Vermont has lowest gender wage gap, but still at $4,600

Vermont had the lowest gender-based wage gap of any state in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. But still, women on average were paid $4,600 less than men. Wyoming had the highest gap with men earning on average $21,676 more than women for equal work.

Overall, the gender gap in the U.S. has narrowed in recent years, but disparities remain: national median earnings for civilians who worked full-time, year-round in the past 12 months was $53,544 for men compared to $43,394 for women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

There are a multitude of factors that may contribute to earnings differences between women and men: age, number of hours worked, presence of children, and education. The types of jobs women and men hold, and the earnings difference among these occupations also contribute to gaps in overall earnings.

In 2020, women earned 83 cents to every dollar earned by men. In addition to Women’s History Month, it is an important reminder that the gender pay gap is narrowing but continues.

Equal Pay Day — timed to represent how far into the year women must work to equal what men earned the previous year — was celebrated last week, on March 15. That’s earlier than it’s ever been since its inception in 1996. Last year, it occurred on March 24.

The survey also sorted top occupations by sex at the state level and identifies areas with different labor market opportunities based on gender in the United States. The data reflect the 570 occupations classified by the ACS.

Additional information specifies earnings and the percentage of workforce by sex for each state’s top selected occupations by count of workers. It highlights the difference between median earnings of men and women ages 16 years and older who worked full-time, year-round in the past 12 months.

For more information visit: data.census.gov.