Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

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.

Https

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.

News Release Information

21-86-ATL
Thursday, February 18, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Women’s Earnings In Kentucky – 2019

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
StateTotalWomenMenWomen’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$252,577$821$365,007$1,007$381.5

Alabama

1,77383218801726189729502576.4

Alaska

23498520108878221261,0973980.0

Arizona

2,458890121,070781191,3889962178.4

Arkansas

1,01778618465714185528742281.7

California

13,64897185,818911107,8301,0241389.0

Colorado

2,14998515919913201,2301,0573386.4

Connecticut

1,3161,07331596972397201,1363885.6

Delaware

36786824172790161959542982.8

District of Columbia

3181,462171631,406451551,5503390.7

Florida

7,47682283,49775993,9798921285.1

Georgia

3,872861161,777765162,0959502380.5

Hawaii

47890515227847202519953085.1

Idaho

61380514246682143679192074.2

Illinois

4,668996132,084886142,5841,1082480.0

Indiana

2,482863141,084726181,3979862073.6

Iowa

1,25186818573770196779592780.3

Kansas

1,06183917482733175799452177.6

Kentucky

1,48681518654724178319142279.2

Louisiana

1,52482820710720198149782973.6

Maine

46286512210772172529803378.8

Maryland

2,4811,084231,1801,017301,3011,1422889.1

Massachusetts

2,7321,117201,2561,012181,4761,1702086.5

Michigan

3,471922111,540803181,9311,0101479.5

Minnesota

2,0611,00519934909201,1271,1042582.3

Mississippi

94774412453669214938302680.6

Missouri

2,206891191,028786181,1781,0082478.0

Montana

33984417148739141919522177.6

Nebraska

72487916332786223919402383.6

Nevada

1,17684417515776156619201984.3

New Hampshire

54499921238893193061,1363178.6

New Jersey

3,4211,046191,553932181,8681,1762379.3

New Mexico

66479920293717133718912180.5

New York

6,901983103,188895153,7121,0681983.8

North Carolina

3,730853131,711770112,0199201783.7

North Dakota

29291714128783171641,0513274.5

Ohio

4,121925111,842825162,2781,0141781.4

Oklahoma

1,32280616582708167419262276.5

Oregon

1,40993019591836278181,0244081.6

Pennsylvania

4,561946132,062828122,4991,0691877.5

Rhode Island

38897915176884312131,0575783.6

South Carolina

1,85383316873733149799532576.9

South Dakota

32288012144758141789691878.2

Tennessee

2,519836151,139739141,3809452878.2

Texas

10,46087084,54877295,9139541480.9

Utah

1,06890513404755126641,0141974.5

Vermont

23594016111879181251,0163486.5

Virginia

3,2751,021181,464928261,8111,1392581.5

Washington

2,8161,026211,207889241,6091,1372278.2

West Virginia

58979713262715193278752581.7

Wisconsin

2,10792818934832221,1731,0102482.4

Wyoming

1979151384762191131,0513172.5

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021