Top Cities for Successful, Educated, Single Women

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Updated on December 30th, 2021

Reading Time: 26 minutes

For the last few generations, young women have been attending college in steadily increasing numbers. In the late 80s, women surpassed men in bachelor’s degree attainment and there has been no looking back. Armed with higher levels of education, single women these days enjoy higher salaries and are waiting longer to get married. With this great opportunity, what cities are these educated, successful, and single women choosing to realize their future and grow their career?

Map of Top Cities for Women in the United States

1. Arlington, VA

Across the water from Washington, Arlington, Virginia boasts high rates of college graduates and high income. The US Department of Defense is a top employer for these young, successful women.

 

College graduate:
69%
High income:
49%
Single & 25-39:
24%
Single men surplus:
6%
Top tier female employer

2. Alexandria, VA

On the shores of the Potomac, Alexandria offers close proximity for women working for the US Federal Government while being a bit removed from the hustle and bustle of Washington.

 

College graduate:
60%
High income:
43%
Single & 25-39:
22%
Single men surplus:
-5%
Top tier female employer

3. Cambridge, MA

The great universities of Cambridge draw women from around the world. After graduating, a large number of them stick around and work in financial services or higher education.

 

College graduate:
70%
High income:
35%
Single & 25-39:
22%
Single men surplus:
21%
Top tier female employer

4. Washington, DC

With top jobs in government and higher education, Washington has large numbers of single, successful women. Washington is also one of the few cities which has a more single women between 25 and 39 than men.

 

College graduate:
48%
High income:
39%
Single & 25-39:
22%
Single men surplus:
-7%
Top tier female employer

5. San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is the first of three Bay Area cities in the top 10. High-tech employers including Google and Facebook are leading the economic growth in this region.

 

College graduate:
51%
High income:
41%
Single & 25-39:
21%
Single men surplus:
19%
Top tier female employer

6. Seattle, WA

Representing the Pacific Northwest, Seattle women find great jobs at Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks when they’re not enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

 

College graduate:
56%
High income:
32%
Single & 25-39:
18%
Single men surplus:
16%
Top tier female employer

7. Berkeley, CA

Across the bay from San Francisco, Berkeley’s young, ecclectic and educated women find job opportunities in higher education as well as pharmaceutical company, Bayer.

 

College graduate:
68%
High income:
44%
Single & 25-39:
13%
Single men surplus:
24%
Top tier female employer

8. Atlanta, GA

One of the Southeast’s economic hubs, Atlanta offers single, educated women great opportunities at the CDC, Coca Cola, Home Depot and more.

 

College graduate:
44%
High income:
28%
Single & 25-39:
21%
Single men surplus:
8%
Top tier female employer

9. Boston, MA

Boston is the economic hub of New England. With a large number of higher education institutions, there are ample opportunties for young, successful women.

 

College graduate:
42%
High income:
27%
Single & 25-39:
21%
Single men surplus:
1%
Top tier female employer

10. Oakland, CA

Just across the bay from San Francisco and south of Berkeley, Oakland offers great job opportunites as well as some of the best affordability in the Bay Area.

 

College graduate:
38%
High income:
31%
Single & 25-39:
18%
Single men surplus:
0%
Top tier female employer

 

Here’s the full list of the top 25 cities for educated, successful, single women in the table below:

City College
graduate
High
income
Single &
25-39
Single men
surplus
1. Arlington, VA
2. Alexandria, VA
3. Cambridge, MA
4. Washington, DC
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Seattle, WA
7. Berkeley, CA
8. Atlanta, GA
9. Boston, MA
10. Oakland, CA
11. Jersey City, NJ
12. Minneapolis, MN
13. Pasadena, CA
14. Durham, NC
15. Denver, CO
16. Raleigh, NC
17. Portland, OR
18. New York, NY
19. New Haven, CT
20. Chicago, IL
21. Ann Arbor, MI
22. Irvine, CA
23. Austin, TX
24. Charleston, SC
25. Sunnyvale, CA

Legend

College graduate The percentage of women 25 and over who have a 4 year bachelors degree or higher.
High income The percentage of working-age women (15 and over) with an annual salary greater than $65,000
Single & 25-39 The percentage of all women who are single and between 25 and 39 years old
Single men surplus The ratio of men who are single and between 25 and 39 years old to the corresponding 25-39 year old single women

 

Methodology

The top cities for educated, successful, single women were generated using the US Census 2007-2011 American Community Survey data. The ranking is for US cities with greater than 100,000 people. The ranking is calculated based on a combination of: percentage of women with four-year college degrees, percentage of women with a salary greater than $65,000, and the percentage of women who are single and between 25 and 39 years old. The single men surplus is not used in the calculation. The top-tier employer was based on women in the US Federal Election Commission donor data and the corresponding companies where they were employed.

If you are represented by an agent, this is not a solicitation of your business. This article is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice from a medical provider, licensed attorney, financial advisor, or tax professional. Consumers should independently verify any agency or service mentioned will meet their needs. Learn more about our Editorial Guidelines here.
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Tommy Unger

Tommy is a Real Estate Data Analyst at Redfin in Seattle. He brings interesting information and insights to home buyers, sellers, owners, as well as industry experts. Throughout his career working in the real estate and analytics, he’s never met a number or chart he didn’t find interesting. Tommy grew up in Atlanta, GA and earned a degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. With his wife and two kids, you can find him on the Burke-Gilman Trail biking through Seattle, or hiking up in the Cascade Mountains.

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