Universities Producing the Most High-Earning Female Residents in the Central and Midwestern United States

Pay equity is a critical issue in the workforce and for Higher Education. Steppingblocks previously explored the R2 universities producing the highest earning female graduates. We've elected to expand this analysis to explore the post-graduation outcomes for female students living in the Central and Midwestern United States.

How did we generate this data?

To understand how we generated this report, you first have to understand our data. To obtain a comprehensive picture of education and workforce outcomes, we collect, organize, classify and analyze demographic, education and employment data from hundreds of sources. Our data then undergoes a rigorous process of validation for quality and veracity to ensure reliable, high-quality information on over 135 million people, over 25 million companies and over 1 billion career milestones.

For this analysis, we explored the post-graduation outcomes of high earning female students in Central and Midwestern states. This allows us to generate the provided data points and understand the impact of these colleges and universities. We asked the following questions:

Average Salary: Using Steppingblocks' salary calculations, we identified individuals with a salary of more than $100,000.

Gender: Individuals identified as Female in the Steppingblocks dataset.

Residency: Individuals identified as living in each Central and Midwestern State (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin).

Top Universities: The top undergraduate and graduate universities by volume for high-earning female residents of each state.

Top Industries: The top industries by volume for high-earning female residents of each state.

Top Employers: The top employers by volume for high-earning female residents of each state. Note: Institutions are very frequently one of their own top employers and have been excluded from the list of top employers.

Average Salary: $ 135,972
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Information Technology, Education
Top Employers: Walgreens, Abbvie, State Farm, JPMorgan Chase & Co

1. University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
2. DePaul University
3. University Illinois at Chicago
4. Northwestern University
5. Northern Illinois University

Average Salary: $ 134,417
Top Industries: Healthcare, Education, Information Technology, Finance
Top Employers: Eli Lilly and Company, Indiana University Health, Community Health Network, State of Indiana

1. Indiana University Bloomington
2. Purdue University
3. Ball State
4. IUPUI
5. Indiana Wesleyan University

Average Salary: $133,833
Top Industries: Finance, Healthcare, Education, Insurance
Top Employers: Wells Fargo, Principal Financial Group, John Deere, UnityPoint Health

1. University of Iowa
2. Iowa State University
3. University of Northern Iowa
4. Drake University
5. Kirkwood Community College

Average Salary: $134,681
Top Industries: Healthcare, Education, Finance, Information Technology
Top Employers: Sprint, Cerner Corporation, T-Mobile, The University of Kansas Health System

1. The University of Kansas
2. Kansas State University
3. Wichita State University
4. University of Missouri Columbia
5. Washburn University

Average Salary: $134,731
Top Industries: Healthcare, Automotive, Education, Finance
Top Employers: General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Beaumont Health, Henry Ford Health System

1. Michigan State University
2. University of Michigan
3. Wayne State University
4. Central Michigan University
5. Western Michigan University

Average Salary: $134,961
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Information Technology, Education
Top Employers: Mayo Clinic, Target, Wells Fargo, US Bank

1. University of Minnesota
2. University of St. Thomas
3. St. Cloud State University
4. Minnesota State University, Mankato
5. University of Wisconsin, Madison

Average Salary: $134,440
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Information Technology, Education
Top Employers: Cerner Corporation, Mercy, Edward Jones, Mastercard

1. University of Missouri, Columbia
2. Missouri State University
3. Saint Louis University
4. The University of Kansas
5. Lindenwood University

Average Salary: $134,400
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Education, Information Technology
Top Employers: Mutual of Omaha, CHI (Catholic Health Initiatives), Nebraska Medicine, Union Pacific Railroad

1. University of Nebraska, Lincoln
2. University of Nebraska, Omaha
3. Bellevue University
4. Creighton University
5. University of Nebraska, Kearney

Average Salary: $134,379
Top Industries: Healthcare, Education, Finance, Information Technology
Top Employers: Sanford Health, Essential Health, State of North Dakota, Altru Health System

1. University of North Dakota
2. North Dakota State University
3. University of Mary
4. Minnesota State University, Moorhead
5. Minot State University

Average Salary: $134,786
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Education, Information Technology
Top Employers: Cleveland Clinic, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Procter & Gamble, Ohiohealth

1. The Ohio State University
2. University of Cincinnati
3. Kent State University
4. Ohio University
5. Miami University

Average Salary: $135,600
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Education, Information Technology
Top Employers: Sanford Health, Avera Health, CITI, Monument Health (Hospital & Health Care)

1. University of South Dakota
2. South Dakota State University
3. University of Sioux Falls
4. Augustana University
5. Black Hills State University

Average Salary: $133,390
Top Industries: Healthcare, Finance, Education, Information Technology
Top Employers: Northwestern Mutual, Aurora Health Care, UW Health, Advocate Aurora Health

1. University of Wisconsin, Madison
2. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
3. Marquette University
4. University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
5. University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh