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Highlights of women's earnings in 2018

In 2018, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings that were 81 percent of the earnings of male full-time wage and salary workers. In 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available, women’s earnings were 62 percent of men’s. Most of the growth in women’s earnings relative to men’s occurred in the 1980s (when the women’s-to-men’s ratio went from 64 percent to 70 percent) and in the 1990s (when the ratio went from 72 percent to 77 percent). Since 2004, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has remained in the 80 to 83 percent range. (See chart 1 and tables 1 and 12.)

This report presents earnings data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The weekly and hourly earnings estimates in this report reflect calendar-year averages of information collected from one-fourth of the households in the monthly survey. The data in this report are distinct from the annual earnings estimates for full-time, year-round workers collected separately in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the CPS and published by the U.S. Census Bureau. (See the BLS website for an explanation of the differences between these datasets.)

The earnings comparisons in this report are on a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be important in explaining earnings differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization. The earnings estimates referenced throughout this report are medians. The median is the mid-point in the earnings distribution, with half of workers having earnings above the median level and half having earnings below.

See the accompanying technical notes section for more information, including a description of the source of the data and an explanation of the concepts and definitions used in this report.

Earnings of full-time workers

Below are data highlights for women and men who usually work full time (35 hours or more per week) in wage and salary jobs, with sections focusing on characteristics such as age, race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, education, occupation, and more.

Earnings by age group

In 2018, median weekly earnings were $789 for all women age 16 and older. For men age 16 and older, median weekly earnings were $973. Women’s median weekly earnings were highest for those between the ages of 35 and 54, with no difference in the earnings of 35- to 44-year-olds and 45- to 54-year-olds (both at $876). Women age 55 to 64 and age 65 and older had earnings that were only slightly lower ($853 and $811, respectively). For men, earnings were highest for 45- to 64-year-olds, with no difference in the earnings of 45- to 54- year-olds and 55- to 64-year-olds (both at $1,137). Earnings were lowest among young women and men age 16 to 24 ($522 and $575, respectively) compared with other ages. (See chart 2 and table 1.)

In 2018, women’s earnings ranged from 75 percent to 80 percent of men’s earnings among workers age 35 and older. For those under age 35, the earnings differences between women and men were smaller, with women earning 87 percent to 92 percent of what men did. (See table 1.)

Women’s-to-men’s earnings ratios have grown substantially for most age groups since 1979. For young workers ages 16 to 24, the gains occurred primarily in the 1980s. For workers ages 25 to 64, the gains continued into the 2000s, but have tapered off in recent years. The earnings ratio for workers age 65 and older has been relatively flat since the late 1990s. (See table 12.)

Earnings by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Asian women and men continued to earn more than their White, Black, and Hispanic counterparts in 2018. Among women, Whites ($817) earned 87 percent as much as Asians ($937); Blacks ($654) earned 70 percent; and Hispanics ($617) earned 66 percent. Among men, these earnings differences were even larger: White men ($1,002) earned 81 percent as much as Asian men ($1,241); Black men ($735) earned 59 percent as much; and Hispanic men ($720) earned 58 percent. (See chart 3 and table 1.)

Earnings differences between women and men were largest among Asians and among Whites. Asian women earned 76 percent as much as Asian men in 2018, and White women earned 82 percent as much as their male counterparts. In comparison, Black women had median earnings that were 89 percent of Black men’s, and Hispanic women’s earnings were 86 percent of Hispanic men’s. (See table 1.)

Women’s earnings have increased considerably over time, while men’s earnings have not. This can be seen among the major race and Hispanic ethnicity groups, with White women experiencing the greatest earnings growth since 1979 (the first year for which comparable data for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics are available). From 1979 to 2018, inflation-adjusted median weekly earnings (also called constant-dollar earnings) increased by 37 percent for White women, by 20 percent for Black women, and by 21 percent for Hispanic women. For White and Black women, gains tapered off around 2004. Since that time, White and Black women have seen little net change in earnings. From 2004 to 2018, the earnings of White women edged up 5 percent, while the earnings of Black women edged slightly lower (-3 percent). On the other hand, Hispanic women’s earnings have remained on an upward trend, although substantial earnings growth for them did not begin until the late 1990s. (See table 18.)

The long-term trend in men’s earnings has been quite different than that for women. Inflation-adjusted earnings for White and Black men trended down from 1979 through the first part of the 1990s, followed by a period of growth that stalled in the early 2000s. For Hispanic men, earnings also declined from 1979 through the mid-1990s, then began to trend up. Over the full period, 1979 through 2018, inflation-adjusted earnings have shown little change on net for White (4 percent) and Hispanic men (2 percent). Black men’s inflation-adjusted earnings showed no net change from 1979 to 2018. (See table 18.)

Data for Asians were not tabulated prior to 2000. Between 2000 and 2018, inflation-adjusted earnings for Asian women and men remained on an upward trend. Asian women’s earnings grew by 17 percent and Asian men’s earnings grew by 24 percent over the period for which data are available. (See table 18.)

Earnings by educational attainment

Median weekly earnings vary significantly by educational attainment. Among workers age 25 and older, those without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $553, representing 42 percent of the earnings of workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher ($1,324) in 2018. For workers with a high school diploma who had not attended college, median earnings ($730) were 55 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Workers with some college or an associate degree (median weekly earnings of $826) made 62 percent of what workers with a bachelor’s degree or more made. (See table 1.)

In each educational attainment category, the long-term trend in inflation-adjusted earnings has been more favorable for women than for men. Although both women and men without a high school diploma have experienced declines in inflation-adjusted earnings since 1979, the drop for women was much smaller than that for men: a 5-percent decrease for women, compared with a 26-percent decline for men. On an inflation-adjusted basis, earnings for women with a bachelor’s degree or higher have increased by 34 percent since 1979, while earnings for men with a bachelor’s degree or higher have risen by 19 percent. (Data refer to workers age 25 and older.) (See chart 4 and table 19.)

Earnings by occupation

Women and men working full time in management, business, and financial operations occupations continued to have higher median weekly earnings than workers in any other major occupational category in 2018 ($1,168 for women and $1,537 for men). Within this category, women who were chief executives ($1,736) and computer and information systems managers ($1,727) had the highest median weekly earnings in 2018. For men, those who were chief executives ($2,488) and architectural and engineering managers ($2,285) had the highest earnings within this major occupational category in 2018. (See table 2.)

The second-highest paying occupational category for women and men was professional and related occupations ($1,024 for women and $1,425 for men). This is a broad occupational category made up of several distinct job groupings for specialized fields such as computer science, engineering, law, education, and healthcare. Within this diverse category, women who were nurse practitioners ($1,891) and pharmacists ($1,890) had the highest earnings in 2018. For men, those who were physicians and surgeons ($2,513), pharmacists ($2,271), and lawyers ($2,202) earned the most. (See table 2.)

Women and men employed in service occupations continued to earn less in 2018 ($511 for women and $641 for men) than workers in other major occupational categories. Within service occupations, women who were employed as dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers ($408), as cooks ($437), and as food preparation workers ($446) had the lowest median weekly earnings in 2018. For men, those who were employed as combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food ($410) and as dishwashers ($434) earned the least.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Occupational distributions of women and men

The occupational distributions of female and male full-time workers differ considerably. Compared with men, relatively few women work in construction, production, or transportation occupations, and women are far more concentrated in office and administrative support occupations. (See chart 5 and table 2.)

Women also are more likely than men to work in professional and related occupations. In 2018, 31 percent of women worked in professional and related occupations, compared with 20 percent of men. Within the professional category, though, the proportion of women employed in the higher paying job groups is much smaller than the proportion of men employed in them. In 2018, 10 percent of women in professional and related occupations were employed in the two relatively high-paying computer (median weekly earnings of $1,345 for women and $1,604 for men) and engineering ($1,259 for women and $1,528 for men) occupation groups, compared with 47 percent of men. Women were more likely to work in the education ($934 for women and $1,235 for men) and healthcare ($1,078 for women and $1,383 for men) occupation groups, which generally pay less than computer and engineering jobs. Sixty-seven percent of women in professional occupations worked in education and healthcare jobs in 2018, compared with 29 percent of men. (See table 2.)

Across all occupational categories, the three most common jobs for women were elementary and middle school teacher ($982), registered nurse ($1,156), and secretary or administrative assistant ($753). Each of these occupations employed roughly 2 million women in 2018, collectively representing 13 percent of women in full-time wage and salary jobs.

Among men, the most common occupation by far was truck driver (driver/sales workers and truck drivers, $829). In 2018, 2.6 million men were truck drivers, representing 4 percent of all male full-time wage and salary workers. Although engineering occupations are shown separately by specialty (civil, mechanical, etc.) in this report, if combined, engineer would be the second most common job for men. In 2018, a total of 1.9 million men were employed full time in the 16 designated engineering specialties (median weekly earnings ranging from $1,551 to $1,858). (See table 2.)

Earnings for workers with and without children under 18

In 2018, about one-third of full-time wage and salary workers were parents of children under age 18. (Children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children under age 18 who live in the household.) Fathers of children under 18 earned more than men without children ($1,098 and $919, respectively). Among women, however, the difference in median weekly earnings between mothers of children under 18 ($799) and those without children under 18 ($784) was much smaller. (See table 7.)

Earnings by state of residence

Median weekly earnings and women’s-to-men’s earnings ratios vary by state of residence. (In this report, “state” refers to the 50 states and the District of Columbia.) The differences among the states reflect, in part, variation in the occupations and industries found in each state and differences in the demographic composition of each state’s labor force. Readers should note that sampling error for the state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national estimates. (See the technical notes section for an explanation of sampling error.) Consequently, earnings comparisons between states should be made with caution. Readers also should note that the state estimates are based on workers’ state of residence; their reported earnings are not necessarily from a job located in the same state. (See table 3.)

Weekly work hours of full-time workers

Among full-time workers (that is, those usually working 35 hours or more per week), men are more likely than women to work more than 40 hours per week. In 2018, 25 percent of men who work full time usually worked 41 or more hours per week, compared with 14 percent of women. Women were more likely than men to work 35 to 39 hours per week: 10 percent of women worked such hours in 2018, while 4 percent of men did. A large majority of full-time workers had a 40-hour workweek (75 percent of women and 71 percent of men). Among those with a 40-hour workweek, women earned 86 percent as much as men. (This analysis excludes people who usually work 35 or more hours per week but whose hours vary.) (See table 5.)

Earnings of part-time workers

Women are about twice as likely as men to work part time—that is, less than 35 hours per week on a sole or main job (including those whose hours vary). Women who worked part time made up 24 percent of all female wage and salary workers in 2018. In comparison, 12 percent of men in wage and salary jobs worked part time. (See tables 4 and 5.)

Median weekly earnings for female part-timers were $275 in 2018, slightly higher than the $263 median for men. (See table 4.)

Part-time workers are more likely to be under age 25 than full-time workers. Among part-timers, 29 percent of women and 42 percent of men were under age 25 in 2018. Among full-time workers, 9 percent of women and 9 percent of men were under age 25. (See tables 1 and 4.)

Earnings of workers paid by the hour

In 2018, 61 percent of women and 56 percent of men in wage and salary jobs were paid by the hour. Women who were paid hourly rates had median hourly earnings of $14.06 in 2018, which were 88 percent of the $16.01 median for men. (See tables 8 and 11.)

Among workers who were paid hourly rates in 2018, about 3 percent of women and 2 percent of men had hourly earnings at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25. (See tables 10 and 11.) See the technical notes section for information about BLS estimates of the number of minimum wage workers.