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News Release Information

24-2175-SAN
Thursday, October 17, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Women’s Earnings in California – 2023

In 2023, California women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $1,118, or 89.9 percent of the $1,244 median usual weekly earnings of their male counterparts, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the 2023 women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio of 89.9 percent compared to the ratio of 86.8 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 California, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has ranged from a low of 82.9 percent in 2001 to a high of 90.2 percent in 2005. (Data for the states began in 1997.)

Chart 1

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.

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.

For more information on the median weekly earnings of women and men, see Bureau of Labor Statistics Report 1111, Highlights of women’s earnings in 2023 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, 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, October 17, 2024