The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information,
make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure. The
https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any
information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
In 2023, Wisconsin women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $1,032, significantly below the $1,225 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the 2023 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio of 84.2 percent compared to 80.4 percent in 2022. Nationwide, women earned $1,005 per week, or 83.6 percent of the $1,202 median for men. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The earnings comparisons in this release 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.
In Wisconsin, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 68.5 percent in 1997 to a high of 89.4 percent in 2021. (Data for the states began in 1997.)
Chart 1. Women's earnings as a percentage of men's, full-time wage and salary workers, the United States and Wisconsin, 2013–23 annual averages
Year
Wisconsin
United States
2013
81.9
82.1
2014
81.4
82.5
2015
76.8
81.1
2016
78.4
81.9
2017
83.0
81.8
2018
80.7
81.1
2019
82.4
81.5
2020
86.5
82.3
2021
89.4
83.1
2022
80.4
83.0
2023
84.2
83.6
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions in 2023 ranged from $775 in Mississippi to $1,726 in the District of Columbia. Women’s earnings in twenty states and the District of Columbia exceeded $1,000 per week. (See map 1.)
Map 1. Women's median usual weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2023 annual averages
(U.S. median = $1,005)
Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Mississippi at $921 and highest in the District of Columbia at $1,993. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia had weekly wages above $1,000 for full-time male workers.
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California had the highest women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio among the states, 89.9 percent. Louisiana had the lowest earnings ratio, 73.7 percent. (See map 2.) 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, sampling error for state estimates is considerably larger than it is for the national estimates. Consequently, earnings comparisons between states should be made with caution.
Map 2. Women's earnings as a percentage of men's for full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2023 annual averages
(U.S. ratio = 83.6%)
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. The 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 survey data on earnings are based on 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 release.
Readers should be aware that, because of sampling error, apparent differences between estimates for two or more groups or categories may not be statistically significant, and therefore not meaningfully different from one another. Standard errors are shown with many of the median earnings estimates in this report to help readers evaluate differences in earnings estimates.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202)-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2023 annual averages
State
Total
Women
Men
Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s
Number of workers (in thou- sands)
Median weekly earnings ($)
Standard error of median ($)
Number of workers (in thou- sands)
Median weekly earnings ($)
Standard error of median ($)
Number of workers (in thou- sands)
Median weekly earnings ($)
Standard error of median ($)
United States
120,907
1,117
3
54,207
1,005
3
66,700
1,202
4
83.6
Alabama
1,837
982
14
835
873
17
1,002
1,084
29
80.5
Alaska
254
1,167
20
112
1,035
31
142
1,286
45
80.5
Arizona
2,639
1,151
18
1,136
1,019
20
1,503
1,233
16
82.6
Arkansas
1,044
914
16
475
833
20
569
992
19
84.0
California
13,552
1,181
10
5,839
1,118
15
7,712
1,244
17
89.9
Colorado
2,228
1,364
21
984
1,235
19
1,243
1,505
34
82.1
Connecticut
1,308
1,292
32
600
1,194
54
707
1,353
28
88.2
Delaware
359
1,017
9
172
990
11
188
1,116
46
88.7
District of Columbia
316
1,854
31
160
1,726
55
155
1,993
33
86.6
Florida
8,250
985
7
3,822
926
8
4,428
1,054
18
87.9
Georgia
3,953
1,035
17
1,810
976
20
2,143
1,103
29
88.5
Hawaii
477
1,000
21
222
902
20
255
1,095
40
82.4
Idaho
653
1,016
14
266
910
14
387
1,114
21
81.7
Illinois
4,595
1,164
12
2,080
1,055
22
2,514
1,262
28
83.6
Indiana
2,550
1,020
14
1,103
934
23
1,447
1,141
29
81.9
Iowa
1,218
1,019
16
527
921
19
692
1,128
22
81.6
Kansas
1,133
1,048
20
497
965
24
636
1,151
30
83.8
Kentucky
1,417
982
16
652
920
24
765
1,036
22
88.8
Louisiana
1,519
972
19
732
833
21
787
1,130
33
73.7
Maine
445
1,058
20
211
992
24
234
1,109
32
89.4
Maryland
2,439
1,368
25
1,142
1,296
35
1,297
1,464
37
88.5
Massachusetts
2,636
1,413
24
1,211
1,331
27
1,425
1,527
35
87.2
Michigan
3,537
1,106
17
1,520
1,001
15
2,017
1,206
15
83.0
Minnesota
2,160
1,240
21
986
1,131
24
1,174
1,363
28
83.0
Mississippi
971
851
13
442
775
18
530
921
20
84.1
Missouri
2,310
1,004
14
1,055
915
19
1,254
1,091
32
83.9
Montana
377
1,038
20
167
948
20
210
1,136
30
83.5
Nebraska
762
1,102
17
346
985
30
416
1,179
24
83.5
Nevada
1,153
996
14
493
912
14
660
1,069
32
85.3
New Hampshire
536
1,220
30
233
1,071
31
304
1,376
41
77.8
New Jersey
3,543
1,339
17
1,593
1,168
18
1,951
1,497
37
78.0
New Mexico
678
986
19
300
913
23
377
1,110
52
82.3
New York
6,866
1,196
13
3,200
1,090
19
3,665
1,295
25
84.2
North Carolina
3,949
992
11
1,853
904
13
2,096
1,053
16
85.8
North Dakota
305
1,104
16
132
976
18
173
1,202
24
81.2
Ohio
4,135
1,127
13
1,793
998
19
2,342
1,215
23
82.1
Oklahoma
1,452
960
15
657
860
18
795
1,036
23
83.0
Oregon
1,451
1,172
20
629
1,106
40
823
1,250
27
88.5
Pennsylvania
4,782
1,161
13
2,188
1,030
20
2,593
1,250
19
82.4
Rhode Island
401
1,153
29
180
1,016
24
221
1,240
28
81.9
South Carolina
1,831
992
18
875
921
18
957
1,075
26
85.7
South Dakota
344
1,032
16
155
927
17
189
1,182
22
78.4
Tennessee
2,557
998
13
1,159
905
16
1,397
1,123
22
80.6
Texas
11,197
1,044
12
4,930
947
11
6,267
1,140
11
83.1
Utah
1,202
1,142
16
451
965
20
751
1,287
26
75.0
Vermont
242
1,143
20
113
1,089
27
129
1,214
42
89.7
Virginia
3,476
1,230
24
1,605
1,098
35
1,871
1,393
45
78.8
Washington
2,889
1,363
29
1,245
1,165
24
1,645
1,523
37
76.5
West Virginia
599
967
18
273
852
18
326
1,075
32
79.3
Wisconsin
2,171
1,130
17
958
1,032
20
1,212
1,225
27
84.2
Wyoming
209
1,052
26
86
903
20
123
1,172
26
77.0
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. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
United States Department of Labor
