Single Women Outearn Single Men in Only 1 of the US’ Largest Metros (and How That Breaks Down by Generation)

There’s a pay equality anomaly between men and women, no doubt. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that women earned just 83.7% of what men did for full-time work in 2022.

A recent LendingTree study found women only outearn their partners in 26% of opposite-sex coupled households. And things don’t look much brighter for the single ladies.

Our latest study found single women outearn single men in only one of the 100 largest U.S. metros with available data: Portland, Maine. We also explored how that gap for singles grows (or shrinks) by generation.

Key findings

• Across the 100 largest U.S. metros, single men outearn single women significantly. Single men in these metros earn $33,768, on average — $8,717 more than the $25,051 among single women.
• Single women outearn single men in just one of those 100 metros. In Portland, Maine, single women earn $25,741, on average — $847 more than single men ($24,894). The gap is widest in San Jose, Calif., where single men make an average of $25,524 more than single women ($73,614 versus $48,090).
• Single millennial women outearn single millennial men in just six metros. Allentown, Pa. — which has the eighth-lowest gap on our overall list — moves to the top among millennials. In the Pennsylvania metro, single millennial women earn an average of $36,124 — $3,979 more than single millennial men ($32,145). Ogden, Utah, is another metro where single millennial women outearn single millennial men, even if single men (regardless of age) outearn single women there by an average of $7,780.
• That figure rises to 15 metros when comparing single Gen X women and men. Portland, Maine, is back at the top, with single Gen X women making an average of $40,233 — $12,359 more than single Gen X men ($27,874). Of the 15 metros, nine are in the South.
• Among single baby boomer women and men, that figure dips to 12 metros. Single baby boomer women outearn single baby boomer men the most out west in Spokane, Wash. There, single baby boomer women earn $19,084 — $5,142 more than single baby boomer men ($14,266). This is a wide variation from millennials as single millennial men in Spokane outearn single millennial women by $10,208, or 81st among the 100 metros.

Single men outearn single women significantly

All the single ladies, put your hands up … if men in your area outearn you. According to our study, a whole lot of hands should be waving in the air.

Of course, the pervasive question is why. While there are all sorts of explanations and excuses bandied about, LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz says sexism and discrimination play at least some part, no matter a woman’s marital status.

“It’d be naïve to think otherwise,” he says. “We’ve seen data forever showing that women often make less than men for doing the same job, and some of that is because of bad factors. However, it’s also clear that other factors are at play, too. For example, women are more likely to work in industries that pay less as a whole. Also, women are more likely to carry caregiving responsibilities for kids, aging parents and others, often leaving them less time to devote to work and limiting their earning potential.”

A March 2023 Wells Fargo report noted that a record 52% of women were single in 2021, accounting for about 26% of the U.S. population.

Single women outearn single men in just 1 of 100 largest metros

Conversely, the gap is widest in San Jose, Calif., where single men make an average of $25,524 more than single women — $73,614 versus $48,090.

What is it about some metros — like Portland, Maine — that see more gender pay equity while others see less? Experts say it often has to do with education rates, industries in the area and women’s career choices.

For example, Portland is in New England, close to numerous prestigious colleges, such as Bowdoin, Bates and Colby, which are all in Maine alone. Research shows a college degree typically boosts one’s earning potential, and women are outpacing men to earn those degrees.

Comparing the average earnings of single men and single women

Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey microdata via Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS).

The gap also appears to be tied to how much men earn in many cases. For example, single men in San Jose, Calif. (at the bottom of the list) earn the most among the 100 metros examined — $73,614. Meanwhile, single men in Portland, Maine, earn about a third of that ($24,894), so it’s easier for women to close the gap there.

“In places where single women earn more than single men, it tends to be a case of these men earning far less than the national average rather than these women overachieving to any big degree,” Schulz says. “For example, single women in Portland earn a few hundred dollars more a year than the 100-metro average for single women, but single men earn nearly $9,000 less than the 100-metro average for single men. That’s a big difference.”

Also, the difference between the highest- and lowest-earning metros in our study for single men was far greater than for single women. For example, single men in Jackson, Miss., earned more than $50,000 less than single men in San Jose ($21,105 versus $73,614). Meanwhile, single women in McAllen, Texas (the metro where single women earn the least on average) earned more than $30,000 less than single women in San Jose ($16,545 versus $48,090).

Single millennial women outearn single millennial men in just 6 metros

We also looked at how the gender pay gap among singles plays out among three generations:

• Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996)
• Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1980)
• Baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)

Note: We didn’t include Gen Zers because our data started at age 22 and didn’t offer a proper sample size. 

First, we looked at millennials ages 25 to 40 in 2021. Single millennial women fared a bit better than single women in general, with single millennial men earning an average of $6,912 more than single millennial women ($40,437 versus $33,524). It’s not great, but it’s better than the overall average $8,717 single men earn over single women.

And single women in this generation outearn single millennial men in six metros as opposed to just one overall. At the top of the list for single millennial women is Allentown, Pa. — which has the eighth-lowest gap on our overall list. There, single millennial women earn an average of $36,124 — $3,979 more than single millennial men ($32,145).

Why Allentown? Again, it’s in a state with a slew of highly regarded colleges — the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon, Lehigh and Villanova, to name a few. In fact, the five metros at the top of the list below are in relative proximity to major universities.

Comparing the average earnings of single millennial men and single millennial women

Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey microdata via IPUMS.

Single Gen X women outearn single Gen X men in 15 metros

Single Gen X women ages 41 to 56 in 2021 fared the best of the three generations in our study, outearning single Gen X men in 15 metros. Portland, Maine, is back at the top of the list, with single Gen X women there making an average of $12,359 more than single Gen X men — $40,233 versus $27,874, respectively.

Also, it’s interesting to note that in some of the metros where single Gen X women are outperforming single Gen X men, there’s a big difference between earnings for single millennial women and single Gen X women.

In San Antonio, for example, single Gen X women make about $13,000 more than single millennial women ($39,664 versus $26,592 — about a 40% difference), but single Gen X men earn about $3,000 less than single millennial men ($35,458 versus $38,089, respectively).

Comparing the average earnings of single Gen X men and single Gen X women

Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey microdata via IPUMS.

As for the regional disparity, we noted before that Portland is in New England, where there are a plethora of institutions of higher learning, which could contribute to its place at the top of this list. But it’s interesting to note that of the 15 metros where single Gen X women outearn single Gen X men, nine are in the South.

The reasons aren’t clear, but it likely has to do with the types of industries in various locations. For example, jobs in manufacturing and agriculture that attract more men typically pay less than jobs on the coasts, where higher-paying industries may be more popular.

Metros where single baby boomer women outearn single baby boomer men dip to 12

As for the baby boomers ages 57 to 75 in 2021, single women in this generation outearn single men in 12 metros — fewer than Gen Xers but more than millennials. Interestingly, Spokane, Wash., jumped to the top of the list here. Single baby boomer women in Spokane earn an average of $19,408 — $5,142 more than single baby boomer men ($14,266). This is starkly different than it is for millennials in Spokane as single millennial men there earn an average of $10,208 more than millennial women.

Why the drastic difference in one metro among the generations? It could be due to the fact that many baby boomers have retired or are on the cusp of doing so. And since Spokane is regularly included in roundups of the best place to retire, this may be a significant contributing factor.

At the bottom of the baby boomer list is Bridgeport, Conn., where single men outearn single baby boomer women by $21,762. This is likely due to the fact that single baby boomer men in Bridgeport outearn men in any of the other metros on our list. They make an average of $51,136, which is more than three times that of the average single male baby boomer salary in Spokane ($14,266).

Comparing the average earnings of single baby boomer men and single baby boomer women

Source: LendingTree analysis of U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey microdata via IPUMS.

Across the country, single baby boomer men outearned single baby boomer women by an average of $5,255 — $24,792 versus $19,537, respectively.

3 financial strategies for single women

It’s clear single women often face an uphill financial battle that’s steeper than their male counterparts due to lower earnings. There are some things single women can do, however, to set themselves up well for the financial long haul — regardless of whether anyone puts a ring on their finger.

• Save and invest early. One of the best things single women can do for their overall financial health is to start saving and investing as early as possible. It can, of course, be easier said than done, especially when you’re earning less than your male counterparts, but it’s essential to your financial stability. Those investments and savings give you a cushion to fall back on in an emergency, such as a job loss or medical issue. They can also make it easier for you to make larger purchases, such as a car or a house. “Even if you’re only setting aside a few dollars per paycheck, it makes a difference,” Schulz says. “The key is to do it consistently and take advantage of the time you have for it to grow. That’s especially now with high-yield savings accounts giving returns that would’ve been unheard of just two years ago.”
• Manage debt wisely If you have debt, you want to try to pay it down. Just don’t do it at the expense of saving money. It may mean you’ll pay a little more interest and take a little more time to pay off that debt. However, it also means that when that debt is $0, you’ll have some money set aside as a cushion. “That’s how you break the cycle of debt that plagues so many people,” Schulz says. “Without savings, the next unexpected expense, like an emergency trip to the vet or a broken-down car, will have to go on your credit card, leaving you right back in debt. Having some savings can allow you to pay cash for at least some of that bill, helping you avoid falling back into that debt after working so hard to get out.”
• Budget Again, it’s easier said than done, but making a budget and sticking to it is the key to nearly all your other financial goals. Knowing where your money is going and cutting out frivolous spending when you can will help you save, invest and pay off debt.

Methodology

LendingTree researchers analyzed U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey microdata via Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) to calculate the average earnings for single women and men across the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas where data was available.

Singles include individuals 22 and older who’ve never been married or who are widowed, divorced or separated and living alone or with children, relatives or nonrelatives.

We defined generations as the following ages:

• Baby boomers: 1946 to 1964 (57 to 75 in 2021)
• Gen Xers: 1965 to 1980 (41 to 56 in 2021)
• Millennials: 1981 to 1996 (25 to 40 in 2021)

We didn’t include Gen Zers because our data started at age 22 and didn’t offer a proper sample size.