Between 2017 and 2021, women in Birmingham went from making 76 cents for every dollar a man makes to 96 cents, according to a study published this month by financial tech company SmartAsset.

While the results of the study show that the city still does have a wage gap, it also ranks Birmingham third in a list of cities making efforts to close that gap.

The number two spot went to Oceanside, California, where the gap decreased by 23.22% in the same period. The number one spot went to Hollywood, FL where the gap narrowed by 26% and actually left women earning 4.76% more than men on average, according to the SmartAsset study which was compiled from Census data.

Birmingham’s 20 cent or 19% women’s wage increase exceeds the national average of just .69% over the same period and represents an average annual salary increase of nearly 30%, according to the study.

Victoria Gordon, a UAB assistant professor of political science and public administration who researches economic development and human resources, said Birmingham’s success in diminishing the gap could be attributed, in part, to the career choices offered.