The States With the Highest and Lowest Wage Gaps
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While the gender-based wage gap in the U.S. has decreased in recent years, discrepancies remain, according to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Wyoming tops the list for states with the highest wage gaps between men and women—$21,676—while Vermont ranks as the state with the lowest—$4,600, according to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Following Wyoming as the states with the highest wage gaps are:
- Utah—$17,303
- Washington D.C. (state equivalent)—$16,032
- Louisiana—$14,926
- North Dakota—$13,950
- New Jersey—$13,434
- Oklahoma—$13,302
- Massachusetts—$13,217
- Illinois—$12,997
- Alabama—$12,738
While the gender-based wage gap in the U.S. has decreased in recent years, discrepancies remain, according to the bureau. The national median earnings for people who worked full time year-round for 12 months was $53,544 for men and $43,394 for women, according to the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. In 2020, women earned 83 cents to every dollar earned by men, the report says.
Some factors contributing to earning differences between women and men are age, worked hours, children and education, the report shows.
Following Vermont as the states with the lowest wage gaps are:
- Nevada—$6,013
- Hawaii—$7,022
- California—$7,162
- Florida—$7,705
- Maryland—$7,594
- North Carolina—$8,247
- Arizona—$8,452
- Rhode Island—$8,473
- New York—$8,821
State-level Findings
- Places with a wage gap above $15,000 were: Wyoming, $21,676; Utah, $17,303; and Washington D.C., $16,032.
- Puerto Rico had the lowest average earnings for both men and women.
- The average earnings for men and women were most comparable in Puerto Rico: $22,804 for men and $23,478 for women.
National-level Findings
- The top occupations for men were driver/sales workers, truck drivers, managers and first-line retail supervisors.
- The top occupations for women were elementary and middle school teachers, registered nurses and secretaries/administrative assistants, except legal, medical and executive.
For more information from the Census Bureau report click here.
Andre Claudio is an assistant editor at Route Fifty.
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