In 2019, Kentucky women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $724, or 79.2 percent of the $914 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the 2019 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio of 79.2 percent compared to 82.2 percent in 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 important in explaining earnings differences, such as job skills and responsibilities, work experience, and specialization.)

In Kentucky, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 71.1 percent in 1998 to a high of 85.9 percent in 2016. With two exceptions, the state’s ratio has remained above 80 percent since 2011. (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.

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.

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 reflect 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.

The median of usual weekly earnings reflects 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 are people 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 workers are defined for the purposes of these estimates as those who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or principal job.

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 www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2019/home.htm.

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

Table 1. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2019 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	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. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.