
Young women’s median income has risen dramatically over the past 70 years. According to figures from the Current Population Survey, the median income for full- and part-time women aged 25 to 34 was just over $12,000 in 1948 (in 2018 dollars). As of 2018, that figure had increased by 161 percent, to over $32,000. In comparison, real median income for men aged 25 to 34 increased by just 23 percent over the same time period. While young women’s income has grown steadily since 1948 (after adjusting for inflation), that for young men peaked in 1973 and has been trending downward since.
At the state level, Massachusetts and Connecticut are the best-paying cities for full-time millennial women, with cost-of-living-adjusted median earnings of $45,579 and $42,413, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Florida and New Mexico rank the lowest, with cost-of-living-adjusted median earnings at $33,797 and $32,931, respectively.
To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis. Additionally, metro areas were grouped into following cohorts based on population size. Small metros have 100,000-349,999 residents; midsize metros have 350,000-999,999 residents; and large metros have at least 1,000,000 residents.