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News Release Information

24-245-ATL
Friday, February 09, 2024

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

Women’s Earnings in North Carolina — 2022

In 2022, North Carolina women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $902, or 85.7 percent of the $1,053 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the 2022 women’s median weekly earnings of $902 were higher than $803 in 2021. Nationwide, women earned $958 per week, or 83.0 percent of men’s earnings ($1,154). (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 North Carolina, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 75.6 percent in 1999 to a high of 88.4 percent in 2009. The state’s ratio has remained above 80 percent since 2003. (Data for the states began in 1997.)


Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, median weekly earnings of women in full-time wage and salary positions in 2022 ranged from $751 in Mississippi to $1,626 in the District of Columbia. Women’s earnings in 12 states and the District of Columbia exceeded $1,050 per week. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Women's median usual weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary workers by state, 2022 annual averages

(U.S. average = $958)


Median weekly earnings for men were lowest in Mississippi at $906 and highest in the District of Columbia at $1,876. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia had weekly wages above $1,050 for full-time male workers.

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Rhode Island had the highest women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio, 99.6 percent. Utah had the lowest earnings ratio, 73.1 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, 2022 annual averages

(U.S. average = 83.0%)


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.

For more information on the median weekly earnings of women and men, see Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 1108, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2022 and Technical Notes.

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, 2022 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

118,869 $1,059 $3 53,315 $958 $3 65,554 $1,154 $3 83.0

Alabama

1,808 935 16 808 837 20 1,000 1,049 32 79.8

Alaska

251 1,131 20 106 1,007 32 145 1,217 23 82.7

Arizona

2,582 1,071 18 1,113 938 24 1,470 1,173 23 80.0

Arkansas

1,036 889 13 485 822 19 551 954 29 86.2

California

13,562 1,159 9 5,803 1,062 18 7,758 1,223 14 86.8

Colorado

2,226 1,240 16 960 1,142 19 1,265 1,312 26 87.0

Connecticut

1,360 1,260 44 617 1,130 41 743 1,399 30 80.8

Delaware

367 996 12 178 972 21 189 1,018 20 95.5

District of Columbia

300 1,740 18 155 1,626 52 145 1,876 32 86.7

Florida

7,938 952 9 3,695 861 9 4,243 1,022 12 84.2

Georgia

3,924 986 12 1,816 891 20 2,109 1,087 27 82.0

Hawaii

473 1,038 25 209 963 20 265 1,136 33 84.8

Idaho

664 975 15 277 851 17 387 1,085 27 78.4

Illinois

4,660 1,136 13 2,164 1,014 14 2,496 1,262 26 80.3

Indiana

2,549 996 17 1,121 861 16 1,427 1,109 25 77.6

Iowa

1,228 972 20 546 883 18 681 1,066 25 82.8

Kansas

1,095 1,007 13 480 920 20 614 1,079 33 85.3

Kentucky

1,495 945 14 668 860 19 827 1,018 27 84.5

Louisiana

1,552 926 18 743 822 21 809 1,064 37 77.3

Maine

427 1,019 17 206 936 23 222 1,093 39 85.6

Maryland

2,429 1,240 19 1,123 1,165 19 1,306 1,345 70 86.6

Massachusetts

2,590 1,353 26 1,186 1,247 24 1,403 1,454 25 85.8

Michigan

3,391 1,109 16 1,450 987 17 1,941 1,197 25 82.5

Minnesota

2,159 1,156 15 964 1,101 39 1,195 1,210 37 91.0

Mississippi

969 818 17 479 751 16 491 906 18 82.9

Missouri

2,235 986 24 996 882 22 1,238 1,110 39 79.5

Montana

364 979 15 163 884 17 201 1,082 23 81.7

Nebraska

771 1,006 15 350 937 22 422 1,068 27 87.7

Nevada

1,085 903 12 481 811 13 604 1,013 18 80.1

New Hampshire

559 1,207 29 246 1,019 23 313 1,351 24 75.4

New Jersey

3,511 1,187 19 1,546 1,072 30 1,964 1,284 39 83.5

New Mexico

669 951 15 296 855 27 373 1,023 35 83.6

New York

6,761 1,151 8 3,114 1,072 19 3,647 1,239 17 86.5

North Carolina

3,762 976 13 1,760 902 15 2,002 1,053 32 85.7

North Dakota

311 1,005 13 138 900 12 174 1,140 21 78.9

Ohio

4,008 1,005 11 1,796 902 11 2,212 1,103 16 81.8

Oklahoma

1,364 863 18 641 769 14 723 952 24 80.8

Oregon

1,494 1,143 16 663 1,074 30 831 1,204 33 89.2

Pennsylvania

4,701 1,095 14 2,157 981 16 2,545 1,195 20 82.1

Rhode Island

412 1,140 24 186 1,138 30 225 1,142 36 99.6

South Carolina

1,729 929 18 822 841 22 907 1,016 27 82.8

South Dakota

338 990 15 153 886 22 185 1,076 26 82.3

Tennessee

2,510 956 16 1,128 859 20 1,382 1,047 34 82.0

Texas

10,690 1,014 9 4,665 916 10 6,025 1,103 14 83.0

Utah

1,227 1,054 16 470 884 15 757 1,210 25 73.1

Vermont

225 1,129 20 107 1,007 31 117 1,214 33 82.9

Virginia

3,356 1,159 16 1,599 1,054 30 1,757 1,324 48 79.6

Washington

2,870 1,197 23 1,201 1,097 34 1,669 1,279 33 85.8

West Virginia

596 937 15 270 828 19 325 1,065 40 77.7

Wisconsin

2,088 1,077 21 930 940 24 1,158 1,169 24 80.4

Wyoming

199 1,023 17 83 869 24 116 1,150 24 75.6

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: Friday, February 09, 2024