Women in their 30s who live in rural prefectures are more likely to have jobs than their counterparts in metropolitan areas, according to a government white paper on gender equality released Tuesday.

Yamagata Prefecture had the highest percentage of working women in their 30s, at 76.2 percent, followed by Toyama Prefecture, at 72.4 percent, according to a 2002 white paper on gender equality compiled by the Cabinet Office.

Among the 47 prefectures, Tokyo ranked 35th, at 58.3 percent; Osaka 45th, at 51.7 percent; and Kanagawa 46th, at 51.2 percent. Nara took the bottom spot at 48.3 percent.