to men. The data we analyzed from the American Community Survey also clearly shows the pay inconsistencies between women of different ethnicities. 

Compared to all American men:

• Native American women earn 41 percent less per hour ($16)
• Hispanic women earn 38 percent less per hour ($15)
• Biracial women earn 32 percent less per hour ($13)
• White women earn 18 percent less per hour ($7)
• Japanese women earn two percent less per hour ($0.83)
• Chinese women earn 12 percent more per hour ($5) 

Women in different age groups also have varying degrees of pay differences with men. Younger women (ages 18-29) experience the widest hourly pay gap, earning $16.82 per hour less than all men. This translates to $39,005 less annually. 

Pay Differences Between Women of Different Ages and All Men (U.S.)

The gap narrows for women ages 30-44 and 45-59, then narrows further for women aged 60 or older. However, the annual pay gap for older women jumps dramatically to 31 percent, reflecting that older women are significantly more likely to work part-time or have interrupted work histories.

Methodology 

This analysis examines gender-based pay differences in the United States using microdata from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey (ACS). All results are weighted using the ACS’s official person weights to ensure findings are nationally representative of the U.S. workforce.

The analysis focuses on full-time, year-round workers, defined by the Census as individuals who worked at least 35 hours per week and at least 50 weeks in the past year. The study includes only employed individuals, excluding those not participating in the labor force, to ensure that all comparisons reflect active workers across both early- and late-career stages.

Gender pay gaps were calculated using median annual earnings, based on respondents’ reported wage and salary income from the prior 12 months, as defined by the ACS. Pay gaps are expressed as the dollar difference between men’s and women’s median earnings, as well as the percentage difference, where applicable.

In addition to national-level findings, the analysis evaluates gender pay gaps across all 50 U.S. states and the 170 most populous U.S. cities, based on the latest available Census population estimates. The report also examines median gender pay differences across 553  occupations and professional categories using ACS demographic variables. City, state, and occupational rankings are based on median earnings for full-time, year-round workers.

The report also examines how gender pay gaps vary by race, ethnicity, age group, and veteran status. These demographic comparisons include both direct comparisons between men and women within the same group and comparisons of women in specific demographic groups to all men overall. These pay gap estimates are based on average hourly earnings among all employed workers and may differ from city, state, and occupational rankings, which focus on median annual earnings for full-time, year-round workers.

All data reflect the most recent finalized ACS estimates available at the time of analysis.

The report also analyzes wage differences across 553 occupations, major industry sectors, U.S. states, and the 170 most populous metropolitan areas, using 2023 Census metropolitan definitions. Geographic comparisons reflect aggregate wage differences between all employed women and all employed men within each location.