Punching in

This is how Austin ranks among big cities for women in tech

Only one Texas city has been deemed one of the best for women in technology, according to a SmartAsset report.

Photo by Christina Morillo/Pexels

If you're a woman working in Austin's technology industry, your career may not be as lucrative as everyone thinks. Surprisingly, the tech mecca only managed a ranking of 44th out of 58 among big cities in the United States for women in technology jobs, according to a report from SmartAsset.

The study took into consideration four key factors: gender pay gap, income after housing, percentage of tech jobs filled by women, and four-year employment growth. Using data from the U.S. Census, SmartAsset only looked at cities with populations of 200,000 residents or more that had reliable data, which left the study with 58 cities across the country.

The average female tech worker in Austin has $51,028 left from her salary after paying for a home, and Austin's wage gap between male and female workers was 84 percent, another surprising metric. And, at 21.1 percent, Austin has a low percentage of women in tech positions, considering its reputation as a booming innovation hub.

Among Texas cities, Houston was tops, earning a spot at No. 4 nationwide.

Houston's tech pay is what stood out for the city. The average female tech worker there has $60,646 left from her salary after paying for a home, and Houston ranks eighth overall in this metric. With a ratio of 99 percent, Houston's wage gap when it comes to tech jobs ranked the city No. 3 for smallest wage gap. However, at 26 percent, Houston also has a low percentage of women in tech positions.

Dallas is ranked in the bottom 10 — specifically, 51st out of 58 — and tied with Nashville for that spot. But Fort Worth landed at a respectable No. 20, the highest among all cities ranked in the Metroplex.

Dallas' numbers look significantly different. The average female tech worker in Dallas has $44,808 left from her salary after housing costs. Dallas' wage gap is 78 percent. And women fill just 24.7 percent of tech positions in Dallas.

By comparison, the average female tech worker in Fort Worth has $51,091 left from her salary after housing costs. Fort Worth's wage gap is 87 percent. And women fill 25.9 percent of tech positions in the city.

A few other DFW cities came in between Fort Worth and Dallas on the survey — Plano came in at No. 27; and Irving secured No. 35.

Which cities ranked highest? Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; and Philadelphia topped the list. California's major tech players — such as San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland — all ranked in the middle of the pack or worse.

And trailing Dallas at the bottom of the list were Portland, Oregon; Madison, Wisconsin; Los Angeles; Raleigh, North Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Colorado Springs.

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A version of this story appears on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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Hit the Road

Austin City Council passes resolution over MoPac expansion concerns

Photo courtesy of KVUE

The City Council has taken issue with some environmental concerns and planning that may be outdated.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has been looking to make improvements on MoPac Expressway South from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane to try to improve traffic. It is looking to add up to four express toll lanes.

But the Austin City Council recently passed a resolution over its concerns with the project.

“[The resolution] tells the city manager to work with the CTRMA on the MoPac South Project. When you see state money being spent on projects that affect the local community, we want to make sure we are holding the highest standard possible," Councilmember Paige Ellis said.

Some of the concerns listed in the resolution include that it's been more than 11 years since CTRMA held its original scoping meeting; that the Recommended Build Alternative has not changed substantially since 2015; and that fine particulate matter in the air in Travis County already exceeds healthy metrics; plus others.

Ellis said she has some environmental concerns.

"The environment is protected for species like the golden cheeked warbler and salamanders, so we want to make we are sure limiting impervious cover," Ellis said.

The CTRMA said its environmental study evaluates potential harms and mitigations to things like water quality and endangered species. The CTRMA added that it has "worked extensively with the city of Austin throughout the study."

Read the full story, including information on how to submit feedback, and watch the video at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added a paragraph to this excerpt listing some details from the City Council document.