In 2013, Pennsylvania women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $701, or 79.7 percent of the $879 median usual weekly earnings for their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the women’s to men’s earnings ratio in Pennsylvania decreased 2.0 percentage points from the previous year. Nationwide, women earned $706 per week, or 82.1 percent of the $860 median for men. (See table 1. Earnings in this report do not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences.)

In Pennsylvania, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings has ranged from a low of 71.8 percent in 1997 to a high of 81.7 percent in 2012. The ratio generally has been trending upwards since 2007 prior to the decline in 2013. (See chart 1. Data for the states began in 1997.)

Among the 50 states, median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions in 2013 ranged from $591 in Louisiana and Oklahoma to $900 in Massachusetts. States with the highest wages for women were located along the Eastern Seaboard. In addition to Massachusetts, women’s earnings in Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia were above $800 per week. In the District of Columbia, women earned a median weekly wage of $1,100. (See table 1 and chart 2.)

Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Arkansas at $705 and highest in Massachusetts at $1,109. Three other states (Connecticut, Alaska, and Maryland) had weekly wages above $1,000 for full-time male workers. In the District of Columbia, men earned a median weekly wage of $1,212.

Vermont had the highest female-to-male earnings ratio among the states, 91.3 percent, and Wyoming had the lowest, 68.6 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 90.8 percent. (See chart 3.) The differences among the states reflect, in part, variation in the occupations and industries found in each state and in the age composition of each state’s labor force. In addition, comparisons by gender are on a broad level and do not control for factors such as educational attainment which can be significant in explaining earnings differences.

Technical Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. This survey is conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau, using a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 eligible households, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The earnings data are collected from one-fourth of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers, both incorporated and unincorporated, are excluded from the data presented in this report.

Statistics based on the CPS data are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. The differences among data for the states reflect, in part, variation in the occupations and industries found in each state and diversity in the age composition of each state’s labor force. In general, the sampling error for the state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national data; thus, comparisons of state estimates should be made with caution.

The principal definitions used in connection with the earnings series in this release are described below.

Usual weekly earnings. These data represent earnings before taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the case of multiple jobholders). Respondents are asked to identify the easiest way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, or other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term “usual” is determined by each respondent’s own understanding of the term. 

Medians of usual weekly earnings. The earnings estimates shown in this release are medians. The median is the midpoint in a given earnings distribution, with half of workers having earnings above the median and the other half having earnings below the median.

Wage and salary workers. These are workers age 16 and older who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payments in kind, or piece rates on their sole or principal job. This group includes employees in both the public and private sectors. All self-employed workers are excluded whether or not their businesses are incorporated.

Full-time worker. People who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job are defined as working full time for the purpose of these estimates.

For more information on the median weekly earnings of women and men, see Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 1051, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2013, available at www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/highlights-of-womens-earnings-in-2013.pdf.

Information in this release will be available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state and sex, 2013 annual averages

State	Both sexes			Women			Men			Women's earnings as percentage of men's
	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Standard error of median	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Standard error of median	Number of workers (in thousands)	Median weekly earnings	Standard error of median
United States	104,262	$776	$2	46,268	$706	$3	57,994	$860	$3	82.1
Alabama	1,557	733	13	715	633	24	843	820	26	77.2
Alaska	255	888	17	112	760	15	143	1,027	35	74.0
Arizona	1,970	764	13	869	702	18	1,101	848	26	82.8
Arkansas	912	660	14	400	607	15	512	705	19	86.1
California	11,767	821	9	5,007	772	10	6,760	864	12	89.4
Colorado	1,775	875	18	765	762	15	1009	978	29	77.9
Connecticut	1,204	995	19	539	894	28	665	1,106	44	80.8
Delaware	308	790	19	142	728	20	166	884	47	82.4
District of Columbia	271	1,152	22	138	1,100	55	133	1,212	61	90.8
Florida	6,347	740	6	3,032	679	10	3,315	816	14	83.2
Georgia	3,373	742	11	1,533	677	17	1,840	830	23	81.6
Hawaii	449	783	18	204	727	18	245	863	28	84.2
Idaho	469	707	14	180	649	19	290	741	14	87.6
Illinois	4,293	816	13	1,945	727	13	2,348	891	15	81.6
Indiana	2,149	733	12	936	650	15	1,212	830	28	78.3
Iowa	1,124	757	13	509	671	18	615	861	22	77.9
Kansas	983	743	13	430	653	22	554	826	26	79.1
Kentucky	1,372	682	15	618	610	14	754	749	15	81.4
Louisiana	1,422	692	12	627	591	13	794	808	32	73.1
Maine	428	751	14	202	684	26	226	802	26	85.3
Maryland	2,244	942	20	1,067	870	28	1,177	1,012	28	86.0
Massachusetts	2,261	1,001	19	1,002	900	20	1,258	1,109	28	81.2
Michigan	2,996	811	14	1,290	720	15	1,706	883	17	81.5
Minnesota	1,945	878	17	850	790	20	1,096	956	27	82.6
Mississippi	868	660	18	411	593	17	457	739	23	80.2
Missouri	2,075	743	14	948	665	17	1,127	852	31	78.1
Montana	313	687	10	141	594	16	173	778	22	76.3
Nebraska	697	738	13	311	668	17	386	801	17	83.4
Nevada	951	702	11	421	649	14	529	745	16	87.1
New Hampshire	489	884	19	215	788	32	274	956	23	82.4
New Jersey	3,108	905	18	1,400	789	16	1,708	993	20	79.5
New Mexico	573	746	20	243	646	15	330	827	22	78.1
New York	6,715	839	11	3,061	758	8	3,654	910	12	83.3
North Carolina	3,164	705	12	1,428	635	12	1,735	768	15	82.7
North Dakota	273	791	14	118	692	12	155	903	22	76.6
Ohio	3,698	744	9	1,662	680	11	2,036	822	15	82.7
Oklahoma	1,295	677	12	565	591	12	730	756	18	78.2
Oregon	1,143	781	21	494	705	15	649	873	27	80.8
Pennsylvania	4,425	782	10	1,957	701	12	2,468	879	14	79.7
Rhode Island	356	856	24	165	756	19	191	954	28	79.2
South Carolina	1,545	703	15	719	622	14	826	785	13	79.2
South Dakota	289	679	12	132	602	13	157	754	17	79.8
Tennessee	2,033	687	20	886	629	16	1,147	745	17	84.4
Texas	9,184	721	7	3,904	629	9	5,280	800	14	78.6
Utah	970	754	11	366	642	16	604	864	22	74.3
Vermont	216	777	15	99	745	19	117	816	26	91.3
Virginia	2,988	897	18	1,357	808	21	1,631	971	26	83.2
Washington	2,278	882	18	945	764	24	1,333	963	31	79.3
West Virginia	572	740	15	253	633	25	319	847	25	74.7
Wisconsin	1,959	784	15	871	697	20	1,088	851	19	81.9
Wyoming	211	847	20	83	671	22	128	978	20	68.6
Note: In general, the sampling error for the state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national estimates; thus, comparisons of state estimates should be made with caution. Data shown are based on workers' state of residence; worker' reported earnings, however, may or may not be from a job located in the same state.