Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on HireAHelper.
Working mothers with children under 18 account for a significant share of the labor force.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, over 70% of these moms are employed, accounting for 24.7 million workers overall. The median annual wage for full-time working moms is $45,000, but moms in some parts of the country earn far more.
Nearly 72% of all moms are employed either full-time or part-time, which is higher than the overall level of 63% for the general population. While the median annual wage for full-time working moms is $45,000 nationally, moms in some cities and states earn significantly more or less. Moreover, differences in the cost of living across the country determine how comfortable it is to live on a given annual wage.
Here are the best-paying metropolitan areas for moms, followed by the methodology we used to determine them.
15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $52,402
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $60,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 62.4%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 73.7%
- Cost of living: 14.5% above average
14. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $52,910
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $50,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 62.9%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 78.5%
- Cost of living: 5.5% below average
13. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $52,980
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $48,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 69.5%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 79.7%
- Cost of living: 9.4% below average
12. St. Louis, MO-IL
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $53,274
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $48,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 70.0%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 79.1%
- Cost of living: 9.9% below average
11. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $53,450
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $55,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 66.7%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 82.5%
- Cost of living: 2.9% above average
10. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $53,743
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $56,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 64.9%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 75.3%
- Cost of living: 4.2% above average
9. Raleigh, NC
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $54,110
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $52,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 69.6%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 75.7%
- Cost of living: 3.9% below average
8. Pittsburgh, PA
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $54,113
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $50,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 67.1%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 76.1%
- Cost of living: 7.6% below average
7. Columbus, OH
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $54,585
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $50,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 73.7%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 78.6%
- Cost of living: 8.4% below average
6. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $57,249
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $77,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 68.3%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 73.5%
- Cost of living: 34.5% above average
5. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $58,601
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $62,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 69.1%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 79.4%
- Cost of living: 5.8% above average
4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $59,625
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $70,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 73.4%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 78.6%
- Cost of living: 17.4% above average
3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $60,606
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $70,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 65.3%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 80.5%
- Cost of living: 15.5% above average
2. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $62,439
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $64,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 65.3%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 83.0%
- Cost of living: 2.5% above average
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (adjusted): $63,141
- Median annual wage for full-time working moms (actual): $80,000
- Percentage of working moms that are full-time: 68.1%
- Labor force participation rate for moms: 71.0%
- Cost of living: 26.7% above average
Methodology
To find the best-paying metropolitan areas for moms, researchers at HireAHelper analyzed the latest data on wages and employment from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample and cost-of-living data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2019 Regional Price Parity dataset. To make wages comparable across locations, wages in expensive metros were adjusted down to reflect lower purchasing power while wages in relatively affordable metros were adjusted up to reflect higher purchasing power.
The researchers ranked metro areas according to the cost-of-living-adjusted median annual wage for full-time working moms with kids under 18. In the event of a tie, the metro with the larger percentage of working moms that are full-time was ranked higher. Researchers also calculated the unadjusted median annual wage for moms and the labor force participation rate for moms.
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