This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.
Construction has long been a male-dominated field. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 13% of payroll employees in the construction industry are women — a number that has remained relatively stagnant since the 1990s.
When also taking into account self-employed workers, the proportion is even lower, at just 10.3%. Despite the gender gap in employment, some job functions and locations offer better opportunities for women seeking a career in the construction industry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women who work in construction are most likely to work in office or administrative positions. By contrast, men have much higher representation in roles related to finance, transportation, construction, extraction and maintenance.
A major benefit for women in the construction industry is that they tend to command higher wages than female workers in other fields. The median full-time wage for women in construction is $46,808 per year, compared with $43,394 for female workers across all industries.
Although only 10.3% of workers in the construction industry are women, some parts of the country have much stronger female representation. To find which cities have the most women in construction, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed employment data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.
Locations were ordered by the female employment share in the construction industry. In the event of a tie, the location with the larger number of total female workers in construction was ranked higher. Only cities with at least 100,000 residents and available data from the Census Bureau were included.
Following are the large cities with the most women in construction.
20. Columbus, Ohio
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 11.7%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,395
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 18,139
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $40,913
19. Denver
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 11.8%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 3,636
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 27,277
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $49,437
18. Austin, Texas
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 11.8%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 4,650
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 34,688
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $40,595
17. New Orleans
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 11.9%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,143
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 8,433
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $37,300
16. Louisville, Kentucky
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 12.1%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,932
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 13,971
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $46,560
15. Baltimore
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 12.3%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,577
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 11,201
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $50,740
14. Portland, Oregon
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 13.0%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,897
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 12,703
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $63,892
13. Kansas City, Missouri
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 13.1%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,760
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 11,630
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $41,742
12. Tampa, Florida
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 13.3%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,015
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 13,135
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $49,938
11. San Diego
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 13.3%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 4,270
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 27,919
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $53,990
10. Wichita, Kansas
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 13.4%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,855
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 12,011
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $40,067
9. Charlotte, North Carolina
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 13.6%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 4,747
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 30,113
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $36,988
8. El Paso, Texas
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 14.1%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,968
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 18,044
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $35,710
7. Atlanta
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 14.6%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 885
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 5,158
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $44,346
6. Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 15.4%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,743
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 15,037
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $55,363
5. Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 15.5%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,187
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 11,891
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $52,325
4. Washington, D.C.
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 16.1%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,831
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 9,517
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $52,035
3. San Francisco
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 17.0%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,985
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 14,590
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $70,711
2. Seattle
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 17.6%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 2,697
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 12,664
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $70,966
1. Minneapolis
- Female employment share in the construction industry: 19.1%
- Total female employment in the construction industry: 1,298
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 5,495
- Median earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $54,521
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