NW Arkansas

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Axios What's Next

Data: U.S. Census; Note: Includes women ages 16 to 50; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The percentage of Northwest Arkansas women who recently gave birth and remain part of the workforce grew in 2022 after dropping for the previous three years, per new census data.

Why it matters: Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force — at least temporarily — slowing their career and earnings growth and contributing to the gender pay gap.

By the numbers: 65.7% of Northwest Arkansas women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey data.

That's compared to 51.4% in 2021 and 63.1% in 2010.

The big picture: Nationally, the percentage of women who recently gave birth and remained in the workforce reached a decade-plus, high-water mark last year.

66.6% of U.S. women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force as of 2022.

That number was 66.5% in 2021 and 61.6% in 2010.

Driving the news: Remote and flexible work is helping new moms juggle both parenting and their careers, Axios' Emily Peck has reported. (In fact, the workplace gender gap is at a record low.)

That's true for new dads, too, although women tend to take on more of the work/life priority changes brought on by parenthood.

Between the lines: One complicating factor in all of this: the skyrocketing cost of child care, which is driven in part by a lack of supply and low caretaker pay.

As care grows more expensive, more and more families find themselves deciding if it makes sense for both parents to work or for one to stay home with the kids.

Often, it's mothers who wind up staying home — in part because they likely earn less.

Yes, and: Vital pandemic-era federal funding for child-care centers is about expired, likely deepening the affordability crisis as supply is further outstripped by demand.

70,000 child-care centers — looking after 3.2 million children — may close when that funding runs out, according to one widely cited estimate from The Century Foundation, Emily reports.

What we're watching: Whether this trend continues into the fully post-pandemic years.

Some employers are desperately trying to get workers back to the office but are finding mixed success, as many employees embrace a lifestyle that affords better flexibility — whether to raise a family, pursue a hobby or simply avoid a stressful commute.

More new moms are working in Northwest Arkansas

65.7% of Northwest Arkansas women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force as of 2022.

Northwest Arkansas

The percentage of Northwest Arkansas women who recently gave birth and remain part of the workforce grew in 2022 after dropping for the previous three years, per new census data.Why it matters: Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force — at least temporarily — slowing their career and earnings growth and contributing to the gender pay gap.

News

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Northwest Arkansas, written by local reporters.

Axios Northwest Arkansas

National

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Note: Includes women ages 16 to 50; Chart: Axios Visuals

The percentage of women who recently gave birth and remained part of the workforce reached a decade-plus high-water mark last year, per new census data.

Why it matters: Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force, at least temporarily — slowing their career and earnings growth and contributing to the gender pay gap.

By the numbers: 66.6% of U.S. women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey.

That's compared with 66.5% in 2021, and 61.6% in 2010.

Driving the news: Remote and flexible work is making it easier for new moms to juggle both parenting and their careers, Axios' Emily Peck has reported. (In fact, the workplace gender gap is at a record low.)

That's true for new dads, too — but women tend to bear the brunt of work/life priority changes brought on by parenthood.

As care gets more expensive, more and more families are put in the difficult position of deciding whether it makes sense for both parents to work, or for one to stay home and watch the kids.

Often, it's mothers who wind up staying home — in part because they likely make less to begin with.

Yes, and: Vital pandemic-era federal funding for child care centers is about to dry up, likely deepening the affordability crisis as supply is further outstripped by demand.

"70,000 child care centers, looking after 3.2 million children, may close after the funding runs out, according to one widely cited estimate from The Century Foundation," Emily reports.

What we're watching: Whether this trend continues into the fully post-pandemic years. 

Some employers are desperately trying to drag workers back to the office, but are finding mixed success as many employees embrace a lifestyle that affords better flexibility — whether to raise a family, pursue a hobby or simply avoid a stressful commute.

New moms are working at staggeringly high rates

Remote and flexible work is making it easier for new parents to juggle both parenting and their careers

Economy

Economy & Business

San Francisco

Axios San Francisco

U.S. Census Bureau; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The median household income across the San Francisco metro area fell 3.3% between 2019 and 2022, per new Census Bureau data.

Why it matters: The latest numbers reflect the pandemic's long-lasting impact on the economy. 

By the numbers: In 2022, the median income in the San Francisco Bay Area was $128,151, compared with $132,586 in 2019, adjusted for inflation.

Nationally, median household income fell 1.6% between 2019 and 2022, adjusted for inflation, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.

Zoom in: The share of San Francisco area residents making between $50,000 and $75,000 annually decreased from 11% to 10% between 2019 and 2022, while the share making more than $100,000 increased from 56% to 59%.

Details: The new data comes by way of the Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) one-year estimates, released last week.

The ACS is one of the best resources available for a regularly published, quantified look at myriad facets of American life, down to a remarkably local level.

The intrigue: The COVID-19 pandemic "changed the geography of where money is made in the United States," Axios Macro's Neil Irwin reports, as many higher-income Americans decamped from cities like New York and San Francisco to "rural and exurban places and popular vacation destinations."

Of note: Because the latest ACS release is based on 2022 data, it's capturing what some call the "late pandemic era," when many elements of normality returned but the pandemic still loomed in the background, affecting many aspects of life.

San Francisco Bay Area median income dipped from pre-pandemic

The latest numbers reflect the pandemic's long-lasting impact on the economy.

Census

The median household income across the San Francisco metro area fell 3.3% between 2019 and 2022, per new Census Bureau data.Why it matters: The latest numbers reflect the pandemic&#x27;s long-lasting impact on the economy.

Seattle

Axios Seattle

Data: U.S. Census; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The median Seattle-area household made slightly less last year than before the pandemic, per new census data.

Why it matters: The latest numbers reflect the pandemic's lasting economic impact, even after COVID-related business closures and stay-at-home mandates were lifted.

By the numbers: The median household income across the Seattle metro area fell 1.6% between 2019 and 2022.

In 2022, the median income in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area was $106,909, compared to $108,693 in 2019, adjusted for inflation.

That's according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates, which were released Thursday.

Zoom out: Nationally, the median household income also dipped by 1.6% from 2019 to 2022 — the same percentage as in the Seattle area.

That trend "explains why Americans have felt so meh about the strong economy over the past couple years," Axios Markets' Emily Peck writes based on similar yet slightly different data released earlier this week.

Yes, but: The median Seattle-area household still made about $22,000 more than the nationwide median, which was $74,755 last year.

Washington state's median household income last year also was significantly higher than the national median, at $91,306, having risen by 0.4% since 2019.

Plus: More Seattle-area households had annual incomes of at least $100,000 last year than before the pandemic.

The share of local households making over $100,000 annually increased from 47.3% to 53.2% between 2019 and 2022.

Meanwhile, the share making between $50,000 and just under $75,000 fell from 15% to 12.9%.

Of note: Because the latest ACS release is based on 2022 data, it's capturing what some call the "late pandemic era," when many elements of normality returned but the pandemic still loomed in the background, affecting many facets of life.

What we're watching: Whether Seattle-area incomes shot upward in 2023 — something we won't know until future batches of Census Bureau data are released.

Seattle-area incomes dipped during the pandemic

But the region's household incomes are still about $22,000 above the national median.

Census Bureau

The median Seattle-area household made slightly less last year than before the pandemic, per new census data.Why it matters: The latest numbers reflect the pandemic&#x27;s lasting economic impact, even after COVID-related business closures and stay-at-home mandates were lifted.

Miami

Axios Miami

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The median household income across the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro area rose 1.8% between 2019 and 2022, per new Census Bureau data.

The area's median income was $70,769 in 2022, compared with $69,522 in 2019, adjusted for inflation.

By the numbers: The share of local residents making less than $25,000 annually decreased from 20% to 18% between 2019 and 2022, while the share making over $100,000 increased from 28% to 35%.

Data: U.S. Census; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

Details: The new data comes by way of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) one-year estimates, released last week.

The ACS is one of the best resources available for a regularly published quantified look at myriad facets of American life.

The big picture: Nationally, median household income fell 1.6% between 2019 and 2022, adjusted for inflation.

That trend "explains why Americans have felt so meh about the strong economy over the past couple years," Axios Markets' Emily Peck writes based on similar, yet slightly different, data released last week.

The intrigue: The pandemic "changed the geography of where money is made in the United States," Axios Macro's Neil Irwin reports, as many higher-income Americans decamped from cities like New York and San Francisco to "rural and exurban places and in popular vacation destinations."

Of note: Because the latest ACS release is based on 2022 data, it's capturing what some call the "late pandemic era," when many elements of normality returned but the pandemic still affected many aspects of life.

South Floridians got richer between 2019 and 2022

The area's median income was $70,769 in 2022.

A map with states in shades of teal and purple 

The median household income across the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metro area rose 1.8% between 2019 and 2022, per new Census Bureau data.<ul><li>The area&#x27;s median income was $70,769 in 2022, compared with $69,522 in 2019, adjusted for inflation.</li></ul>

Kavya Beheraj

Stories

More new moms are working in Northwest Arkansas

New moms are working at staggeringly high rates

San Francisco Bay Area median income dipped from pre-pandemic

South Floridians got richer between 2019 and 2022

Seattle-area incomes dipped during the pandemic