[RobertClark]

I don't know about Atlanta, but Memphis is a small town. The two largest employers are the Baptist hospital system and FedEx. Fred Smith has always been an equal opportunity employer in the truest sense,

Actually, I just finished reviewing demographics for Shelby County as well as Memphis proper in anticipation for a possible business expansion. Fed-Ex is the largest employer, followed closely by Memphis Public Schools and the US Gov't, then Methodist Healthcare. Baptist Healthcare is the fifth largest employer.

I have an affinity for factual data.

[SamuraiScot]

Fed-Ex is the largest employer, followed closely by Memphis Public Schools and the US Gov't

If both #2 and #3 employers are the gubmint, that explains this unsurprising statistic. The gubmint is a preferential employer and over-payer of single moms. At the lowest level, where the bell curve is widest, most gubmint jobs function as a somewhat more demanding form of welfare.

[Coldwater Creek]

Thanks for the update. Time passes quickly. I guess that with all the annexation Memphis Child Abuse would be the next largest.

[Verginius Rufus]

Memphis has about 650,000 people (about 1.3 million in the metro area). In the city itself the population is about 63% black, 30% white, and 7% other minorities.

Black women generally are doing a lot better than black men as far as educational level and employment--so that could be a major part of why women in Memphis are doing well compared to men.