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Wednesday, March 03, 2021
In 2019, Massachusetts women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $1,012 or 86.5 percent of the $1,170 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that the 2019 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio in Massachusetts compared to the 85.0 percent ratio from 2018. Nationwide, women earned $821 per week or 81.5 percent of the $1,007 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 significant in explaining earnings differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization.
In Massachusetts, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 74.8 percent in 2007 to a high of 86.5 percent in 2019. Since 2010, the ratio has remained above 80.0 percent. (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 2019 ranged from $669 in Mississippi to $1,017 in Maryland. In addition to Maryland, women’s earnings in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia exceeded $1,000 per week. (See table 1 and chart 2 .)
Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Mississippi at $830 and highest in New Jersey at $1,176. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia had weekly wages above $1,000 for full-time male workers.
Maryland had the highest women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio among the states, 89.1 percent, and Wyoming had the lowest, 72.5 percent. The District of Columbia had a ratio of 90.7 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, 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.
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. Further information about the reliability of data from the CPS is available on the CPS Technical Documentation page of the BLS website.
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 1089, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2019, available at https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2019/home.htm.
Information in this release will be available to sensory impaired individuals upon request: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
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 |
117,584 | $917 | $2 | 52,577 | $821 | $3 | 65,007 | $1,007 | $3 | 81.5 |
Alabama |
1,773 | 832 | 18 | 801 | 726 | 18 | 972 | 950 | 25 | 76.4 |
Alaska |
234 | 985 | 20 | 108 | 878 | 22 | 126 | 1,097 | 39 | 80.0 |
Arizona |
2,458 | 890 | 12 | 1,070 | 781 | 19 | 1,388 | 996 | 21 | 78.4 |
Arkansas |
1,017 | 786 | 18 | 465 | 714 | 18 | 552 | 874 | 22 | 81.7 |
California |
13,648 | 971 | 8 | 5,818 | 911 | 10 | 7,830 | 1,024 | 13 | 89.0 |
Colorado |
2,149 | 985 | 15 | 919 | 913 | 20 | 1,230 | 1,057 | 33 | 86.4 |
Connecticut |
1,316 | 1,073 | 31 | 596 | 972 | 39 | 720 | 1,136 | 38 | 85.6 |
Delaware |
367 | 868 | 24 | 172 | 790 | 16 | 195 | 954 | 29 | 82.8 |
District of Columbia |
318 | 1,462 | 17 | 163 | 1,406 | 45 | 155 | 1,550 | 33 | 90.7 |
Florida |
7,476 | 822 | 8 | 3,497 | 759 | 9 | 3,979 | 892 | 12 | 85.1 |
Georgia |
3,872 | 861 | 16 | 1,777 | 765 | 16 | 2,095 | 950 | 23 | 80.5 |
Hawaii |
478 | 905 | 15 | 227 | 847 | 20 | 251 | 995 | 30 | 85.1 |
Idaho |
613 | 805 | 14 | 246 | 682 | 14 | 367 | 919 | 20 | 74.2 |
Illinois |
4,668 | 996 | 13 | 2,084 | 886 | 14 | 2,584 | 1,108 | 24 | 80.0 |
Indiana |
2,482 | 863 | 14 | 1,084 | 726 | 18 | 1,397 | 986 | 20 | 73.6 |
Iowa |
1,251 | 868 | 18 | 573 | 770 | 19 | 677 | 959 | 27 | 80.3 |
Kansas |
1,061 | 839 | 17 | 482 | 733 | 17 | 579 | 945 | 21 | 77.6 |
Kentucky |
1,486 | 815 | 18 | 654 | 724 | 17 | 831 | 914 | 22 | 79.2 |
Louisiana |
1,524 | 828 | 20 | 710 | 720 | 19 | 814 | 978 | 29 | 73.6 |
Maine |
462 | 865 | 12 | 210 | 772 | 17 | 252 | 980 | 33 | 78.8 |
Maryland |
2,481 | 1,084 | 23 | 1,180 | 1,017 | 30 | 1,301 | 1,142 | 28 | 89.1 |
Massachusetts |
2,732 | 1,117 | 20 | 1,256 | 1,012 | 18 | 1,476 | 1,170 | 20 | 86.5 |
Michigan |
3,471 | 922 | 11 | 1,540 | 803 | 18 | 1,931 | 1,010 | 14 | 79.5 |
Minnesota |
2,061 | 1,005 | 19 | 934 | 909 | 20 | 1,127 | 1,104 | 25 | 82.3 |
Mississippi |
947 | 744 | 12 | 453 | 669 | 21 | 493 | 830 | 26 | 80.6 |
Missouri |
2,206 | 891 | 19 | 1,028 | 786 | 18 | 1,178 | 1,008 | 24 | 78.0 |
Montana |
339 | 844 | 17 | 148 | 739 | 14 | 191 | 952 | 21 | 77.6 |
Nebraska |
724 | 879 | 16 | 332 | 786 | 22 | 391 | 940 | 23 | 83.6 |
Nevada |
1,176 | 844 | 17 | 515 | 776 | 15 | 661 | 920 | 19 | 84.3 |
New Hampshire |
544 | 999 | 21 | 238 | 893 | 19 | 306 | 1,136 | 31 | 78.6 |
New Jersey |
3,421 | 1,046 | 19 | 1,553 | 932 | 18 | 1,868 | 1,176 | 23 | 79.3 |
New Mexico |
664 | 799 | 20 | 293 | 717 | 13 | 371 | 891 | 21 | 80.5 |
New York |
6,901 | 983 | 10 | 3,188 | 895 | 15 | 3,712 | 1,068 | 19 | 83.8 |
North Carolina |
3,730 | 853 | 13 | 1,711 | 770 | 11 | 2,019 | 920 | 17 | 83.7 |
North Dakota |
292 | 917 | 14 | 128 | 783 | 17 | 164 | 1,051 | 32 | 74.5 |
Ohio |
4,121 | 925 | 11 | 1,842 | 825 | 16 | 2,278 | 1,014 | 17 | 81.4 |
Oklahoma |
1,322 | 806 | 16 | 582 | 708 | 16 | 741 | 926 | 22 | 76.5 |
Oregon |
1,409 | 930 | 19 | 591 | 836 | 27 | 818 | 1,024 | 40 | 81.6 |
Pennsylvania |
4,561 | 946 | 13 | 2,062 | 828 | 12 | 2,499 | 1,069 | 18 | 77.5 |
Rhode Island |
388 | 979 | 15 | 176 | 884 | 31 | 213 | 1,057 | 57 | 83.6 |
South Carolina |
1,853 | 833 | 16 | 873 | 733 | 14 | 979 | 953 | 25 | 76.9 |
South Dakota |
322 | 880 | 12 | 144 | 758 | 14 | 178 | 969 | 18 | 78.2 |
Tennessee |
2,519 | 836 | 15 | 1,139 | 739 | 14 | 1,380 | 945 | 28 | 78.2 |
Texas |
10,460 | 870 | 8 | 4,548 | 772 | 9 | 5,913 | 954 | 14 | 80.9 |
Utah |
1,068 | 905 | 13 | 404 | 755 | 12 | 664 | 1,014 | 19 | 74.5 |
Vermont |
235 | 940 | 16 | 111 | 879 | 18 | 125 | 1,016 | 34 | 86.5 |
Virginia |
3,275 | 1,021 | 18 | 1,464 | 928 | 26 | 1,811 | 1,139 | 25 | 81.5 |
Washington |
2,816 | 1,026 | 21 | 1,207 | 889 | 24 | 1,609 | 1,137 | 22 | 78.2 |
West Virginia |
589 | 797 | 13 | 262 | 715 | 19 | 327 | 875 | 25 | 81.7 |
Wisconsin |
2,107 | 928 | 18 | 934 | 832 | 22 | 1,173 | 1,010 | 24 | 82.4 |
Wyoming |
197 | 915 | 13 | 84 | 762 | 19 | 113 | 1,051 | 31 | 72.5 |
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. |
Last Modified Date: Wednesday, March 03, 2021