Top 20 Cities Where Equal Pay Day Is Delayed Months to a Year

Equal Pay Day is a revealing tool for addressing the gender pay gap in the U.S. It’s calculated by counting the number of days after Jan. 1 a woman would need to work to earn the same amount a man earned for the previous year. This year, National Equal Pay Day falls on Mar. 24, 2021, but a new MoneyGeek study has found that there isn’t just one Equal Pay Day.

Using data collected from the American Community Survey median income for individuals with full-time work for the past 12 months, MoneyGeek calculated the pay gaps of 40 cities and all 50 states. Starting at the beginning of 2020, MoneyGeek calculated the date to which women would need to work in each city and state to match the same amount of a man’s full year’s pay.

The dates from the MoneyGeek study show some states fare worse than others when it comes to equal pay for women in the workplace. Some equal pay days fall over a year after the national day, while some cities' equal pay days are months prior to Mar. 24, 2021. In Cedar Park, Texas, the Equal Pay Day falls on Feb. 16, 2022. Nine out of the 20 cities with the largest pay gap are in Texas.

MoneyGeek also took into account women's median earnings in each city. With a low median earning potential, women may not be able to gain financial independence — such as purchasing their first home and save for retirement — or consider living in cities with fewer reported crimes.

Here are 20 cities with the biggest pay gaps:

20. Flower Mound, TX

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Equal Pay Day: August 17, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $61,835

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 61.4%

19. Frisco, TX

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Equal Pay Day: August 17, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $61,879

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 61.4%

18. Lake Forest, CA

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Equal Pay Day: August 18, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $57,474

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 61.3%

17. Turlock, CA

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Equal Pay Day: August 19, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $36,977

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 61.2%

16. Weston, FL

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Equal Pay Day: August 22, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $51,947

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 60.9%

15. Johns Creek, GA

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Equal Pay Day: August 30, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $72,679

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 60.1%

14. Midland, TX

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Equal Pay Day: August 30, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $40,028

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 60.1%

13. Odessa, TX

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Equal Pay Day: September 3, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $32,118

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 59.6%

12. Mount Pleasant, SC

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Equal Pay Day: September 4, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $60,000

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 59.6%

11. Huntsville, AL

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Equal Pay Day: September 8, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $35,536

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 59.2%

10. Pharr, TX

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Equal Pay Day: September 21, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $24,438

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 57.9%

9. Carmel, IN

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Equal Pay Day: September 25, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $63,629

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 57.6%

8. Sugar Land, TX

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Equal Pay Day: September 28, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $60,398

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 57.3%

7. Lehi, UT

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Equal Pay Day: October 1, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $45,688

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 57.1%

6. Edmond, OK

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Equal Pay Day: October 11, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $46,474

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 56.2%

5. San Ramon, TX

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Equal Pay Day: November 10, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $86,281

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 53.7%

4. The Woodlands, TX

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Equal Pay Day: November 12, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $68,215

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 53.6%

3. South Jordan, UT

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Equal Pay Day: November 19, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $42,481

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 53.0%

2. Alpharetta, GA

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Equal Pay Day: December 6, 2021

Women's Median Earnings: $62,646

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 51.8%

1. Cedar Park, TX

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Equal Pay Day: February 16, 2022

Women's Median Earnings: $45,348

Women's Income as Percentage of Men: 46.9%

Methodology

To find the Equal Pay Day for each city, MoneyGeek analyzed data from the American Community Survey and used the median earnings for men and women who worked full time within the last 12 months to calculate the pay gaps for all cities. Using the beginning of 2020 as the starting point, the date which women would need to work to earn the equivalent to a full year’s earnings for a man was determined.

About the Author

Nadia Neophytou is a journalist based in New York City who writes for various leading American and South African publications such as The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Deadline, Quartz, Glamour, the Mail & Guardian, the Sunday Times, Forbes Africa, MoneyGeek and more. Nadia also worked as an arts and entertainment journalist for Eyewitness News and as the news network's US correspondent for South Africa. She has covered topics ranging from Occupy Wall Street, numerous mass shootings, the re-election of Barack Obama, Donald Trump's election and the #MeToo movement.