Women at Work
This is how much money women make in Austin — compared to men
A new report from Abodo explores the gender wage gap in the U.S., confirming that Texas women earn less than men, which mirrors the rest of the nation.
The apartment listing website reviewed five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey to determine the wage gap in the 100 largest metro areas. The site then ranked the metros, with No. 1 having the smallest wage gap.
Nationally, the median annual income for men is $49,828. For women, it's $39,315. That means women earn 78.9 cents to a man's dollar.
Texas' five largest metros fare better than the national average, but just barely. Austin-Round Rock ranks No. 31 among metros analyzed. Here, men earn a median annual income of $50,902, while women earn $41,592, or 81.7 percent.
San Antonio-New Braunfels has the smallest wage gap in Texas and ranks No. 22 in the U.S. Men take home $43,035, and women take home 82.5 percent of that, or $35,514. Dallas-Fort Worth ranks No. 27 nationally. DFW women earn 82.3 percent of what men do; men make $49,879, while women make $41,075.
The Texas cities with the largest wage gaps are El Paso, No. 51, at 79.8 percent ($36,594 versus $29,189), and Houston, No. 53, at 79.7 percent ($50,825 versus $40,511).
In the report, Abodo concludes that the gender wage gap has consequences outside of payday, notably housing affordability.
"As a national median, women can afford 1,143 square feet, while men can afford up to 1,448," says the report. "But, as we all know, you can’t order a specified number of square feet for your apartment, which often translates to a tight budget stretched to fit the market reality. As housing costs continue to rise faster than wages, this gap will only become more pronounced."
The metro area with the most equal pay is Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina. There, women earn 92.6 percent of what men earn — it’s the only place where women’s overall median salaries exceed 90 percent of men’s.
