The Des Moines metro area is among the 10 best places for women to work in commercial and residential real estate, according to an analysis by MyEListing of Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The analysis ranked Des Moines-West Des Moines as the sixth-best metro area for women to work in the real estate sector. Toledo, Ohio, was ranked first in the analysis; Omaha-Council Bluffs, fourth. The worst city for women to work in real estate was Spokane, Wash., according to the analysis.

The analysis compared four different metrics:

• Gender pay gap between men and women.
• Percentage of women in the real estate workforce.
• Five-year growth rate of women in real estate.
• Median income of women in real estate

The analysis found that women account for 48% of the nearly 3 million people who work in real estate. However, women earn 89.2% of men’s salaries in the industry on average, only a 0.1% increase over the past five years, the analysis found.

Since 2017, median salaries in real estate have increased an average of 20% for both genders but women still make $6,662 less per year compared with men, according to the analysis. Over the course of a career (ages 22 to 65), that equates to $286,466 less income for women than for men.

Nationally, the median annual income for both genders was $58,538 in 2021. For men, the median annual income was $61,542; for women, $54,880.

In Iowa, the median annual income for women in real estate was $66,905, according to the analysis. In addition, women made up 48% of the real estate workforce and saw a 27% increase in employment between 2017 and 2021.

To read the report, click here.