Sunset above downtown Glendale and San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. When it comes to U.S. cities where women earn more than men, Glendale is No. 1, according to a new report.gettyWant to make more money in 2026? Where you live could make a big difference—especially for women. A new gender pay gap report from Business.com shows that in some U.S. cities, women are earning as much as or even more than men.But those bright spots are the exception, not the rule. Despite decades of progress, the gender pay gap remains a stubborn reality across the United States, with women working full-time earning less than men in every state. On average, women earn about 17% less than men, and in some cities, the gap exceeds 30%.In honor of Equal Pay Day on March 26, Business.com analyzed gender pay gaps in 170 cities across the country using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The report offers a closer look at how earnings differ depending on where women live and work.According to Chad Brooks, managing editor of Business.com, the report is part of the company’s mission to support business owners in the U.S. “We published this report because understanding the scope of the gender pay gap is essential for any business owner making compensation decisions or building an equitable team,” Brooks told me in an interview. “Data-driven awareness is the first step toward change, and equipping people with that data is core to what Business.com does.”The team also wanted to go beyond national averages and take a more granular approach. “We wanted to conduct a city-level analysis to better understand how the gender pay gap varies locally, rather than just nationally,” says Brooks. “While the national average provides a high-level view, it doesn’t fully capture how wide the gap can be across different parts of the country.”While this is the first time Business.com has analyzed pay gap data with this level of detail, the company has conducted several analyses on other diversity and equity issues impacting U.S. businesses. “Our pay gap research also looked at year-over-year trends to better understand where the gap is narrowing or widening,” says Brooks. “What we found is that about half of the 170 cities in our analysis actually saw the gender pay gap widen year over year.”Oakland, California—one of the few U.S. cities where women earn more than men, according to a new gender pay gap report.gettyWhere Women Are Earning The Most In a small number of cities, the gender pay gap is narrow or even reversed. Women working full-time earn more than men in four of the 170 cities analyzed. In the Los Angeles County city of Glendale, California, women make $8,452 more than men. In the Bay Area city of Oakland, California, women make $4,500 more. In Yonkers, New York—a suburb of New York City—women make $1,722. And in Fayetteville, North Carolina—the home of Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg)—women make $388 more than men.Elsewhere, some places have nearly closed the gap altogether. Cities like Los Angeles ($92), Sacramento ($264), Boston ($807) and New York City ($886) report some of the smallest differences in the country.Some other good news: “We’re seeing some cities where the gap has narrowed or remains relatively small. For example, Miami and San Diego each saw nearly a 50% year-over-year decrease,” says Brooks. “However, even with that progress, the gap still exceeds $3,000 in Miami and $4,000 in San Diego.”Looking at the state level, a similar pattern emerges. The states with the lowest pay gaps include Vermont (with women making $6,186 less than men), Nevada (where women make $7,805 less), Florida ($7,915 less), New Mexico ($8,622 less) and New York ($8,739 less). It’s a trend that echoes findings from other reports that I’ve covered, like the best places to live in the U.S., where affordability, job opportunities and quality of life often intersect.Fremont, California tops the list of places with the widest pay gap. Pictured here: A view towards Fremont from the trail to Mission Peak, cattle grazing on the hills, east San Francisco bay, CaliforniagettyWhere The Gender Pay Gap Is The LargestAt the other end of the spectrum, the disparities are striking.Fremont, California tops the list of places with the widest pay gap. In this Bay Area city, women earn $41,553 less annually than men. Interestingly, Fremont also ranked No. 1 in WalletHub’s latest report on the 25 happiest cities in America—highlighting a striking disconnect between overall quality of life and income equality.Frisco, Texas ranks second, with women in this Dallas-Fort Worth metro area city making $41,037 less than men. Coming in third is Cary, North Carolina—part of the Raleigh metropolitan area—where women earn $35,717 less. In McKinney and Plano—both in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area—women earn $30,084 and $29,587 less, respectively. Several high-income metros—including Seattle, San Francisco and Irvine, California—also rank near the top, underscoring a surprising trend: Wealth and opportunity don’t necessarily translate into pay equity. Women make $29,124 less in Seattle, $27,957 less in San Francisco and $23,952 less in Irvine.A closer look at the data reveals clear geographic patterns. California accounts for 16 of the 50 cities with the largest pay gaps, including a cluster in the Bay Area—San Francisco, Sunnyvale and San Jose—all ranking among the worst. Texas has the second-highest concentration with nine cities, particularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs. Arizona also stands out, with several Phoenix-area suburbs (Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert and Glendale) appearing on the list.At the state level, the widest gender pay gaps are found in Wyoming (with women making $19,076 less than men); Utah ($17,521 less); Louisiana ($15,973 less); Washington ($14,693 less) and New Jersey ($14,587 less). New data shows that in some places, women are earning as much as or more than men.gettyWhy Some Cities Are Doing BetterAs more Americans rethink where they live and work, these differences are becoming even more pronounced. So what sets these cities apart? While no single factor explains the differences, a few themes emerge.Cities with smaller gaps tend to have less concentration in high-disparity industries and more consistent wage growth across the workforce. In contrast, cities dominated by high-paying, male-heavy industries often see larger dollar gaps, even if opportunities overall are strong.“These changes often reflect more balanced earnings distributions rather than higher overall pay,” says Brooks. “Cities with narrower gaps tend to benefit from more transparent pay structures, less concentration in high-disparity industries and more consistent wage growth across the workforce. Those factors can help limit extreme differences in earnings between men and women.”In other words, it’s not necessarily that women are earning dramatically more in these places, it’s that earnings are more evenly distributed across the workforce.That helps explain why cities with strong public sector employment, healthcare and education—fields with clearer pay bands—tend to show smaller gaps. Meanwhile, cities dominated by industries like tech and finance, where compensation is more variable and leadership remains male-heavy, often see wider disparities.Across the U.S., the gender pay gap shows up in nearly every corner of the workforce. Women working full-time earn less than men in nearly 90% of the 553 occupations analyzed, including high-paying fields like finance, healthcare, law and executive leadership, where gaps can exceed tens of thousands of dollars annually.When it comes to the occupations with the widest pay gaps, the top five are legal (where women make $69,985 less than men), health diagnosing and treating ($37,931 less), management ($23,078 less), sales ($20,432 less) and business and financial operations ($18,213 less). And the disparities aren’t just about gender. Race, ethnicity and age further compound the gap. Data from the National Women’s Law Center shows that Native American women earn 41% less per hour than men, Hispanic women earn 38% less and biracial women earn 32% less. Even among younger workers, the gap is pronounced: Women ages 18 to 29 earn $16.82 less per hour than men, or about $39,000 less annually.Vermont is the U.S. state with the smallest gender pay gap, where women come closest to earning as much as men. Pictured here: a woman on the top of the Mount Pinacle in Coaticook.gettyThe TakeawayWhere you live can have a significant impact on how much money you make, but even in the country’s wealthiest and most progressive cities, the gender pay gap remains deeply entrenched. For women looking to make more money, geography still plays a powerful role. At the same time, a handful of cities are showing that change is possible—and that in the right conditions, women can close the gap or even out-earn men. The challenge is figuring out how to scale that progress nationwide so more women have the opportunity to make more money, no matter where they live.MORE FROM FORBES:ForbesThe 25 Happiest Countries In The World, According To The 2026 World Happiness ReportBy Laura Begley BloomForbesThe 50 Best Cities In The World To Raise A Family—According To A New Report From Compare The MarketBy Laura Begley BloomForbesThe 11 Easiest Countries To Get Citizenship In 2026, According To An International Living ReportBy Laura Begley Bloom