Where Women Have the Strongest and Weakest Modeled Behind-the-Camera Opportunity

This table compares the 10 highest- and lowest-ranked metros on the Women’s Opportunity Index. The index combines women’s representation implied by each metro’s occupation mix, a pay-adjusted local wage benchmark, and population-adjusted job access. Higher scores indicate stronger relative performance under the model, not observed local representation, actual women’s pay, or the percentage of opportunities held by women.

Women’s Opportunity Index combines three measures. A higher score means stronger relative performance among eligible metros. Scores are index points, not percentages, and do not measure actual equality.
Women’s share implied by job mix estimates representation by applying national women’s shares for each occupation to the metro’s mix of selected film-production-related jobs.
Pay-adjusted wage benchmark reflects the metro’s all-worker wage environment after accounting for local prices and applying the national women-to-men pay ratio.
See more in methodology.