New analysis has found that women are most likely to earn more than their male partners in northern cities located in blue states.
In New Haven, Conn., nearly 30 percent of households with opposite-sex partners have women as the primary breadwinner, according to personal finance website LendingTree. New Haven ranks No. 1 in the nation for this measure among the 100 largest metropolitan areas for which data is available.
In contrast, in Provo, Utah, women outnumber male partners in just 16.8% of couple households. Provo ranks last among the nation’s largest cities for female primary earners.
The Nov. 4 report is based on the 2023 American Community Survey, which uses data on households with opposite-sex couples.
Overall, women outnumber their male partners in 25.7% of households in the 100 largest metropolitan areas.
Women are more likely to outperform men in blue states.
Nine of the 10 metro areas with the highest percentage of female primary earners are located in Democratic-leaning states in the Northeast. No. 10, Minneapolis, is located in a blue state in the upper Midwest.
By contrast, most of the cities with the lowest female earners are in more conservative states, with Utah, Texas, and Florida dominating the top 10.
“It’s a stark reminder of the diversity of thinking across the country when it comes to gender roles and who should be the breadwinner,” said Matt Schultz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree.
These metros have the highest number of female earners.
The metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of women as primary earners are:
- New Haven, CT (29.7% of households have a female breadwinner)
- Syracuse, NY (29.5%)
- Minneapolis (28.9%)
- Providence, Rhode Island (28.9%)
- Albany, New York (28.8%)
- Philadelphia (28.7%)
- Portland, Maine (28.6%)
- Hartford, CT (28.5%)
- Scranton, Pennsylvania (28.4%)
- Boston (28.3%)
And these cities have the fewest female earners.
And the metropolitan areas with the lowest percentage of female breadwinners are:
- Provo, Utah (16.8%)
- Ogden, Utah (18.7%)
- McAllen, Texas (20.4%)
- Northport, Florida (21.4%)
- Augusta, Georgia (21.5%)
- El Paso, Texas (21.6%)
- Cape Coral, Florida (21.9%)
- Bakersfield, California (22.1%)
- Salt Lake City (22.5%)
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (22.8%)
Differences in salary cause friction in marriage
Income disparity can create tension in a marriage. Another study by LendingTree found that about a quarter of couples with income differences report frequent conflicts over money. Men were twice as likely as women to report financial troubles, 32% versus 14%. The survey was conducted in September among 2,000 Americans.
“Money is always a very important source of conflict in relationships,” Schultz said.
The causes of these money tensions appear to vary by gender.
The top five causes of conflict over income inequality, reported by men, are:
- Expectations about who will pay for what (54% of men answered)
- Differences in spending and saving styles (40%)
- Unbalanced between childcare and housework (39%)
- Opinions from family and friends (35%)
- Traditional gender roles (26%)
The main causes of tension women reported were:
- Differences in spending and saving styles (52%)
- Expectations about who will pay for what (30%)
- Uneven balance between childcare and housework (26%)
- (tie) Power or control over money (26%)
- Opinions from family and friends (25%)
- (tie) Debt or credit problems (25%)
Measuring the Taylor Swift effect
Taylor Swift, one of America’s richest women, helped change the way we think about earning more than our partners. Swift recently announced her engagement to star football player Travis Kelce, and while she’s not poor by any means, she doesn’t earn as much as her fiancé.
In the LendingTree survey, 41% of male earners and 18% of female earners said Swift had a positive impact on their feelings about earning more than their partner.
