Maybe this emphasis on equity in the Bull City is starting to pay off, literally.

A new study made public this week reports that  Durham is ranked among the top 15 cities in the country with the most six-figure earners who are women.

The new study by SmartAsset reports that Durham ranks 11th and tied with Los Angeles, Seattle, and Atlanta.

Women’s earning power in Durham has certainly been bolstered by the educational opportunities of top-flight universities and community colleges, the Research Triangle Park, the looming presence of Google and Apple, along with a small business-friendly environment.

SmartAsset analyzed data for the nation’s 100 largest cities to determine where the nation’s top-earning living women reside, according to a Wednesday press release.

Moreover, the statement notes that women “face an uphill battle when it comes to earning six figures.”

“Many Americans agree that amid rising prices and economic uncertainty today, it takes a six-figure salary to get by. However, women continue to be underrepresented in higher-paying jobs,” Stephanie Horan writes for SmartAsset. “According to 2020 Census data, women make up less than 30 percent of six-figure earners in the U.S. And while this figure marks progress from a decade prior when only 23 percent of six-figure earners were women, women continue to face tighter budgets than men generally.”

Horan adds that “in large cities with higher costs of living, a six-figure salary may be even more necessary to pay for housing costs, food and other necessities, while also growing one’s savings.”

Not surprisingly, the study found that the women are mostly likely to earn six-figure incomes in the nation’s biggest cities, with the three largest, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles all running in the top 10.

“In all three places, women make up more than a third of six-figure earners and more than one in seven women earn $100,000 or more annually,” Horan says.

Washington, D.C. is ranked first, followed by San Francisco, Arlington, Virginia, Oakland, and New York.

See the full list below. 

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Follow Durham Staff Writer Thomasi McDonald on Twitter or send an email to tmcdonald@indyweek.com.