Falling Short in Every State:
The Wage Gap and Harsh Economic Realities for Women Persist
In the United States, women are paid only 77¢ on average for every dollar paid to men. More than 45 years ago, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, making it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform substantially equal work. The following year, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted, making it illegal to discriminate, including in compensation, on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, and national origin. At the time of the Equal Pay Act’s passage in 1963, women were paid merely 59 cents to every dollar earned by men. Although enforcement of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII has helped to narrow the wage gap, significant disparities remain and must be addressed.
|
State (sort) |
Women's Earnings Ratio* (sort) |
| Alabama | 73% |
| Alaska | 74% |
| Arizona | 82% |
| Arkansas | 74% |
| California | 84% |
| Colorado | 80% |
| Connecticut | 76% |
| Delaware | 80% |
| District of Columbia | 93% |
| Florida | 80% |
| Georgia | 80% |
| Hawaii | 79% |
| Idaho | 73% |
| Illinois | 73% |
| Indiana | 72% |
| Iowa | 75% |
| Kansas | 74% |
| Kentucky | 75% |
| Louisiana | 65% |
| Maine | 76% |
| Maryland | 81% |
| Massachusetts | 78% |
| Michigan | 72% |
| Minnesota | 77% |
| Mississippi | 73% |
| Missouri | 75% |
| Montana | 70% |
| Nebraska | 78% |
| Nevada | 80% |
| New Hampshire | 70% |
| New Jersey | 77% |
| New Mexico | 79% |
| New York | 82% |
| North Carolina | 80% |
| North Dakota | 69% |
| Ohio | 74% |
| Oklahoma | 78% |
| Oregon | 77% |
| Pennsylvania | 75% |
| Rhode Island | 77% |
| South Carolina | 75% |
| South Dakota | 73% |
| Tennessee | 77% |
| Texas | 79% |
| Utah | 72% |
| Vermont | 84% |
| Virginia | 77% |
| Washington | 75% |
| West Virginia | 67% |
| Wisconsin | 73% |
| Wyoming | 63% |
| *These state fact sheets reflect data from 2007 which was released in August 2008 by the Census Bureau. |