Here are the Best Cities for Women in Commercial Real Estate

The share of women in the commercial and residential real estate industries slumped 5% from 2017 to 2021, and women are still making less on average than male counterparts in both sectors.

A MyEListing analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that of the 3 million people working in real estate, 48% are women — but despite those high levels, women earn 89.2% of mens’ salaries in the sector on average, an increase of just 0.1% over the last five years.  Over the course of a career, that means women earn on average $313,114 less than men.

According to the firm’s findings, the ten best metros for women to work in real estate are Toledo; Stockton; Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY; Omaha-Council Bluffs; Winston-Salem; Des Moines-West Des Moines; Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford; Richmond; St. Louis; and Tucson.

Women employed in real estate in Toledo make 136% of what men make and hold 59% of all real estate jobs there.  In Stockton, women make 155% the wages of men and 58% of people employed in the sector are women. And Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown  saw a 368% increase in women employed in real estate, the biggest increase in the country, with women earning 103% of what men earn.

The worst metros for women in real estate are Spokane-Spokane Valley, Wash.; Greenville-Anderson, SC; Portland-South Portland, Maine; Durham-Chapel Hill; Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio; New Haven-Milford, Conn.; Worcester, MA-CT; Syracuse; North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla; and Bakersfield, Calif.

In Spokane, women make just 55% what men do, and the average salary for women in real estate is the sixth-lowest in the country. Just 37% of people employed in real estate in this area are women. In Greenville-Anderson, South Carolina, just 31% of people employed in real estate are women, the lowest ratio in the country, while women make the 19th-lowest wage in the country and 76% of the earnings that men make there. And in Portland, Maine, 47% less women are employed in the sector since 2017, the largest drop in the US. Women make about 61% of what men

The third-worst is Portland-South Portland, Maine, which saw a 47% decrease in women employed in real estate since 2017, the biggest drop in the country. Only 36% of those employed in real estate are women with an average salary of $53,533, about 61% of what men make, the fifth-largest wage gap in the country.

According to CREW Network’s most recent survey of women in commercial real estate workplaces, just 56% of 2022 survey respondents said they had access to a mentor or sponsor in the last two years. The report also says “retention strategies should be a top priority for companies,” with pay equity, inclusion, and work-life balance policies top of mind.

“Pay equity continues to be a hot button topic among employees,” the report observes. “Inclusion policies must grow beyond ratios into meaningful measurements. Work/life balance will be a major factor for many when deciding on career choices. Wellbeing at work has risen in prominence and companies must address this concern in the workplace.”