SWFL cities closing gender pay gap, study shows

Southwest Florida is becoming a must-be place for working women.

A business.org study shows Lee and Collier counties are among the best paying areas for women in the nation.

In the Naples area, the median income for men is more than $43,000, but women aren’t too far behind, coming in at more than $39,000. This means women are earning around 90 cents on the dollar compared to men.

The same ratio goes for women in the Fort Myers area, and in Punta Gorda, women earn 89% of what their male counterparts make.

CareerSource Southwest Florida attributes our low gender pay gap to the strength of our health care and tourism industries, but there’s still room for improvement.

“Don’t ever stop learning, always grow. We’re finally getting the recognition that we have been seeking for years so don’t give up and keep moving forward, reach for your dreams,” said Janeth Castrejon, communications manager for CareerSource Southwest Florida.

Elsewhere in the U.S., Santa Fe, New Mexico, has the lowest gender pay gap, according to the study. Women there earn 97% of their counterpart’s income.

Top 15 metro areas with lowest gender pay gap:

1. Santa Fe, New Mexico
2. Jacksonville, North Carolina
3. Napa, California
4. Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
5. Manhattan, Kansas
6. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island
7. Cape Coral-Fort Myers
8. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California
9. Salinas, California
10. New Bern, North Carolina
11. Fresno, California
12. Ocala, Florida
13. Punta Gorda
14. Carson City, Nevada
15. The Villages, Florida