In 2015, Virginia women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $825, or 80.0 percent of the $1,031 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 Virginia decreased 3.6 percentage points from the previous year. Nationwide, women earned $726 per week, or 81.1 percent of the $895 median for men. (See table 1. Earnings in this release do not control for many factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences.)

In Virginia, the ratio of women’s to men’s earnings has ranged from a low of 72.4 percent in 2000 to a high of 83.6 percent in 2014. (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 2015 ranged from $591 in Mississippi to $907 in Massachusetts. In addition to Massachusetts, women’s earnings in Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia were above $820 per week. In the District of Columbia, women earned a median weekly wage of $1,070. (See table 1 and chart 2.)

Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Tennessee at $756 and highest in Connecticut at $1,139. Six other states (Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Alaska, Virginia, and Washington) had weekly wages above $1,000 for full-time male workers. In the District of Columbia, men earned a median weekly wage of $1,224.

Hawaii had the highest female-to-male earnings ratio among the states, 87.9 percent, and Wyoming had the lowest, 69.0 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 87.4 percent. (See chart 3.) 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. In addition, earnings comparisons by gender are on a broad level and do not control for factors that can be significant in explaining earnings differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization.

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 U.S. 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 differences in the demographic 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 concepts and definitions used in connection with the earnings data in this release are described briefly below.

Usual weekly earnings. The 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 1064, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2015, available at www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2015/pdf/home.pdf.

Information in this release will be available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

 

Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2015 annual averages

State	Total			Women			Men			Women’s earnings as a 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	109,080	$809	$2	48,334	$726	$2	60,746	$895	$3	81.1
Alabama	1,580	711	14	724	615	12	856	815	32	75.5
Alaska	255	903	15	110	787	21	145	1,034	24	76.1
Arizona	2,180	745	11	960	674	13	1,219	816	20	82.6
Arkansas	983	682	14	459	607	12	524	761	19	79.8
California	12,555	849	11	5,315	775	10	7,241	914	12	84.8
Colorado	1,895	863	16	821	779	17	1,074	941	20	82.8
Connecticut	1,245	1,012	31	586	874	29	659	1,139	23	76.7
Delaware	345	788	17	165	740	17	180	848	22	87.3
District of Columbia	295	1,148	15	147	1,070	44	149	1,224	41	87.4
Florida	6,601	747	7	3,041	699	9	3,559	800	16	87.4
Georgia	3,402	751	12	1,552	692	15	1,850	816	18	84.8
Hawaii	470	775	20	215	729	21	255	829	30	87.9
Idaho	530	726	11	217	654	12	312	806	22	81.1
Illinois	4,479	846	10	2,009	760	11	2,470	911	14	83.4
Indiana	2,284	769	15	997	687	23	1,287	861	27	79.8
Iowa	1,122	774	15	510	684	16	612	870	25	78.6
Kansas	1,023	765	13	456	667	17	567	870	21	76.7
Kentucky	1,392	756	16	637	685	17	755	849	25	80.7
Louisiana	1,559	727	15	716	630	17	843	828	27	76.1
Maine	423	790	19	194	711	19	229	889	31	80.0
Maryland	2,325	974	21	1,117	884	43	1,208	1,055	28	83.8
Massachusetts	2,423	1,001	15	1,076	907	21	1,347	1,112	39	81.6
Michigan	3,205	823	12	1,389	715	14	1,815	931	19	76.8
Minnesota	2,020	887	16	897	786	26	1,123	954	26	82.4
Mississippi	923	668	17	438	591	14	485	772	20	76.6
Missouri	2,168	768	15	1,006	667	14	1,162	863	22	77.3
Montana	329	730	11	147	660	17	182	794	24	83.1
Nebraska	714	754	10	322	652	16	392	856	19	76.2
Nevada	1,010	730	12	437	660	13	573	809	23	81.6
New Hampshire	503	865	23	219	746	18	284	965	25	77.3
New Jersey	3,208	969	13	1,396	874	18	1,812	1,050	30	83.2
New Mexico	624	722	17	286	638	16	338	812	31	78.6
New York	6,834	888	9	3,147	816	18	3,687	939	13	86.9
North Carolina	3,399	723	11	1,515	664	11	1,884	774	17	85.8
North Dakota	290	797	14	123	682	16	166	912	18	74.8
Ohio	3,888	800	12	1,723	716	13	2,165	882	14	81.2
Oklahoma	1,313	739	12	579	640	19	734	831	26	77.0
Oregon	1,235	826	19	527	734	21	708	884	22	83.0
Pennsylvania	4,461	833	11	1,960	723	13	2,501	922	15	78.4
Rhode Island	376	827	22	174	737	20	202	926	28	79.6
South Carolina	1,638	696	15	756	642	11	881	762	17	84.3
South Dakota	319	705	9	152	624	10	167	788	18	79.2
Tennessee	2,196	705	13	938	647	15	1,257	756	19	85.6
Texas	9,556	770	7	4,094	683	11	5,462	864	14	79.1
Utah	993	787	13	366	660	19	626	878	23	75.2
Vermont	223	831	17	102	752	17	120	902	23	83.4
Virginia	3,039	937	19	1,364	825	29	1,675	1,031	29	80.0
Washington	2,403	909	16	1,005	797	22	1,398	1,025	30	77.8
West Virginia	552	724	14	247	640	17	305	803	18	79.7
Wisconsin	2,082	824	14	909	707	16	1,173	920	24	76.8
Wyoming	217	797	19	89	654	15	128	948	25	69.0
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; workers’ reported earnings, however, may or may not be from a job located in the same state.