When it comes to paying women, Myrtle Beach-Conway area is ranked third worst, study says
The Myrtle Beach-Conway metro area ranked the third worst for paying women across all midsize metros in the U.S., according to a national study.
Area women earn on average $10,000 less than their U.S. counterparts.
The study, which came out earlier this month, states that women working full time in the Myrtle Beach metro area earn an adjusted median wage of $39,036 annually, compared to the national median of $49,263.
The study was conducted by Smartest Dollar, a financial company that regularly puts out data on national trends.
“The statistic is shocking. If it’s true, then it’s definitely a travesty, right?” said Tracey Bailey, president of the Boys and Girls Club. “Because women and men should be paid fairly for the work they do.”
Bailey’s husband, Issac Bailey, is a columnist for McClatchy, the parent company of the Sun News.
Ann Warner, the CEO of Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, an advocacy group based in Columbia, South Carolina, said the ranking doesn’t come as a surprise.
South Carolina often ranks low when it comes to median wages for both men and women, she said.
“Unfortunately, South Carolina has a long history of underpaying women,” Warner said. “Underpaying people, but underpaying women with respect to men. It’s not because women don’t work of course, but the kind of jobs women have tend to be undervalued and underpaid.”
There tends to be inadequate pay and disparity in hospitality, education and food-related industries, she said.
According to the study, areas with more professional occupations like business, technology, finance and law tend to offer higher wages for women. The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach area tends to have more jobs in food related fields and healthcare.
Another contributing factor is that many women left the workforce to handle care-taking responsibilities during COVID-19, Warner said.
“Women still overwhelmingly do the majority of caregiving,” Warner said.
How does Myrtle Beach stack with pay for women for some top jobs?
The Myrtle Beach-Conway metro area does have a number of women working in leadership positions.
The Sun News looked at three top leadership positions that are now or were once held by women and compared their pay.
In law enforcement, female police chiefs are being paid more than the men they replaced, while one nonprofit is paying a man more than his predecessor.
Myrtle Beach and Conway both have female mayors. In addition, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach now have female police chiefs.
Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock makes $160,513, according to a city spokesperson. Former chief Warren Gall, who retired in 2017, made $148,778.
The former CEO of Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance Amy Barrett had a base salary of $160,000 before her resignation earlier this year. Newly-appointed CEO Jason Greene will make $200,000.
In North Myrtle Beach, Chief Dana Crowell, who was recently appointed to the position, makes $132,027, according to a city spokesperson. Former Chief Tommy Dennis made $126,962.
How Myrtle Beach-Conway metro area compares to rest of US
The study shows median annual wages for women in the area in comparison to the the rest of the United States.
Statistics for Myrtle Beach area:
Median annual wage for full-time women (adjusted for cost of living): $39,036
Median annual wage for full-time women (actual): $37,001
Median annual wage for all full-time workers (adjusted for cost of living): $41,802
Percentage of women that work full time: 38.3%
Cost of living increase per year (compared to average): -5.2%
Statistics for the entire United States:
Median annual wage for full-time women (adjusted and actual): $49,263
Median annual wage for all full-time workers (adjusted): $53,888
Percentage of women that work full time: 44.1%
The midsize metro that ranked at the top for paying women was the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut, area, with a medium annual salary for full-time working women of $64,010.
The study used data from the 2021 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities data sets, according to the study’s methodology. Medium annual wages were adjusted for the cost of living to determine the best-paying locations for women. Only metros with at least 100,000 residents were included.
